Round 24, 2024

Carlton 1.3 9 4.3 27 9.5 59 11.8 74 St Kilda 2.2 14 5.7 37 10.8 68 11.10 76
Venue:	Marvel Stadium.
Date:	Sunday 25 August 2024 (3.20 pm).
Result:	Lost by 2 points.
Crowd:	43,843
Goalkickers:	B. Acres 2.2, B. Kemp 1.1, J. Carroll 1.1, J. Motlop 1.1, J. Binns 1.0, M. Owies 1.0, A. Moir 1.0, M. Pittonet 1.0, O. Fantasia 1.0, G. Hewett 1.0, M. Kennedy 0.1, E. Hollands 0.1, C. Durdin 0.1.
Reports:	Matt Owies - rough conduct (first offence) against Jack Higgins, the incident was rated as careless conduct, medium impact, and high contact - suspended for one match.
Umpires:	Curtis Deboy, Andrew Stephens, Brendan Hosking, Jacob Mollison.
Injuries:	Nil.
Ladder:	8th

Blues fall at final hurdle - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media

Carlton has fallen at the final hurdle, with a late Jack Higgins goal resigning the Blues to a 11.8 (74) to a 11.10 (76) defeat. After trailing at every change, the Blues made a spirited final-quarter comeback to hit the front with five minutes remaining, only to concede a goal from a late defensive stoppage. Patrick Cripps, Nic Newman and Sam Walsh were exceptional for the Blues, willing the team to the line on a high-stakes day for the Blues. The Blues got off to the ideal start within the opening minute, when after winning the opening clearance, George Hewett pushed forward to snap the first of the game. However, there was no more scoreboard impact for the Blues in the first quarter, with some set shots going begging despite the Blues having their fair share of the play: after consecutive goals, the Blues found themselves five points down at the opening change. Sam Walsh typically willed himself into the 11 first-quarter disposals, matched only by Nic Newman, while Marc Pittonet immediately engaged in a physical battle with Saints gun Rowan Marshall.

The ruckman matched his opponent’s first-term major with one of his own in the second, commencing a sequence of goal-for-goal football with neither side able to establish too much of an advantage. The key stats remained level for much of the first half, with the exception of the Saints’ uncontested marking game: come half time, they were +24 in the stat, and their time in possession resulted in them having the better of the second term, taking a 10-point lead into the main break. In the absence of tall targets Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Tom De Koning, the Blues struggled to find a marking option in attack against a miserly Saints backline, with all midfielders kicking goals at the main break. Despite the lack of reward, Brodie Kemp continued to work hard, keeping Callum Wilkie to just two marks at the main break. It was the Saints who had the better of the start to the second half, opening up a 20-point lead on a number of occasions despite the best efforts of Blake Acres, who kicked two crowd-lifting goals in a matter of minutes.

Not for the first time in 2024, it was Patrick Cripps who led the charge in the third term. The skipper powered through with 12 disposals, seven contested possessions and four clearances, surging the Blues forward as they ended the term the better of the two sides — a Kemp major, which was the Blues’ fifth of the term, brought the Blues back within nine points at the final change. Ashton Moir was subbed into the game for Jack Carroll (tactical) at the start of the last term with the energy palpable inside Marvel Stadium. Adam Saad had a pair of crucial defensive wins to start the final term, but the Blues only had a pair of behinds to show for it inside the opening minutes of the quarter, unable to make the most of their early territory. It reached fever pitch under the roof when substitute Moir converted a goal on the run to bring the Blues back within two points. The volume was turned up with six minutes remaining, when Orazio Fantasia won a crucial ground ball to set up Jesse Motlop, giving the Blues the lead for the first time in the second half. It looked as though the Blues had sealed their September fate until the final 15 seconds, when Jack Higgins’ snap sailed agonisingly over the goal line for a two-point St Kilda win.

Heartbreaker Late Saints goal leaves Blues needing Freo loss

Carlton's finals fate is out of its hands after a nail-biting loss to St Kilda - By AAP with Martin Smith.

