Blues fall to Pies
A summary of the Round 19 AFL clash. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has fallen by 21 points to Collingwood. In a heated affair between the two old enemies, the efficient Pies led at every change against a spirited Blues outfit, who lost Harry McKay (knee knock) and Adam Cerra (hamstring tightness) in the first half. Despite taking a narrow lead in the second and third terms, Collingwood had the ascendancy for much of the night on the scoreboard, ultimately prevailing 14.6 (90) to 10.9 (69). The Blues were on the back foot early, with the Pies kicking the opening three goals of the game. They came on the back of missed opportunities for the Blues, who were left to rue some wastefulness in the early going. Carlton was dealt an early blow when Harry McKay (knee knock) came from the ground and didn’t return, leaving the Blues without a key attacking threat for the majority of the night. They needed to dial up their pressure game, and that’s exactly what transpired, with Brodie Kemp winning a big contest inside 50 to open the Blues’ account, before excellent pressure from Talor Byrne set Ben Ainsworth up for his first of the night. When Jagga Smith pounced on a loose ball inside 50 and converted at the start of the second term, the Blues had wrestled their way back into the lead. But setting the tone for the next two quarters, the Pies found a way to respond, getting on top in the pressure game and answering whenever the Blues rallied. The Pies kicked three consecutive goals either side of half time to get the game on their terms, while Adam Cerra (hamstring tightness) didn’t return after the main break. Carlton’s clearance game well and truly got going early in the third, and produced a blistering five-minute patch to hit the front when both Ainsworth and McGovern recorded their second goals, with Byrne's pressure once again a highlight. Just as the Blues looked to surge, the Pies managed to get their counter-attack game going, once again rallying to open up a 14-point lead at the final change. To Carlton’s credit, their appetite for the contest didn’t waver in the final term, despite being undermanned and with Collingwood kicking the opening two goals of the term to open up a game-high lead. Captain Patrick Cripps fought as he did all night to end with 30 disposals and two goals, while Smith was just as impressive in a 29-disposal, one-goal performance. A late Collingwood major put the result beyond doubt, with the Blues looking to return to winning form next weekend against Gold Coast.

Fraser, Blues "know the work in front of us"
Josh Fraser's post-Round 19 press conference. - By Carlton Media

"We're not quite there. That's our reality." Josh Fraser said Carlton would continue to get to work after back-to-back MCG defeats in the last fortnight. Following an unbeaten run of seven consecutive wins, the Blues have since fallen to Hawthorn and Collingwood, with Fraser saying everyone at IKON Park were under no illusions about where things sat and how the rest of the season was to play out. Here's what he had to say.

On how the game played out:
"I thought they were more efficient going forward. We were 36 per cent scores inside 50, it’s been an area of our game we’ve been trying to address and I don’t think we’re anywhere near the level we need to be in that space. You lose a target like Harry, and I don’t think we adjusted well enough there. "I thought their contest around the ground was better than ours, they looked more reliable in the contest at times. Offensively, we were slow to get our game going in the way we wanted, turning the ball over in some areas where they hurt us the other way. "They looked like a team that has played their system longer than what we have - we’ve got work in front of us, which we’ve known."

On Harry McKay's injury:
“The information we got was that he wasn’t okay to continue: we’ll get a scan on him to assess him during the week. “We’re in the space of knowing he couldn’t continue, and getting more information early in the week. I can’t shed any more light on Harry’s situation, other than he couldn’t come back out on the field. Those innocuous ones can sometimes seem worse than what they appear.”

On Adam Cerra's injury:
“Hamstring tightness, he couldn’t take any further part in the game. He’s been in terrific form for us, he was certainly a loss. The same precaution we take with all the players: we don’t want to put them out there if they’re any further risk.”

On the attempted changes in-game:
“We had to make some adjustments, and I don’t think we executed those adjustments well. We finished in the positive going inside 50, but our method looked poor. I don’t think we won enough contests in front of the ball. “Nine weeks ago, we knew we had to continue to grow our game and play a style of football that we believe will stack up moving forward for this footy club. Part of that is understanding that we need to change the way we play in games. We’re not at that level just yet. “The game gave us more feedback and we know we’ve got more work in front of us. I can tell you that nobody was getting too far ahead of themselves when we were getting wins, and we’ll stay pretty measured around not getting a result and the work we have to do.”

