Round 5 – Carlton v St Kilda: Could we back up?

 

 

 

Carlton v St Kilda

 

2 July, 2020

(not such a) Marvel

Matt Harvey

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Just five days after our epic one-point triumph over Essendon, here we were on the field, this time facing St Kilda whom I did not think of as such great rivals. But then I remembered 1972 and the Preliminary Final before our great win, and how I hated Cowboy Neale.

 

Then I remembered the first time I took my son to a game, when he was two. St Kilda were playing with yellow where the red should be to promote a brand of milk. Last Thursday they were milky white all over. He slept through the first half, woke up and said  “Can we go home?”! I made him stay a bit longer – we were winning. He said “I like Kilda, Dad” breaking my heart, but mainly he wanted out of there. I remember dragging him to another game where Nick Riewoldt kicked a bag and they won by about 20 goals. Fate certainly picked the wrong time to be trying to make my son love the Blues!

 

On Thursday night, although we got the first score, they soon had three goals to our none and that ended up the winning margin. They scored two quick ones at the start of the second and led by five goals at half.

 

In the third, our new ruckman Pittonet had the chance to kick his first AFL goal but fluffed it. Paddy Cripps connected with Jack Martin for a goal but St Kilda struck back immediately. Will Setterfield snagged one for us. Levi Casboult was back to his erratic old ways kicking out on the full. Then Setterfield got another to get us back within three. Cripps missed narrowly but the Saints got a steadier and then a dubious free right in front of goal on the siren. Luckily the Saints player missed everything – poetic justice! But we were still 23 down at three quarter time.

 

Membrey kicked a goal early in the final quarter then they got another and it was all over. Cripps and ex-Saint Jack Newnes goaled and the commentators tried to get excited, but that was the end of the show with St Kilda winning by 18 points. Now we’re off to Queensland in this bizarre season, but I’ve still got the blues, locked down in the Melbourne winter!

 

CARLTON        1.1       2.4       5.6       8.7 (55)
ST KILDA         4.3       7.4       9.5      11.7 (73)

 

GOALS
Carlton: Setterfield 2, Betts, Philp, Martin, Cripps, Gibbons, Newnes
St Kilda: Geary 2, King 2, Butler 2, Battle, Gresham, Billings, Membrey, Kent

 

BEST
Carlton: Martin, Setterfield, Curnow, Cripps
St Kilda: Steele, Long, Billings, Marshall, Coffield, Wilkie

 

INJURIES
Carlton: Fisher (gastro) replace in selected side by Philp
St Kilda: Hannebery (hamstring)