Carlton has survived the most emotional of rollercoasters, falling into the finals despite a "heartbreaking" two-point loss to St Kilda on Sunday. Needing a win to guarantee their top-eight spot, the undermanned Blues were sunk by Jack Higgins' last-gasp goal in a 11.10 (76) to 11.8 (74) defeat at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. But Michael Voss's Blues were saved by Port Adelaide, whose hard-fought win over Fremantle in the last game of the home-and-away season saved Carlton's blushes. They'll now head to the Gabba for a repeat of the memorable preliminary final last year and Carlton's miraculous comeback win in Opening Round this season. The equation was taken out of the Blues' hands when Higgins put the Saints back in front in a pulsating contest when his right-foot snap floated through with 12 seconds left at Marvel Stadium. Carlton had one last foray forward, but Zak Jones smothered Elijah Hollands before Lachlan Cowan's follow-up kick inside 50 missed his target as the siren sounded. Blues coach Voss wasn't interested in hypothetical questions about the finals after the game, preferring to stay in the moment. "It's absolutely heartbreaking," he said. "I don't feel like we lost that game on heart, that's for sure. "We lost it in moments and we probably didn't take all the ones we needed to be able to get the job done. "It shows you what a fingertip does in footy, doesn't it? Just how close it is and how close the competition is. "But the ability to be able to stay present and fight right to the end, I felt like was exceptional from the group."

Carlton trailed by as much as 20 points in the third quarter but stayed in touch and made all the running in a desperate final term. Goals to Ashton Moir and Jesse Motlop put them in front before defender-turned-forward Brodie Kemp missed a set shot that could have sealed the match - and a finals berth - with two minutes left. Saints forward Mattaes Phillipou missed in similar fashion at the other end, seemingly letting Carlton off the hook, but Higgins struck the decisive blow in the frantic final stages. Blues skipper Patrick Cripps (30 disposals, seven clearances) and Sam Walsh (32, nine) were massive for their side but couldn't haul them over the line. Blake Acres kicked two goals for Carlton, a tally matched by Mason Wood, Higgins and Tim Membrey for St Kilda. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (25 disposals) and Darcy Wilson (22) shone for the Saints, whose coach Ross Lyon had no sympathy for Carlton. "I don't really care about the other side of the fence," he said. St Kilda (11-12) finished Lyon's second season back at the helm in 12th spot, after reaching the finals last year. In an ugly side story, goal umpire Steven Piperno was struck in the head by a bottle thrown from the crowd and had to be replaced by emergency Chelsea Roffey during the second term. It came as St Kilda seemingly had the rub of the green with umpires early, with a 12-1 free-kick count infuriating Carlton fans. The Blues won the free-kick count 8-0 in the final quarter and it ended 16-15 in the Saints' favour.

Best: P. Cripps, N. Newman, S. Walsh, G. Hewett, B. Acres.

Umpire hurt in shameful incident
A fan is facing a lengthy ban after a goal umpire was struck in the head by a bottle thrown from the crowd during the second quarter. Umpire Steven Piperno was left bloodied after being struck by the missile and had to be replaced by reserve goal umpire, Chelsea Roffey. The AFL is investigating.

A tale of two late misses
When Brodie Kemp lined up a shot on goal with less than three minutes remaining to make it a 10-point Carlton lead, finals was so close the Blues could almost touch it. But the makeshift forward's miss kept the Saints alive before Mattaes Phillipou matched him with a bad miss from 35m out directly in front with barely a minute to go. Thankfully for the young Saint, he had Jack Higgins to bail him out. Kemp and the Blues weren't so lucky.

Blues fans ride the wave
The goal umpire incident was indefensible, but the emotional rollercoaster Carlton fans went on during Sunday's match certainly kept the neutrals entertained. A scrappy first half did nothing to calm the nerves of the Blues' faithful and a free kick count that was 12-1 in St Kilda's favour didn't help either. The final-quarter surge, the two late misses mentioned above and the fact their future rides on another result only added to a rollercoaster day for those in navy blue.

"A whole different ball game": Walsh previews finals preparation

The Blues have made the 2024 finals series and are looking to put their best foot forward. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media.

Another chance. When Carlton fell to St Kilda in the dying seconds of their Round 24 clash, their September dream was left in the hands of Port Adelaide. Only a loss for the Dockers was what the Blues needed to secure their chance, and by the fourth quarter in the final game of the home-and-away season, they knew their fate. Carlton co-vice captain Sam Walsh said while it wasn’t an ideal way to have to find out, excitement was palpable that the Blues had the chance to prove their wares for the second straight September. “After the St Kilda game, we came back to the Club and the amount of family, friends and the boys that were there, it was a bit of an eerie feeling watching the game,” Walsh said. “To see Port get the win was great, it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster today. “It hasn’t been an ideal end to the year but for us to still find a way, we’ll take getting in whatever way we can because we know that the passion the fans bring and the energy that September gives you.”