On remaining consistent with his message:
"When this change happened, my message was we wanted to make sure the Club was better placed at the end of our journey this season. That was regardless of outcome. We know the work in front of us. You can get some results and think you’re fixed - we never thought that. "We were looking at our game, we were committed to exposing different players to the system, we’re committed to playing a certain way. We’re not quite there. That’s our reality. "It doesn’t mean we don’t go out and try and win every week and get a result: that’s not what I’m saying. Clearly we’ve got work to do. Part of that will be exposing players to AFL football, finding out how can help this club moving forward and play a game style that we believe in time will stand up."

On the team fighting the game out:
"The willingness to fight and play a way was important, I saw evidence of that. There’s the method attached to it as well. We have to review what that method looked like: sometimes there’s a desperation to do the right thing, and in actual fact it’s not the right thing. "By and large, the intent from our players is to take the Club forward, play this way and be better for it. But we’ve got some refining to do with individuals and our system, which we’ve known the whole way through."

On not being able to complete plays going forward:
"That’s been our story for the majority of the year. We’ve been transitioning the ball much better than what we have previously, but we’re not scoring or capitalising on that transition anywhere near efficiently enough. "It’s personnel, it’s structure, it’s patterning, it’s decisions with the ball - when you don’t connect, you put your defence under pressure, which we did too often tonight. This is not q quick fix, these are things we have to continue to train and educate. We’ve made some improvements, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be."

On the Club's youth standing up, in particular Jagga Smith and Billy Wilson:
"They’re important for us in where we’re heading. Jagga, we know his story and he’s had a big impact. Billy is a guy we’ve been able to expose to this level and he’s become really important for us, he looks like a Carlton footballer every time he takes to the field which is exciting. "Then there are other young players as well. Wade Derksen’s not a young guy but he comes into our system, Cooper Lord gets an opportunity tonight. Liam Reidy isn’t young, but without a lot of experience at this level. We’re very much finding out about our list and who can help take us forward."

Magpies march to five straight with triumph over Blues
Collingwood have dealt a major blow to Carlton's wildcard hopes. - By Gemma Bastiani

Retro guernseys, a count-up clock, a braying crowd, and a frosty evening at the MCG. It was a throwback in all the right ways. It didn't matter that it was ninth v 12th, Collingwood v Carlton on Saturday night delivered in spades. And the 14.6 (90) to 10.9 (69) result, the Pies' way, keeps the side well and truly in the finals race. Collingwood came in with the intention to pressure, and pressure hard. It left the Blues suffocating, forced into unrealistic dump kicks or stray handballs flung over the head that simply passed on the stress. The physicality might have been coming from those donning the black and white, but unfortunately for Harry McKay, it was teammate Sam Walsh who did the most damage. Just minutes into the match, McKay was forced from the field after a knee-on-knee collision with Walsh, with the incident ultimately ending the forward's evening.

That left Brodie Kemp and Mitch McGovern to pick up the slack up forward, and George Hewett and Patrick Cripps supporting Liam Reidy in the ruck. It didn't help that Darcy Cameron (39 hitouts, eight clearances, 18 disposals) was outstanding, handling the ruck with aplomb before spreading expertly to impact in the air. The Pies often relied on him to compete for the long down-the-line kick, and compete he did. McKay wasn't the only Blue to go down, with Adam Cerra ruled out in the third quarter due to a hamstring concern. They traded blows in the first half – first the Pies dobbed three, then the Blues – as the ball pinged from end to end. As the chill settled in, it became somewhat of a scrap. And then Nick Daicos (36 disposals, 579 metres gained) got the ball, and it became fast and clean. Daicos' well-known capacity to stay involved in a transition, starting the chain and regaining possession along the sprint down the ground, was on show and forced Carlton's midfield to become more accountable. That momentum continued to swing as the game wore on, but the Pies were simply better at capitalising when they did win control. Hewett (26 disposals, seven clearances) largely picked up the role, despite a back concern limiting his game time last week, but the Collingwood midfield craftily did what it could to separate the two. Every time it seemed like Collingwood had taken the game by the scruff of the neck, Carlton hit back. It wasn't necessarily pretty, and it might have included some umpire intervention, but the Blues came to life halfway through the third term to take back the lead. Somewhat guilty of not being damaging with his touches across the first half, Walsh (25 disposals, one goal) got busy after the main break, taking more ground with his touches and trying to challenge his direct opponent to defend him out of stoppage. It was unfortunately sent to a forward line that struggled to make the most of the opportunities created, unable to convert and really bite back on the scoreboard.

