We had a bit of a let-down on Saturday afternoon after our big breakfast with some legends that morning.  But it was a very exciting game and once again I lost my voice with all the cheering that I did for my Blues.......
 
We took two people from our table at the function to the footy with us in our car - Adrian and Lidia who had come over from Melbourne for the match.  Although Mummy knew Adrian via a Carlton supporters website, this was the first time we'd actually met them and we all got along really well.  Lidia read many stories to me in the car on the way there - Mum and Dad wished she'd been in the back seat with me all the way from home to the function that morning!!  When we arrived at Footy Park we had to put our jackets with hoods on to keep the rain from getting us wet - it was pretty drizzly and miserable weather.  Once we got inside the stadium and worked out where we were sitting (directly behind the goals at the Carlton cheer squad end), we all decided to have some lunch and eat it near the bar under cover.  I ate my lunch on some steps and was happy because I got to have some hot chips and a Powerade (which made my tongue go blue - I love the Blues, alright!).

Just as the banner was being held up we ventured out to our seats, and were pleased that the rain had cleared a little bit.  Our seats were pretty wet, though.  Mum and I went down to the boundary to wave our flags at the players after they ran through the banner and came to warm up near us.  Gee, the back of the goal square was really muddy and I thought it looked like it was going to be a lot of fun for them to slip and slide around in later!  Wish I could be out there with them!  They had a big net up to stop the balls from being kicked into the crowd as they practiced their goal kicking (I think they should have practiced a bit more, knowing now how many points they kicked in the last quarter) and I liked watching all the balls come flying in.  Grigg and Armfield gave each other a low five as they were in front of us.
 
Juddy won the toss and I did my first really big cheer of the day.  He chose to kick towards our end first.  The siren sounded and the game was on.  GO BLUES!!  The Crows got the first two points, but then Walker dodged two players beautifully to kick the ball to Russell who got it out to Scotland - running into open goal - Yahoo!  We are on the board.  Judd, Scotland, Russell are great - Eddie drops the mark and the ball is very slippery - the Crows take it back down their end but Stevo does a great tackle and the ball comes back towards us again - Fisher takes a good mark and kicks a goal!  Fantastic tackle by Simpson but no free is paid - the ball comes our way again - Fev - Stevo - Fisher tackled but got the handball out to Eddie who tried to handball it to Judd - it missed him and went to a Crows player who kicked the ball but Eddie smothered it - Browne handballed it to Eddie on the boundary - can he kick one of his trademark goals?  No - and the ball goes back to the Crows end.  But next it's back!  Russell takes the mark and lines up for goal - Daddy tells Mummy to get ready to mark it if it's a goal as he's kicking straight for her........but it's only a point.  Wiggins takes a great saving mark in defence but the Crows get it back - Waitey takes a big mark - to Cloke - to Wiggins - but we get another point.  Adelaide gets their first goal of the match and we're winning 1-4 (10) to 2-2 (14).  We've rushed a few of the Crows behinds.  Fisher makes a great lead - ex-Carlton player Kris Massie goes up for the mark - Gibbs went in hard too and knocked Massie over.  Tough stuff - unfortunately Massie gets a free and 50m penalty for that.  Not  long after the ball's back to our end again, though, and Fisher and Fev both lead strongly.  Fish shepherds his player out of the contest and Fev takes a really strong mark - big cheers from us - but he has to take his kick from the boundary right on the 50m line.  It's a point.  Walker is playing well, Fisher and Kreuzer too - Betts misses a shot at goal.  Down the Crows end, they get some more behinds and then Jamo does some fantastic dodging and weaving past three Adelaide players and gets the ball to Kreuzer who handballs it back out - Judd scoops up the ball and gets a free - big kick to the top of the goal square - Andrew McLeod nearly hits the clouds as he flies up high but Fev times it much better and takes a beauty mark in front of him.  And he kicks a goal!   1-7 (13) to 3-4 (22).  Thornton comes racing out - the pressure is excellent by our defenders - and he kicks it to Fev who's raced across to the other side of the oval to take a good mark.  Fev stands right on the boundary line, this time way further out than 50m - and he lines up to kick the goal.  Mark Bickley on the radio tells Dad that no one's ever kicked a goal from that far out in that pocket before - he will have to actually kick from almost 60m - but Fev is concentrating hard.  He roosts the ball up high - it's looking good as it comes down - the siren sounds to end the quarter as it nears the goals - and IT'S A GOAL!!  The ball sails just deep and high enough to escape the Crows players' hands.  We go berserk!  Mummy and I do some high fives and Daddy too.  What a great way to end the first quarter with such a whopper goal like that.  We are well on top having had most of the play, 1-7 (13) to 4-4 (28).
 
