Round 12 – Carlton v Geelong: Blue surge

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps led his Blues to a magnificent four-point win against premiership contender Geelong at a raucous MCG on Friday night.

Cripps rose above Cat Jeremy Cameron to mark Mitch McGovern’s spearing kick with just over a minute left in the game. The skipper did the rest. Geelong attacked one final time but the brilliant Blues held on to mark interim coach Josh Fraser’s third win in a row.

Sydney Swans recruit Will Hayward capped off a superb night with three goals for Carlton and experienced teammates Sam Walsh and returning defender Jacob Weitering were massive contributors to the result.

Blues’ young gun Jagga Smith had 27 touches and was electrifying around the stoppages with his break-away speed. None was better when he shrugged off Geelong’s Bailey Smith to help set up a goal to Carlton’s Brodie Kemp.

The Cats were on top early with Cameron and winger Ollie Dempsey causing havoc for the Carlton defence. Dempsey was denied a goal when the ball seemingly was touched below his knee in front of goal umpire David Rodan but it was too late for the ARC review to come into play as the ball was worked up the ground by the Blues.

Flynn Young booted two quick majors in the second quarter to get Carlton into the contest and a third was denied by the ARC when it was touched.

Hayward booted a brilliant goal at the start of the final quarter as the lead continued to swap between the two teams. Cameron curled through his fourth for the Cats and when Ollie Dempsey popped up like an inground sprinkler for a Geelong go-ahead goal, it would seemingly be another that got away for Carlton.

However, what the Blues have done so well throughout the night and that was winning centre clearances. Cripps had been restrained on the bench for several minutes sensed the big moment when he placed himself forward as his team surged one final time.

It was the Blue surge that mattered most.

RODAN MISSED A SITTER

It happened right in front of him. That would be what Geelong fans were asking themselves post-game. Ollie Dempsey’s third goal was denied in the first quarter when his point-blank snap at goal made contact below his knee. Why this wasn’t reviewed will be another ARC point of conjecture during the upcoming week especially with some of the dubious decisions recently with the ‘new technologically-based’ review system. Never-the-less who’s to say that the none-goal decided the final outcome of the match?

INEXPLICABLE BLUNDER BY TOMMY

It is hard to criticize a proven premiership defender. Tommy Stewart is the best interceptor in the game and he reads the play like no other. But as Carlton went forward via Mitch McGovern, Stewart decided to hang back from the eventual Patrick Cripps game-winning mark. If the veteran Cat had his time again, he would have gone up to spoil the contest as he had done so with courage many other times in similar situations.

CARLTON      1.3     5.9     9.11     12.16 (88)
GEELONG      4.4     6.8     9.10     12.12 (84)

GOALS
Carlton: Hayward 3, Young 2, Kemp 2, Ison, Cerra, Hewett, Byrne, Cripps
Geelong: Cameron 4, Dempsey 2, O.Henry 2, J.Henry 2, Mannagh, Dangerfield

BEST (Nick’s best)
Carlton: Cripps, Hayward, Dean, Weitering, Smith, Wilson, Walsh
Geelong: Smith, Cameron, Humphries, Holmes, Dempsey, Guthrie

INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
Geelong: Humphries (leg)

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