CARLTON have fallen just short of Collingwood in their final JLT Community Series game against Collingwood. 

The Blues showed plenty of spirit to fight back from a 21-point defecit halfway through the final term, to go down by just four points. 

Captain Patrick Cripps was again a force to be reckoned with in the midfield, collecting 24-disposals and also kicking two goals. Harry McKay was the other Blue on song in front of goals, with the young tall forward finishing with three goals for the afternoon. 

Quarter-by-quarter:

Q1:

With the aid of the breeze, Collingwood made the early running at Morwell. Carlton’s moment of the term came via David Cuningham, whose strong summer continued with a classy snap on the right boot to hit the scoreboard for the second straight week. Patrick Cripps led the way out of the middle as the Pies took a 10-point lead.

Q2:

It didn’t take long for the Blues to reverse the tide, hitting the front thanks to early goals from Cuningham and Harry McKay. The play largely belonged to Carlton, but two late goals to the Pies saw them have the slight ascendancy at the main break. Cripps hit the scoreboard with two goals for the term, while Sam Walsh got going with his run-and-carry.

Q3:

As the Pies pressed, Liam Jones stood up with aplomb to keep the Blues in the contest. After Collingwood threatened to take the game away from their opponents, Carlton stood up to force its way back into the contest. Luck was a fortune for Charlie Curnow on his way to kicking his first of the day, but late goals to Collingwood once again pushed the lead out to 21 points.

Q4:

It was very much a case of what might have been for the Blues, who burst out of the blocks thanks to Harry McKay. The big forward kicked two goals within a minute, before a classy Will Setterfield snap and a Lachie Plowman set shot tied things up. After Collingwood retook the lead, Carlton had some late set shots to snatch victory, but Curnow and Sam Walsh couldn’t quite will them home.

Three things we learned:

  • Kade Simpson is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. The veteran showed all the resilience of a 307-gamer particularly in the final term, when he nearly willed the Blues over the line. 
  • Carlton’s young midfield got a look at what it takes. With the likes of Beams, Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Treloar on the other side, the Blues backed their youngsters in the clinches against their senior opposition.
  • The Blues have some fight. On a number of occasions throughout the day, Collingwood threatened to kick away, only to be pegged back by Carlton. That was no more evident than the final term, when the Blues attacked in droves to nearly come away with a win.

Player of the match:

Liam Jones stood up in defence, looking like he was back to his intercepting best. While Patrick Cripps was a typical bull around the stoppages, he recorded 12 intercept possessions and eight one-percenters to negate the threat of Mason Cox.

Match summary:

Carlton            1.0     5.3     6.6     10.13 (73)
Collingwood    2.4     5.7     9.9     11.11 (77)

Goals:

McKay 3, Cripps 2, Cuningham 2, C.Curnow, Plowman, Setterfield

Best:

Jones, Cripps, Simpson, Petrevski-Seton, McKay, Murphy