I'll take 99, says gutsy Fev
Brendan Fevola was philosophical after he came desperately close to breaking the 100-goal mark on Saturday night
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CARLTON full-forward Brendan Fevola was philosophical after he came desperately close to breaking the 100-goal mark at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
The Blues ended up losing the match by 78 points, but Fevola's late bid to reach the milestone kept the crowd captivated right up until the agonising finish.
"Usually when you're down by that much they'll start to head towards the exit. I think the whole 50,000 stayed, but unfortunately I didn't get there," Fevola said after he kicked seven goals in the second half to finish the season one short of the ton.
"I wish I did for the supporters because they would have loved it, and all the boys were spewing they didn't get me there as well. But 99, I'm happy with that. I'll take that any day of the week."
The spearhead admitted the elusive milestone had played on his mind early in the match when he missed some set shots he would usually swallow whole.
"Did you see my first two kicks? I was a bit nervous, but after half time I just didn't worry about it and I eventually got going and I kicked a couple and the crowd started getting into it," he said.
"I said to Alex, my wife, 'I'll kick 99, I'll bet you', and I did, so I've mozzed myself.
"It was a bit tough in the last couple of minutes, but that's football, I suppose."
Lance Franklin kicked 4.5 on the night to pass his own century, and Fevola paid tribute to the Coleman medallist.
"I said to him at half time, 'Congratulations, it's a super effort'," he said.
"I think that's the first time in a while he's kicked two straight with his first two kicks, but Paul Bower did a super job on him today."