Thornton does some great defending at the start of the second quarter and Carrazzo is good to rush a behind (that's the fifth rushed behind out of their total eight points) but the Crows get the first goal.  Fish takes a great mark in the goal square but Fev was given the free - goal!  Waite takes a fantastic sideways mark and kicks around to Simmo who has some space and dashes off quickly, takes a bounce, runs into goals and kicks.....a point.  Thornton again does well to stay down in the Crows goal square while other players fly up to take a mark, so he is able to run the ball out of the danger zone.  Jamo does a great spoil - the Carlton players are showing wonderful team work in our forward half - good smother by Kreuzer but eventually the Crows get the ball and send it back their way.  Simpson takes a good intercepting mark but then kicks the ball out on the full.  A Crow player runs in towards goals but out of nowhere Judd pelts with amazing speed behind him and runs him down to stop what would have been a definite goal.  "JUDDY!" we all shout but the umpire doesn't pay him the free.  The ball goes towards Carlton's end anyway - Murphy Magic!  But it then comes back towards where we're sitting and luckily Waite takes a mark on the last line.  Murphy again - Carrots takes a good mark but eventually the Crows force the turnover and the ball comes sailing back to their goal square.  A pack flies for the mark and Thornton takes a great strong mark!  Phew!  BUT WAIT!  The umpire doesn't pay it????  Hmmmm, I thought when a player gets his two hands to the ball first it should be a mark.  A Crow player knocked the ball out of his hands after and they got a goal as a result.  That SHOULD have been our  mark and we are NOT HAPPY.  Scores are 3-8 (26) to us 5-6 (36).  Then there's a big accident - Thornton is chasing Porplyzia who trips slightly and falls into the path of Browne who really could do nothing to avoid the collision.  Play is stopped for quite a while and the players start to do some fighting.  Scotland does well to take the team away from the squirmish and things start to settle down while Porplyzia is taken from the field on a little ambulance stretcher.  Play resumes and the Crows get a point, and then we turn the ball over and the Crows get a goal.  The crowd is now really fired up and are very loud in their cheering - oh dear they're only three points behind.  Once again we get control of the ball but muck it up big time, the Crows kick towards their goals and no one for us is in their goal square and the ball bounces through for a goal.  They've hit the front 5-9 (39) to 5-6 (36) and this time the crowd is even noisier.  But Fev takes a super contested mark and lines up for a shot at goal.  The crowd boos him while he takes his shot (how rude) - he doesn't let us down, though, so we're back in front!  The Crows then look like getting another goal but Gibbs lunges forward and makes a smother - fantastic team playing by us.  Fev does a great tackle in our forward half and earns himself a free and the umpire rushes in and starts to fall, tripping Fevola up as he is away to kick for a goal.  WHAT ARE YOU DOING, UMPIRE??  He doesn't even call Fev back to take his shot again!!  Instead, he allows play to go on and the Crows take it away.  The umpire got in Fev's way!  Jamo then got pinged for running too far (didn't look too far to us) and the Crows send the ball to their goal square right in front of us.  A pack flies for the mark and Simmo does a good, clean spoil but the umpire somehow pulls out a Crows free from that -around us people as suggesting it resulted in yet another umpire's goal.  Hmmmm, both my Mum and my Dad are getting rather cranky.  Mum even does some booing and she's always told me it's not very nice to boo people.  The Blues get the ball down to our end after that, Simpson taking a great mark, getting the ball to Wiggler - he kicks from 50m - GOAL!  We're one point up 6-11 (47) to 7-6 (48) and the siren sounds for half time.  Wow, we need to calm down because our hearts are racing.
 
