Round 1 – Carlton v Richmond: Was that really the Old Dark Navy Blues?

 

 

IT HAD to happen eventually – and when it did, you had to be there to witness it. That’s if you are a long-suffering Carlton supporter who has faithfully rocked up to the MCG for round one against the Tigers every year for a decade and always walked away not merely disappointed by the result on the night but achingly aware that the constantly rebuilt team is still not good enough and yet another season of frustration and unfulfillment lay ahead.

 

Would this never end?

 

Well, now it has – or has it?

 

This time, you walked away elated by what you had just witnessed, to be sure, but also perversely wondering whether it had been all just a little too surreal, not quite believable, some sort of freakish outlier that might never be repeated.

 

After all, the quality of Carlton’s last-quarter onslaught that turned a 20 point deficit into a 25 point win was near enough to a match, I think, for Melbourne’s late-game annihilation of the Western Bulldogs in the Grand Final.

 

If this wasn’t football perfection – there may be no such thing – it will do until we get some.

 

Their domination of every statistical measurement was almost total.

 

After being outplayed for two thirds of the game until that point, Carlton embarrassed their traditional rivals – and there are still no better occasions in the national competition than the old Melbourne suburban showdowns — making them look slow, old and just not good enough, a force of other days, now gone.

 

The irony of that was lost on nobody from either club who had endured or enjoyed the previous nine editions of this season-opening blockbuster.

 

So is it for real?

 

Is this the year the Blues finally put an end to decades of under-achievement and, like the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and, yes, Richmond in recent times position themselves for a return to the glory days of old?

 

At the risk of setting myself up for the crash-landing that is a common fate of all those unwise enough to go the early crow, there is no reason not to believe that the answer is yes.

 

I tipped them to win – not many did — and that wasn’t just faith and hope intruding on common  sense.

 

I hardly ever watch practice matches, believing them to have little relationship to reality. But I sat through every minute of their recent defeat of the Premiers and for the first three quarters, at least, I was certain I detected a new, more aggressive, more cohesive style that might have been difficult to define exactly but which did not look like it was a fluke.

 

It seemed obvious that the arrival of (yet another) new coach was already having an effect.

 

And when it really mattered on Thursday night, the improvement was undeniable. There was so much to like.

 

Patrick Cripps, also best afield in the practice hit-out, played another blinder. Matthew Kennedy has re-invented himself from battler to star. Recruits George Hewett and Adam Cerra made an instant impact.

 

Cancer survivor Sam Docherty’s brave comeback has provided not simply an emotional sugar hit but an injection of sheer talent, which he has always possessed.

 

They pulled this off without the injured Sam Walsh, Cripps’ only rival as their best player, and with Coleman Medallist Harry McKay and another gun forward Charlie Curnow exerting little influence.

 

Despite that, a team that often used to struggle to get past 50 points and would too often get run over in the late stages of games, kicked 101 points despite missing more goals than they kicked and twice bounced back from sizeable deficits.

 

Next week, it’s the other Grand finalists, the Bulldogs – and I have a feeling I won’t have so little company tipping the Blues this time.

 

CARLTON            1.3       5.9       7.12       14.17 (101)
RICHMOND        4.5       4.7       10.9     11.10 (76)

 

GOALS  
Carlton: Cripps 3, Durdin 2, Docherty, Hewett, Kennedy, McKay, Silvagni, O’Brien, Cerra, Fisher, Martin
Richmond: Bolton 3, Balta 2, Lynch 2, Aarts, Baker, Martin, Riewoldt

 

BEST  
Carlton: Cripps, Kennedy, Docherty, Cerra, Hewett, Saad
Richmond: Short, Pickett, Bolton, Martin

 

INJURIES
Carlton: McGovern (back/hip)
Richmond: Prestia (hamstring)

 

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Nil
Richmond: Ralphsmith (for Prestia in second quarter)

 

Crowd: 72,179 at the MCG

 

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE
One-off financial contribution – CLICK HERE
Regular financial contribution (monthly EFT) – CLICK HERE