Despite being undermanned and trailing by 20 points, a youthful home side showed plenty of heart, able to claw back the margin and hit the lead with just minutes to go. That was until Jack Higgins kicked a goal with seconds remaining to see the Blues fall by two points, at that point clinging onto their spot in the eight. While a few things got away from the Blues according to Walsh, the midfielder - who was brilliant with 32 disposals - said the Blues will review the game and look for ways to refine their craft ahead of another big game at the Gabba. “I thought there were some real positives out of the game but I thought there were a few things early that we let St Kilda get on top with,” he said. “There were a few moments late that we’ll review because footy is a game of margins and maybe we missed a few opportunities there but we know the work we’ll put in to put our best foot forward in the coming weeks.” Now confirmed that Carlton will face Brisbane on Saturday evening in a fortnight, the schedule for the coming weeks has become clearer for all those involved, starting with some much-needed recovery. After that, training mode will be in full swing, with Walsh keen to take the trip up north that he missed in Opening Round, as he also turned his attention to which teammates could potentially be joining him. “We’ve got the bye in the middle of the week so it’ll give us a chance to refresh early in the week which a lot of guys will take, then we’ll get into preparation from there,” he said. “I didn’t get to play the last time up there and the boys showed an incredible fight – the way that they fought back in that game, we’ve had some good battles against Brisbane so we expect nothing less.” One thing that wasn’t missing from the Blues’ last game was the unwavering support of their loyal fans – a fitting way to finish the home-and-away season and celebrate Member Thank You Round. The noise under the roof at Marvel Stadium was deafening, but as the Blues know well, they expect nothing less from their loyal army. “The year had its ups and downs: if you stick together, it’ll start to turn. I think we’ve seen that,” he said. “We just know now that we have to bring that footy that our fans will get behind and that’s what really creates energy for us.”

Team

B:	39 Alex Cincotta	23 Jacob Weitering	2 Lachlan Cowan
HB:	42 Adam Saad	33 Lewis Young	24 Nic Newman
C:	4 Ollie Hollands	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	44 Matt Owies	17 Brodie Kemp	20 Elijah Hollands
F:	16 Jack Carroll	7 Matt Kennedy	3 Jesse Motlop
Ruck:	27 Marc Pittonet	18 Sam Walsh	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	25 Jaxon Binns	36 Cooper Lord	19 Corey Durdin
	14 Orazio Fantasia
Substitute:	43 Ashton Moir
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	31 Harry Lemmey	35 Billy Wilson	11 Mitch McGovern

Late Change; Orazio Fantasia replaced Mitch McGovern.

Substitute: Ashton Moir replaced Jack Carroll (tactical) in the fourth quarter

In; Adam Saad, Orazio Fantasia
Out: Zac Williams (hamstring), Mitch McGovern (hamstring).

Milestones

Last game (Carlton): Matt Owies, Jack Carroll

Interesting Fact

1. Carlton has not won the final round of the home & away season since beating Port Adelaide by 1 point in Round 23, 2013 - 11 years ago
2. Furthermore, since defeating Collingwood Round 22, 2004, the Blues have only won once and drawn one end of year game.
3. Nic Newman took a career high 16 marks this game, bettering his previous best of 14 marks.
4.. Nic Newman equalled his career best of 35 disposals in a game, this is the third time that he has achieved this.

Free Kicks

Carlton 15
St.Kilda 16
With just 3.30 minutes remaining before half time, Carlton received its second free kick.
St.Kilda had been awarded 12.

Front Runners

Oliver Hollands 15.1km
Jaxon Binns 14.8km
Elijah Hollands 14.2km

AFLCA Votes

8 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
8 - Jack Sinclair (STK)
8 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
2 - George Hewett (CARL)
2 - Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK)
1 - Nic Newman (CARL)
1 - Zak Jones (STK)

Brownlow Votes

3 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
2 - Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK)
1 - Nic Newman (CARL)

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Round 23 | EF