CARLTON'S finals hopes are in disarray after suffering a shock 12-point loss to Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

In the boilover of the season, the second-last Suns all but killed off Carlton's finals hopes with the 15.8 (98) to 11.20 (86) victory.

The team that started the season talking up its top-four credentials all but crashed out of the finals race in front of 15,251 mostly-delirious Suns' fans.

If Fremantle beat North Melbourne on Sunday, the Blues would have no hope of qualifying for the top eight.

It was just the second-last placed Suns' third win of the year - matching the victory tally from their debut season in 2011.

But it was easily their most famous after limping into the round with a 20-strong injury list and banishing out-of-form utility Jared Brennan to the reserves this weekend.

Remarkably, they completed a 131-point turnaround since the last time they played against Carlton - a 119-point loss in their debut match in round two 2011.

Needing to win their final two games just to keep their top-eight chances afloat, the Blues were expected to clinch a percentage-boosting victory on the tourist strip before concentrating on St Kilda next weekend.

But someone forgot to tell the Suns.

Gold Coast ambushed the Blues to lead 6.1 (37) to 2.3 (15) at the first break.

Indeed, Coach Brett Ratten had to wait until the 26th minute before Carlton finally kicked its first major thanks to skipper Chris Judd.

Incredibly, the Gold Coast led by 40 points in the second term as the Blues lived up to their name with turnover after turnover.

Slowly but surely, the error-riddled Blues kept chipping away before livewire Eddie Betts ensured the law of averages kicked in, ensuring Carlton cut the Suns' lead to 12.7 (79) to 9.13 (67) by the final break.

And after Jarrad Waite (2.4) kicked his second major early in the fourth term, Carlton cut the deficit to just four points.

But goals to Josh Caddy and Tom Lynch steadied the Suns as they went on to seal a great upset.

Devastated Carlton players collapsed on the turf after the final siren.

The omens weren't good when Andrew McInnes went down with what appeared to be a knee injury as he landed awkwardly in the opening 20 seconds of the match.


GOLD COAST   6.1  11.3  12.7     15.8    (98)
CARLTON          2.3   4.7    9.13   11.20   (86)
 
GOALS
Gold Coast
: Lynch 4, Caddy 3, Brown 2, Ablett, Dixon, Hickey, Horsley, McKenzie, Weller
Carlton: Betts 2, McLean 2, Judd 2, Waite 2, Yarran 2, Garlett

BEST
Carlton:
McLean, Judd, Yarran, Carrazzo, Scotland, Kreuzer
Gold Coast: Dixon, Coad, Ablett, Bennell, Lynch, Matera
 
INJURIES
Carlton:
Andrew McInnes (knee)
Gold Coast: Taylor (abdomen) replaced in selected side by Josh Toy
 
SUBSTITUTES
Carlton:
David Ellard replaced Andrew McInnes (knee) in the first quarter
Gold Coast: Josh Toy replaced Tom Hickey in the fourth quarter
 
Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: Hay, Ryan, Pannell

Official crowd: 15,251 at Metricon Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club