All season, Carlton fans have been desperately hoping to see a second-half fightback from their beleaguered Blues. On Friday night at the Gabba against the two-time reigning premiers, they got plenty – and a glimpse of the light to come.
Michael Voss’ men looked destined for defeat when they fell 49 points behind early in the third set, but instead of going down, they dug in and fought back – in more ways than one – to lose by just 11 points.
One moment represented the determination of the Blues. It was late in the last term and they were down by 22 points, but they refused to be pushed back.
When Levi Ashcroft marked, scored and immediately met Ben Ainsworth, Sam Walsh wasn’t having it – challenging Ashcroft and immediately giving away a free kick. Ashcroft missed, and the Lions still went on to win, but Walsh had made his point, and his captain couldn’t be prouder.
“We’re not going to take from anybody,” Patrick Cripps told Seven after the game.
“There is a spirit in this group, and we will stand up for each other, and we will not be moved.
“Walshy stood up for a mate, then we had his back. It cost a penalty, but I’d rather give up a free kick showing a fight than not respond to one.”
The Blues have led at half-time in six games this season before fading, where they were beaten in half on Friday night before returning to the field.
It was a trend that has not been lost on the Lions – including their former captain Lachie Neale, who won the Robert Walls Medal as best flanker.
His post-match comments about Saba were a form of confirmation that the Blues still have a long way to go to regain the competition’s respectability.
“We weren’t doing enough of that in the third quarter, and we were letting them string (possessions together) and then get easy points … I was told by a couple of guys (that) we were ‘doing Carlton’,” Neale admitted.
“They were trying to get in our heads a bit, but that’s part of the game.
“It was so close but… we’ll take it.”
Cripps led from the front in the second half, booting 18 of 32 goals, with Harry McKay (three goals), Walsh (29 goals) and Mitch McGovern (three goals) all stepping up alongside him.
The Blues have taken a lot of criticism in their 1-8 start to the season and, as Voss pointed out, they can’t win games with a good half.
He had no sense of moral victory.
“After the break you could see the confidence increase in the group,” he said.
“There was a bit of a battle we were starting to win, some forwards that we didn’t have, we started to create, I think we finished with 20 points inside the 50 and we didn’t look like that in the first half.
“We got space and kept the ball in our half – all the things we want to build our game on were obvious.
“Maybe we used their drop to lift our own and that gave us the confidence to finish the game like we did, but we still have to be better than playing one half of football.
“We should spend more time together than that.”
Voss noted that Cripps, Walsh and Jagga Smith spent more time in midfield and midfield than in previous matches. McKay, meanwhile, had one of his best second half seasons with 12 possessions, three goals and seven marks.
Unlocking his potential, and confidence, is as important as any improvement the Blues can make, while McGovern and Will Hayward were both dangerous options alongside him.
The Blues have eight days off before facing Marcus Bontempelli’s Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium next Saturday night, with the injury-hit Dogs returning to their rightful place with a thrilling win over Port Adelaide in Friday night’s other fixture.
Oliver Florent and Zac Williams both appeared to have leg injuries in the second half, but Cripps was hopeful that both could prove their fitness for the longer break.
While Voss believes the second half showed the Blues have a “pattern” that can be successful, he still won’t settle for anything less than a four-quarter effort.
“We come out of the game with a lot more clarity about what we need to do, but we also come away disappointed,” he said.
“We recognize the struggle, but we cannot accept mediocrity – we must have higher standards for ourselves.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan called the match a “dangerous game” for his side due to Carlton’s Jekyl and Hyde from half to half, so he was happy to keep the four points – even junior leader Logan Morris said on Kayo Sports after the match that Fagan sprayed his team with “shithouse” in letting the Blues roar back.
The Lions have won six of the last seven games, with veteran quarterback Ryan Lester having one of the best games of his career as he owned eight of the 11 possessions he played in the first half.
“It’s hard to win impressively every week, and I was worried about this game as I’ve had enough time with Carlton and the way they play football,” Fagan said.
“I don’t think their win-loss ratio is a reflection of that.
Roy’s ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news reporter. He has been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect through X or email address.
