In an exciting Round 1 opening at the MCG, Carlton defeated a valiant but injured Richmond team by five points, 12.14 (86) to 12.9 (81).
Josh Gibcus (suspected ACL), Dion Prestia (hamstring), and Tylar Young (concussion) were the three injuries suffered by the Tigers on a rollercoaster night. Despite this, both teams had spells of domination that lasted until the very end of the fourth quarter.
With their past six wins coming by six points or less, including their two championships from the previous year, Michael Voss’ team is quickly becoming known as the clutch kings.
With North Melbourne scheduled for Good Friday and several key players expected to make their way back from injury, Carlton now leads their bye 2-0. Meanwhile, the Tigers, under new coach Adem Yze, are 0-2 after a much-improved showing in their Opening Round loss to Gold Coast.
Corey Durdin (Carlton) and Rhyan Mansell (Richmond) were named the starting substitutes; there were no last-minute alterations.
Harry McKay, last week’s clutch performer, got things started at the MCG by scoring the first goal off a set shot.
Then, McKay set up the second goal for the Blues, curving a kick to Matt Kennedy, who blasted it through the big sticks deep in forward 50.
Caller James Brayshaw from Channel 7 commented of McKay, saying, “Just looks physically and mentally like he’s in such good shape.” “Had a genuine bounce in his step, the powerful leader ahead.
Shai Bolton was busy early for the Tigers, but Tom Lynch booted Richmond’s first to improve his confidence after almost a year away from the game.
In a fantastic start to the star forward’s comeback, Lynch scored another goal after winning a free kick for front on contact, much to the chagrin of the Blues supporters.
It assisted in shifting the tide at the MCG, where Jayden Short scored Richmond’s fourth straight goal to grab a 12-point lead as quartertime approached with a long-range bomb.
At the first intermission, Richmond led 5.2 (32) to 3.3 (21) and the Blues supporters were jeering once again.
Dion Prestia’s hamstring injury forced him to be replaced at quartertime, dealing a devastating blow to the Tigers.
Charlie Curnow opened the scoring for the Blues with a goal early in the second term, but Noah Balta quickly answered on the opposite end.
But by the second term, the Blues had established a strong lead in overall play and were clearly in control of the game.
Ollie Hollands scored a goal with a set shot after Michael Voss’ team had pounded the goal with multiple points.
Geelong is excellent One important area in which the Blues have improved, according to Joel Selwood of Channel 7, is the variety of “gears” they have at their disposal.
When the Blues needed it most, McKay stood up for them once more. He took a highly contested mark outside the 50-meter line and scored a spectacular long-range goal to restore the advantage.
Horrible moments for the Tigers occurred when Josh Gibcus, who had surgery on his hamstring tendon and missed the entire previous season due to injuries, fell awkwardly onto his knee during a game.
Gibcus had to be carried off the ground, thus play was halted for a while.
Commentator Matthew Richardson of Channel 7 stated, “This could be a tragedy.” He’s had to put in a lot of effort to recover from the surgery on his hamstring tendon. He received medical care abroad.
At halftime, Richmond had a one-point advantage, 7.4 (46) to 6.9 (45).
McKay scored his third goal of the game and the first of the second quarter, carrying on where he left off.
However, Balta answered right away, bringing up his own third major and, more importantly, giving the Tigers the lead back in a thrilling game.
Another injury worry for the Tigers was Tylar Young, who was out for the rest of the game after spending the most of the quarter in the room getting evaluated for a concussion.
With greater room available for free play on both sides in the third term, the game truly opened up.
Lewis Young, clutching at his hamstring as he came up from the ground in the third period, delivered Carlton its own potential injury blow.
With a dribble finish at full forward by Dustin Martin to put Richmond back ahead, it was goal for goal in the third quarter, with six lead changes.
According to Brayshaw, “The Tigers will not go away against some real medical odds.”
With a deft snap goal, Tim Taranto increased Richmond’s lead to eight points. Mansell had a fantastic chance to give the Tigers more breathing room and increase their lead by missing a snap shot.
At the half, Richmond was ahead 11.7 (73) to 9.11 (65) points.
Early in the fourth quarter, Richmond had an opportunity to increase its lead, but Lunch was unable to make the set shot.
After Matt Owies was given a free kick for a push in the back, the Blues made them pay by kicking the goal to tie the score at three points.
After drawing a 50-meter penalty in a back-and-forth match that was expected to go to the wire, De Koning gave Carlton the lead back by three points.
Adam Cerra extended the Blues’ lead to nine points with a fast snap from a scrimmage deep in the forward line, making it three goals in a row.
