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It’s hard to know where to focus after the first week of finals, with a treasure trove of storylines coming out of it.
Port were pathetic, which is not a new sensation for them when hosting a final, the Bulldogs gave up without a yelp against a fresh and energetic Hawks outfit that is fueled by belief and gumption, while Carlton were abject at best when the game was actually on the line early.
It doesn’t matter what Michael Voss or anyone at Carlton says, there was simply no excuse or adequate reason for starting Tom De Koning as the sub against Brisbane. We can never and must never give any coach an “out” for starting a ruckman as the sub.
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It was plainly and obviously true when John Longmire started Mark Seaby as sub in Round 1, 2011, the very first round the sub was introduced into the AFL. It looked ludicrous pre-game, and even moreso afterwards when he tallied four disposals and one hit out from 16 per cent game time after replacing key forward Sam Reid.
The elimination final was already shot to pieces by the time De Koning took the field on Saturday night, but he certainly tried his best and did have an impact, albeit the Lions had the cue in the rack after half-time. If he was fit to play, then he was fit to play his usual role. Period.
Tom De Koning marks in front of Sam De Koning. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The sidebar to bringing De Koning on halfway through the second quarter, at which point in time Carlton were still scoreless, was that someone had to make way. Matthew Kennedy was “the chosen one”, and frankly must ask to be traded out of the club as soon as possible after being humiliated the way he was.
Kennedy is a good AFL footballer, but has never seem to have won the complete respect of Voss. He’s been the starting sub six times in the last two seasons, including the preliminary final against Brisbane last year, and has now been subbed off before half-time in an elimination final too.
He was far from the worst player in navy blue on the weekend, and must depart after being singled out for short-sighted team selection and a side that simply didn’t turn up.
Kennedy suffers in the Carlton line-up for not having the explosiveness or outside speed the team is lacking. George Hewett is in a similar mould, and has also started as the sub a handful of times in the last two years. Patrick Cripps has power, Sam Walsh will run all day, while Adam Cerra and Blake Acres have their attributes.
Cerra has been underwhelming in his third season at Carlton, beset by injuries that have followed him throughout his career. He enters his eighth season almost at the crossroads, if the Blues can’t get a handle on his problems. He didn’t fire a shot on Saturday night, another player that wasn’t ready for the heat of final and was picked on reputation.
Playing Sam Docherty was a disastrous move, made to look oh-so-obvious given he was miles off the pace early. Talk about being set up to fail. People will say there is a heart-and-soul element, as well as an emotional bump given his comeback from a knee injury, but the most likely scenario is the coach being made to look stupid when Docherty is clearly not up to a cutthroat final given lack of touch and match fitness.
Many have said that Alex Cincotta should have played as a tagger, to try and quell the influence of Dayne Zorko, who ended up getting the full ten coaches votes on the night. If nothing else, he offered continuity for a team that was sorely lacking it, having played 16 games in a row heading into the final, before being dumped for it.
Orazio Fantasia played one good game this year, against wooden spooners Richmond which hardly counts, yet was somehow a walk-up start. And this was after being subbed off three times in his previous five matches, having played four games in three months.
Whatever Michael Voss could get wrong at the selection table, he did.
Carlton coach Michael Voss. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
From the start of July, Carlton only registered two wins, against North Melbourne and West Coast. They lost nine of their last 11. Fingernail-deep analysis will blame injuries for their woes, and the naïve will say everything will be better next year.
But the truth is, the Blues form had already started to taper before the worst of the injuries hit. Losses to GWS and the Western Bulldogs happened with their stars all present and accounted for – Cripps, Walsh, Curnow, McKay, Weitering, Saad, Newman, Acres and even Cerra. De Koning played against the Giants but not the Dogs.
Most of Carlton’s core group of best players are in their mid-20s, so there is still time to contend and win that flag. But as many clubs in recent years can attest, that premiership window can close before you, and another long period in the wilderness beckons.