Beau McCreery was out to exert himself on the contest – and the opposition – physically, but it took some time to find the balance, having given up two free kicks in the space of a minute in the first term because of late hits. He and Blue Nic Newman had words after a third hit in the first term, as McCreery found the line. After which, the Pie got productive, with two goals and offering a real presence in the attacking half. In the end, the tide just became too much for the Blues, as their desperation and mounting pressure left them panicked, giving up sloppy free kicks from which Collingwood capitalised.

19 on the field?
Collingwood may have gotten away with 19 players on the field for a brief moment in the second term due to an interchange mishap. As the club celebrated a Beau McCreery goal, the Pies had Josh Daicos and Darcy Cameron head onto the field in place of just one player. Soon after, Liam Puncher came from the field to get them back to the 18 in play. While it is seemingly inconsequential – there was no active play while the club had the extra on the field – it is arguably a more serious infringement than GWS midfielder Finn Callaghan's back in round 16, whereby he ran on the field from the wrong side of the painted interchange, giving up a 50m penalty and ultimately a goal in the side's loss to Hawthorn.

Mark? Or out on the full?
Directly in front of a braying Collingwood crowd, Carlton forward Will Hayward took a mark tight up against the boundary line late in the second term. Or did he? As the mark was paid, crowd jeered furiously, sure that it was taken well over the paint. Three umpired came together for a conference and – rightly – turned the ball back over to Pie Brayden Maynard, deemed out on the full.

Frustration for Harry
Mere minutes into the clash, as Collingwood was showing its attacking wares, Carlton spearhead Harry McKay came from the ground with a left knee complaint following some friendly fire from Sam Walsh. Frustrated, he went into the rooms, and emerged sometime later without any visible strapping, but spent the rest of the quarter on the stationary bike next to the bench. It was ultimately decided that he would take no further place in the game.

Best: S. Walsh, J. Smith, P. Cripps, H. Dean, N. Haynes.

Carlton's bottom end is a problem
The Blues have been on the mother of all rollercoasters this year. Poor form, second-half fadeouts, a sacked coach, then a sweet run of wins. But what the last two weeks have proven is that no amount of energy and enthusiasm can carry Carlton's bottom end. They might be trying their guts out, but there is a real lack of class about a section of the Blues' list, and against the best teams, that simply won't cut it. Strides have been made, young players have emerged – the form of Jagga Smith, Harry Dean, Talor Byrne, Billy Wilson and Cooper Lord is genuinely exciting – but the next frontier for the Blues is to flesh out a deeper, more reliable list. - Gemma Bastiani

In: Blake Acres, Liam Reidy, Cooper Lord.
Out: Ollie Hollands (omitted), Flynn Riley (omitted), Jack Ison (omitted).

Interesting Facts

Heritage Round
1. Despite a Collingwood home game they chose to wear white shorts, Carlton navy blue.
2. The Blues' guernsey carried the 1910-1926 monogram.

Free Kicks

Carlton 15
Collingwood 22

Umpires

Nick Foot, Hayden Meyer, Jamie Broadbent, Craig Fleer.

Front Runners

1. Blake Acres 15.1km
2. Cooper Lord 14.9km
3. Matt Cottrell 14.8km
4. Jagga Smith 14.4km
5. Patrick Lippinski (Coll) 14.2km

Disposal Efficiency

1.- Mitch McGovern 91%
2.- Nick Haynes 87%
3.- Billy Wilson 86%
4.- Francis Evans 85%

AFLCA Votes

9 - Nick Daicos (COLL)
8 - Darcy Cameron (COLL)
6 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
3 - Dan Houston (COLL)
3 - Jagga Smith (CARL)
1 - Tim Membrey (COLL)

Brownlow Votes

2 Patrick Cripps

Best and Fairest Votes

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