After a cross to Curnow in the goalsquare, the Blues appeared to be heading for a goal, but Nick Vlastuin’s incredible defensive tackle kept him at bay. The ball almost missed Curnow’s boot in a play that brought back memories of Heath Shaw’s notorious chase-down tackle of Nick Riewoldt in the 2010 grand final.
Richmond didn’t stop trying, taking advantage of a rare offensive opportunity in the fourth quarter. With seven minutes left, Lynch set up Seth Campbell for a critical goal that brought the score within five points.
Both teams had their chances but were unable to settle themselves in the tense and chaotic final minutes. In the last minute, Bolton managed to find space for an attack, but he mishandled the ball, which resulted in further stoppages and numbers surrounding the ball as Carlton managed to hold on.
3- CARLTON CONTINUES TO HOLD IN A Tense End
The injury-plagued Tigers put in an incredibly courageous display, but in the end the Blues were too strong, hanging on for a thrilling finish.
In a game that saw 10 lead changes and saw fierce competition, the Tigers embodied bravery.
In the closing seconds, Charlie Curnow was outstanding at running back, grabbing two intercepts and dishing up a few trophies to thwart Richmond’s last-ditch scoring chances.
“We knew we had to make a late change, it wasn’t perfect, but we persevered,” Carlton captain Patrick Cripps said after the game.
The Tigers made things difficult for the Blues, as evidenced by the fact that they scored 8.7 (55) points from turnovers and just 0.4 (4) points from stoppages in the opening three quarters, in sharp contrast to Carlton’s scoring breakdown during their barnstorming run late in 2023.
The Tigers gave up just 29 clearances a week after giving Matt Rowell 20. They also had 35 of their own; they won the contested possessions by an 11-point margin, albeit the Blues prevailed in the last quarter.
Carlton began to make sense of it. This has happened for the past two weeks, and Carlton has likely received a word from Michael Voss that the game isn’t going as planned but that they can still make adjustments, according to former Tigers standout Jack Riewoldt on Fox Footy.
“It’s an indication of a side that is learning, is aware of its strategy, and can move things along rapidly.”
Mitch McGovern played like a genuine general down back for the Blues, with 26 disposals and eight marks in an outstanding defensive performance.
“This is who he is; Michael Voss has been attempting to extract this from him for a while,” ex-North Melbourne player David King stated on Fox Footy.
Jack Carroll, a young player with 20 disposals, demonstrated his potential to contribute to the Blues this season, and Harry McKay appears to have overcome his goalkicking difficulties with three kicks.
For the Tigers, Nick Vlastuin (24 disposals) and Jacob Hopper (24 disposals) put forth a lot of effort.
2. – TIGERS’ CRUEL TRIPLE INJURY BLOW
In their first game back at the MCG in 2024, Richmond suffered a terrible triple injury blow when three of its injury-prone players were forced off the field.
After landing awkwardly after a spoil attempt, Josh Gibcus, a young gun, had a major knee injury and had to be stretchered off the pitch.
At the interval, Jon Ralph of The Herald Sun stated that the Tigers were 90% certain that Gibcus had ripped his ACL, but the young player will get scans in the next few days to be sure.
Ralph stated, “It’s a terrible blow to a player who was going to hold up their defence this season.
Due to a complicated hamstring tendon condition, the 20-year-old missed all of 2023’s games and had to travel to Qatar for specialised treatment.
Late in the first quarter, midfielder Dion Prestia suffered yet another hamstring injury, adding to his unfortunate injury history.
The 214-game veteran’s hamstring injury is his second in six weeks, and it now appears that he will be out for at least a month.
Prestia has only averaged 14 games a season over the previous four years, and she hasn’t played a full season since 2019.
After landing hard after a marking contest, star defender Tylar Young was also declared out of the game in the third quarter due to a concussion.
1. WHAT IS THE TIGERS’ CURRENT USE OF BALTA?
Where is Adem Yze going to use Noah Balta right now?
Noah Balta, who has made a name for himself as a defender in recent seasons, appeared very threatening on Thursday night as a crucial forward.
Balta had 23 disposals and three goals, and the Blues defenders found it challenging to keep up with his quickness.
He was moved back to fill in for Gibcus in the second half, and he played a significant role in attempting to counteract the impact of Harry McKay and the dangerous Charlie Curnow.
However, will the Tigers have to abandon their experiment with Balta the forward, given that Gibcus has a major knee injury and Young has a concussion?
Ben Miller and Jacob Bauer, who the Tigers have on the bench, may be a perfect fit for Gibcus. If they move Balta to the defensive end, they might also use Samson Ryan or Jacob Koschitzke to bolster the assault.
