THE Carlton Reserves’ campaign has come to an end in the second week of the finals after Brisbane won by 12 points this afternoon.
The somewhat waterlogged ground at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex played host to the semi final, with the Lions’ dominant third quarter proving to be the difference in the end.
Carlton came charging home in the last quarter to level the scores, but Brisbane found the match-winning goals in the final minute.
Paddy Dow capped off his terrific VFL season with a 14-clearance and 37-disposal game, while Liam Stocker was a brick wall in defence and collecting 23 disposals (17 of those kicks).
Quarter one
The Blues started the game full of running but blazed away going inside 50, which cost them dearly as the Lions found the opening major of the game. It was a battle of willpower for much of the term, with the contested ball sacrosanct in these conditions. Ned Cahill bobbed up to take a mark directly in front and from 20 metres out made no mistake to bring the Blues back within a point. Red-time goals came towards the end of the quarter for the Lions, who took advantage of the breeze to kick late two majors. Stocker imposed himself from the get-go in this contest, laying a couple of big bumps as well as collecting some crucial intercepts to keep the Lions at bay.
Quarter two
You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second stanza from a Carlton perspective, as Jesse Motlop lifted his Blues’ teammates with a magnificent finish from the pocket. He then followed that effort up with an assist, as some fantastic pressure and fight in the forward half led to a Mitch Moschetti snap from Motlop’s handball. It was all Carlton as Brisbane struggled to get the ball outside their defensive half, and the heat from the Blues led to another goal: Brodie Kemp smothered a kick in and then allowed the Lions to rush a deliberate behind, kicking a goal from the resulting free kick. The team in Navy Blue had the lead for the first time today, however it didn’t last long as Brisbane levelled the scores just before the major break. Alex Mirkov was enjoying the wet conditions in the first half: he amassed 24 hitouts in the opening half on return to lead the Blues to a 25-21 clearance lead.
Quarter three
Brisbane owned this quarter with a heavier breeze at their backs. The Lions had all the territory and found five goals in a row to take a 32-point lead. It took Joel Trudgeon putting his head over the ball and earning a free kick for in the back to give the Blues a chance, which he took with aplomb to give Carlton some momentum into the final quarter. Dow and Carroll were brilliant in the first three quarters, collecting a combined 55 disposals.
Quarter four
Dow closed the gap to 19 points at the start of the last, before Ben Crocker lifted to find a couple of big goals and the Blues were charging. There were plenty of chances, with Carlton kicking 3.8 in a row to level the scores and the game hung in the balance for the final five minutes. It didn’t go the way of the Blues, with their season ending in heartbreak as the Lions found two goals in the final minute after the Blues dominated all facets of the final term to work their way back into the contest.
Three things we learned:
1. That’s it for the VFL Blues in season 2022. The side made great strides in a second year - and first full campaign - under Daniel O’Keefe, winning an elimination final and finished with a 12-8 win-loss record after the finals campaign.
2. Some young Blues gained some valuable finals experience over the past couple of weeks. The likes of Dom Akuei, Jesse Motlop and Alex Mirkov played in their first finals series at Carlton and all made valuable contributions.
3. While it may feel like the season ended somewhat abruptly, particularly given the final quarter, the Carlton Reserves should hold their heads high following a bruising final against a Brisbane side which lost one game at home in the regular season.
BRISBANE LIONS VFL 2.2 4.4 9.6 11.6 (72)
CARLTON RESERVES 1.0 4.4 5.4 8.12 (60)
GOALS
Carlton Reserves: Crocker 2, Cahill, Dow, Kemp, Moschetti, Motlop, Trudgeon
BESTS
Carlton Reserves: Dow, Carroll, Stocker, Cincotta, Hayes, Trudgeon, Mirkov
Tarquin Oakley is a student at La Trobe University, undergoing his Bachelor of Media and Communications (Sports Journalism). He is currently undertaking an internship at the Carlton Football Club as part of its partnership with La Trobe University.