At half time we watch the little kids playing Auskick and catch up with some other Carlton fans.  I have my photo taken with Haylee and Gayl who we've seen at the footy for a few years now.  We all think we should be able to hang on and win, but we're a bit nervous.  We're still talking about Fev's whopper goal and hope he can kick a few more like that to keep us in the lead.

We start the second half well, with the ball coming down towards us which is now Carlton's end.  Fev's man pushes him forward but Cloke behind them takes a great mark, and lines up for goal.  It's a terrible, wobbly kick but a goal!!!  Dad told me that Sticks used to kick a bit like that - and I really like Sticks now that I've met him.  The ball comes back to our end again, but the Crows get a goal.  They almost got another goal but luckily it was a point so the scores are level, 7-12 (54) to 8-6 (54).  We get the ball plenty of times but make lots and lots of mistakes.  The Crows get two quick goals and the home crowd cheering for them is deafening.  They have all the momentum.  Very poor playing by us leads to another Crow goal - we're looking quite flat out there.  10-13 (73) to 8-6 (54).  Murphy kicks the ball to Fev not far from us - his man spoils the mark and a not very nice Crow supporter near us cheers but Fev hangs in there, keeping the ball in play near the boundary and getting it back to Wiggo who gives off a quick pass to Walker, who runs along the boundary and does a banana kick for a goal!  We cheer extra loudly for the Crow supporter's benefit.  But we still need lots more goals to get back into the game.  Gibbs gives a really good chase on an Adelaide player, who slips so as Gibbs tackled him his hand ends up near his neck - the umpire blows the whistle and Gibbs thinks it's his free for a Crow holding the ball and plays on, racing towards our goal.  But no!  It's a Crow free for too high and so not only does he get the free but also a 50m penalty.  Another goal to the Crows.  We need four to overtake them now, but I still cheer.  "Carlton!" clap clap clap "Carlton!" clap clap clap.  And then another goal to them - Mum's getting really worried now but Dad reminds us we've been finishing off well in the last quarters lately so we'll be okay.  Just as he said that, Murph kicks a huge one to goal from near the boundary - we think it looks like it will be a goal - but it lands right in the square - Jarrad Waite's there but it's punched through for a point.  Now we're exactly four goals down, 1-14 (86) to 9-8 (62).  The siren sounds for three quarter time.
 
