Voss hails Blue steel as Carlton remain on finals path

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Michael Voss has hailed Carlton’s come-from-behind triumph over St Kilda as arguably his finest hour in charge of the Blues as their resurgence edges closer to cementing a finals berth.

Seemingly fuelled by irresistible momentum, they were supposed to trample a St Kilda rival rated above them on the ladder only at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Tom De Koning breaks away from his St Kilda opponents.Credit: Getty Images

In the end, and as expected, Carlton won – but not even the 19-point margin told the story of how tough this battle was, with a four-goal-to-none final term seeing them storm away with a season-defining triumph.

They were 22 points down at half-time against an inspired Saints line-up desperate to prove their doubters wrong, but Voss’ Blues are made of steel.

“It’s certainly one of, if not the best win since I’ve been here,” Voss said.

“The Saints brought some serious heat, especially in that second quarter, so they asked a lot of questions of us, and I think there’s something in when a team can absorb pressure, and it wasn’t all going for us.

“To be able to reset ourselves at half-time, then be able to come out and correct a few things and go to work on that says a lot about the group, says a lot about their mindset and where they’re at, says a lot about their confidence that they’ve got, says a bit about their belief in our system.

“Thankfully, we were able to turn it around – and our second half was compelling.”

Almost a decade has passed since Carlton last played finals, and even then, it was because the AFL booted Essendon out of September as punishment for the supplements scandal.

There is still work to be done for them to end that infamous drought, but they have won seven matches on the trot to leapfrog St Kilda and others into fifth spot, to go with a handsome percentage.

At least one more win from the final three games is required for the Blues to book their place, and two would make a certainty of it. Melbourne, Gold Coast and GWS are up next.

Carlton were without Sam Walsh, Harry McKay and the man almost certainly leading their best and fairest, Adam Cerra, but emerged a new side in the second half, and there was an inevitability about the result as they began to run rampant.

Blake Acres kicks a goal against his former side.Credit: Getty Images

They ended up winning the clearances 46-22 to continue their dominance in that area of the ground, even without Walsh and Cerra. Captain Patrick Cripps had 11 of his own.

Nic Newman’s purple patch continued with an equal-career-high 35 disposals and 11 intercept possessions, while Zac Fisher (in a new defensive role) and much-maligned Paddy Dow (seven clearances) were other heroes in the absence of those bigger names.

Dow enjoyed one of the best moments of his career when he slotted the go-ahead goal on the run, almost 7½ minutes into a pulsating final term – pointing to the sky in triumph almost as soon as the Sherrin left his boot – as Marvel Stadium turned into an echo chamber for the Blues’ rabid fans.

Blake Acres was another outstanding contributor with 27 disposals and two goals, and Sam Docherty’s steadying hand in the final term was valuable.

The first half owed plenty to the Saints’ fanatical pressure and skill going the other way – they scored 6.1 to 2.3 off turnovers – but also threatened to be more of the same from Carlton, who fell on their face with the finals in sight a year ago.

But the result is a hammer blow for St Kilda and their finals chances. They showed they have plenty still in the tank, but may need to win two of their last three to avoid missing out.

Ross Lyon’s men rolled up their sleeves in the first half and played some of their best football of the season, with the red-hot Brad Crouch leading the way with 22 of his 31 disposals. But he, like the Saints in general, faded the longer the game went.

Mason Wood was one St Kilda player who refused to wilt and finished with a match-high 36 touches.

Callum Wilkie performed an excellent job on Coleman Medal leader Charlie Curnow, and Jack Sinclair shone at different stages, but they were disappointed by game’s end.

Lyon bemoaned how his team was “obliterated” at stoppages in the second half despite trying various players through the middle. They now have to rally again to face Richmond in a must-win clash next Sunday.

“It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? At half-time, we couldn’t have been happier. We probably left a little bit on the table,” Lyon said.

“We’ve identified it, we’ll review it, and there are no recriminations – sometimes you just get beaten. It’s hard to swallow because we didn’t see it exactly coming. The second halves have been our strength ... we all just feel a little bit low at the minute.”

ST KILDA3.1 7.2 8.3 8.6 (54)CARLTON2.4 3.4 6.7 10.13 (73)

GOALSCarlton: Motlop 2, Acres 2, Martin, De Koning, Owies, Cuningham, Dow, Curnow.St Kilda: Butler 2, King 2, Marshall, Higgins, Crouch, Phillipou.BESTCarlton: Newman, Cripps, Acres, Fisher, Dow, Weitering.St Kilda: Crouch, Wilkie, Wood, Battle, Sinclair, Wanganeen-Milera.UMPIRESDonlon, O’Gorman, Chamberlain, Rodger.CROWD42,656 at Marvel Stadium.

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