Early in the last quarter it's turnover city for us.  The Crows get two points early and then as we're taking it away towards our end Browne takes a great mark  but the umpire noticed he touched Gill on the side of his arm.   Noticed because Gill dived forward onto the ground, faking it completely, and  as a result the umpire gave him the free!  The Crows scored directly from that - thank you very much, umpire, they'd be sure to say.  We  all feel sure the umpire will believe it was an incorrect call  when he watches the replay and sees that Browne didn't even touch Gill anywhere near his back and certainly with not enough force to push him off balance.  This crowd are really getting into the game - they are so vocal and are really willing the Crows to win.  We just need to cheer louder!!  {Little did we know then that the Crows would not score at all for the rest of the match}.  Gibbs then got it to Waite- Simpson - goal!  Come on, we need another couple of quick ones!!  Judd got the next clearance - out to Stevo - pinpoint pass to Fev!  The crowd boos him so much as he runs up from outside 50m, but again it's a ripper kick - goal!  Straight away Cloke does a beautiful tap out to Judd who clears it AGAIN to Simmo - Stevo - GOAL!  13-16 (94) to 12-8 (80) - COME ON BLUES!!  Then in the centre Gibbs pinches the footy out of an Adelaide player's arms and gets it to Murph - kicks to Scotland - who runs into an open goal but it's only a point.  We really needed that to be a goal.   We don't want the Crows to score now - please!  There's a throw in from the boundary and a Crow gets it but Thornton tackles hard and well.  Carrazzo does well to get the ball out of the pack, handballs to Walker - Simpson - Wiggins - kicks to Fev who flies but can't hang on - Crows in wide open space take the ball away.  But Thornton - again - does some fantastic running and makes the spoil to cause the turnover, sending the ball back our way again - WELL DONE, T-BIRD!  Kreuzer marks deep in our forward pocket and has a shot at goal - he's never kicked a point yet in his short career!  But drats, he does now.  The Crows take it away but Kreuzer chases them down, Fev pressures in our forward area and the Crows dive on the footy for Fev to get the free.  Good playing, Fev!  The crowd ever so loudly boos him again as he lines up for his shot (they are so nasty and so very rude) - Rutten runs over the mark towards Fev who kicks into him.  Oh no!  Surely the umpire will pay the free to Fev because his man ran over the mark?  Dad's told me a defender must stand on the spot where the umpire marks out and can't run forward of that while the player takes his kick until the umpire calls play on.  But no!   Play goes on and the ball comes down the Crows way.  Our defense is cool under pressure - Stevo, Thornton, Carrazzo - but Russell kicks poorly and the Crows get it back to their goal square.  Russell then makes up for his mistake as he streams in for the best spoil ever - Carrazzo is magical as he gets the ball out.  But once again we fall down around our middle/forward and the ball comes back to the Crows end.  Our defenders keep on keeping on - Thornton makes an excellent spoil, Carrots again helps out and tucks the ball under his arm and sends it down Carlton's end - Scotland gets it and runs towards goal and we cheer as surely he'll nail it this time - but no, ANOTHER point.  Back in the Crows goal square Judd gets the ball and does a brilliant high handpass over to Armfield who gets it to Carrots who takes it away while Armfield and Walker do some good shepherding for him.  Stevo kicks perfectly over to Gibbs who is all on his own - runs, bounces the ball, runs again towards goal - we cheer again as it's looking like we'll score this time - but no!  Rutten touches it just as it goes through so it's only a point.  The ball goes back to the Crows but once again we play so well, this time Russell intercepts and Gibbs has it again - kicks to Fev who has the ball on the boundary line - swings the kick around his body and it bounces into the goal square - please bounce through!  But no, it goes in the wrong direction, Browne overruns it and we get yet another point.  It comes back to the Crows end, Thornton is pushed in the back but the umpires don't pay the free kick.  Soon after they pay a dubious free to the Crows but ha!  It's kicked out on the full.  This is pressure cooker football - Thornton spoils - Gibbs kicks it out to Stevo - to Fev who gets the mark.  GO FEV!! What?  No mark?   The umpire said Fev infringed and it is a free to Rutten instead?  Ooh I think Mum's going to have a hernia and Dad's not far behind.  So yet again it comes near us where the Crows are kicking.  Again our defenders - Thornton, Jamo, Carrots - are excellent and send it back our end.  But once again our forwards turn it over, and the Crows start kicking backwards and sideways to their loose men.  MAN UP, BLUES!  Armfield manages to get the ball and goes burning away, bounces the ball and then lines up for goal - another point.  That's six points in a row to us, would you believe it?  We've had SOOO many chances.  We're eight points behind and since there's only been three goals scored this quarter Mum says there can't be much time left.  Again the Crows kick it backwards to each other - even the Adelaide crowd boos them.  And then the siren sounds.  We had the last nine scoring shots, kicking 3-6 to the Crows nothing, yet it wasn't enough to win. For some around us they thought it was the umpires but as Mum and Dad said the real blame is when you kick like we did, particularly in the final quarter. What a bummer.
 
We watched our boys leave the oval, and then said goodbye to Adrian and Lidia.  We saw another little Carlton supporter who like me had Fev and Judd badges on her jumper and so we stopped to talk.  Her name is Sophia.  I showed her the other badges I was wearing of players - Murphy, Gibbs, Kreuzer and Fisher.  Also my flashing Captain Carlton badge.  Like me she is from South Australia and loves to watch the Blues play whenever she can.  We had our photo taken together. 

And then it was time to walk back to our car and head for home.  I hardly had any voice left, and I had fallen asleep in the car by the time we got home at 7pm, after my very big day.  I don't think I'll get to see the Blues play again this year, so this might be the last time you hear from me until 2009.  I'll still be looking at the ladder every Monday morning for the next four weeks, and hoping that the Blues can make the finals.  But even if we don't make the finals this year, I reckon for sure we'll be up there next year!  Look out!!
 
Until then, keep on cheering!
 
From Jesse Hanel.