Carlton will quickly regroup in preparation for a mouth-watering “final elimination” against arch rival Collingwood next week, coach Michael Voss says.
Voss was trying to take positives out of Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Demons, who stole a five-point victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a classy Kysaiah Pickett goal with 11 seconds left in the game.
Shattered Blues players slumped to the ground on the final siren as Melbourne denied Carlton the opportunity to cement a finals berth for the first time since the 2013 season.
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Asked where it went wrong, Voss told reporters: “A bit of detail in the last couple of minutes didn’t quite get right, so I guess it’s easy to focus on that two minutes.”
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd, who was at the MCG on Saturday night, witnessed a frustrated Voss walk towards the Blues’ rooms after the final siren, before he u-turned, consoled his players and walked from the field with them.
“This is as bad as a home and away loss gets … I’ve lost a prelim by a point but this is as close to what you get with a home and away loss,” Lloyd told Channel 9’s The Sunday Footy Show.
Patrick Cripps of the Blues and Michael Voss leave after the loss. Picture: Mark StewartSource: News Corp Australia
“Vossy, he stands on the bench with the players and coaches from down there – he just started charging off on his own, disconsolate, hands in his pockets. He was going to head straight down to the rooms.
“Just as he got close, I reckon it triggered and he thought: ‘I can’t just go off and leave my players there.’ He turned back around, walked 60m back, he tapped every player on the bum, he and ‘Crippa’ (Patrick Cripps) walked down arm-in-arm.
“So I reckon he thought to himself: ‘I’ve got to be here with my players and we’ve got one week to try and salvage and turn this around.’”
With the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs, who are a win behind Carlton, set to start as favorites in their own do-or-die clash against Hawthorn next Sunday, the Blues simply must beat old foe Collingwood to cement a finals berth.
Carlton, vying to feature in September for the first time since 2013, will take on the miracle-working Magpies in a sequel to the thrilling Round 11 affair in which the Pies won by four points.
“It’s really exciting for us,” Voss said.
Patrick Cripps of the Blues and Michael Voss. Picture: Mark StewartSource: News Corp Australia
“I’ve spoken about the opportunity that’s there and it’s about exposure for us playing in these sorts of games. It can only be a good thing for us and how we grow and develop out of this as a footy team.”
Voss said his troops would relish the opportunity to take on the in-form Collingwood in front of an MCG crowd likely to exceed 80,000.
“It’s effectively an elimination final,” Voss said. “We know what the week holds.
“We’ll get back to work and turn up here next Sunday, in what will be a really big game. I’m sure it’ll be really built up.
“The energy that we brought today was just real excitement to be able to play these sorts of games. I hope we bring that same energy.”
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The Blues are likely to regain Adam Cerra, who was a late withdrawal because of groin tightness but Voss conceded his side wouldn’t have the luxury of bringing fellow midfielders George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy back into the line-up despite the high-stakes nature of the clash.
“(Close) just couldn’t quite get going this morning,” Voss said.
“George (Hewett) is starting to get going a bit, but I think the prognosis for him is that if he does actually start to train it might be more towards the finals.”
It’s the message that should be conveyed (and clearly is behind closed doors) despite Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes scrutinizing Collingwood for over celebrating its epic seven-point win over Melbourne last Friday night.
Cornes this week said the Pies went “over the top” and called for them to “keep a lid on it” given it’s only Round 21.
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“I haven’t seen stuff like this for a long time — we’ve all loved what they’ve done but they haven’t achieved anything yet,” the dual All-Australian said on Channel 9’s Footy Classified.
“You don’t see Geelong doing this — it’s like a WWE wrestler. Fremantle has qualified for finals, have you seen them doing that? Have you seen Sydney doing that?
“If I was advising them, I’d say ‘keep a lid on it’, narrow your focus and we’ll judge you when you win in September, not in Round 20. We’ll see how it goes on for the finals — I’ve still got some question marks on them.”
It came after probably the game of the season between Collingwood and Melbourne that went right down to the wire in front of a rowdy packed house of over 70,000 fans at the MCG.
With it the Magpies had knocked over the reigning premiers for a second time in 2022, extended their remarkable winning streak to 11 games and moved into second place—of course continuing their stunning rise from last year’s 17th place finish.
Ash Johnson celebrates after the win (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
Factoring in all of the above, wins don’t come much bigger than that.
It set up for the euphoric atmosphere for the black and white post-match. Players, just as they’ve done in several of their previous close wins, immediately huddled in celebration before hugging and high-fiving.
Even coach Craig McRae was sighted on the bench going nuts with players and staff.
The Pies then got around their fans, who were as vocal as you’ll ever hear them throughout the night and jumping for joy on the final siren, embracing with the black and white faithful all around the ground and taking selfies with smiles beaming across their faces.
How could you possibly not live at the moment!?
It was scenes of pure passion and jubilation, and frankly, simple human instinct to react in such a way after yet another epic win — scenes of emotion that make footy what it is. After all, the game isn’t life and death.
You can’t even imagine how players would’ve felt. Going from the feeling of being so hyper focused on the game and questioning, ‘can we do this?’ To then the relief and bliss of, ‘we’ve won our 11th straight, and we’re second.’
And for that one hour after the match they can celebrate and soak up the victory as the pressure valve is momentarily released.
Johnson and McRae embrace (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
“I would like to know what the levels of celebrations actually are. How much are you allowed to celebrate after another win like that?” Dual premiership Kangaroo David King awning foxfooty.com.au.
“The excitement should be shared with the fans, which was how it was done. It wasn’t disrespectful, it wasn’t demeaning in any way.
“They are taking their own on a ride that is so special, why wouldn’t you celebrate like that? Why wouldn’t you embrace what’s happening, as ridiculous as it is.
“And the bottom line is—who cares what people think.”
Footy has changed. Ten years ago there was a vibe in the rooms after wins of players trying to cover up smiles and stay in this overly professional, serious mood and act as if they weren’t happy.
This shift to a more jovial, lighthearted approach was widely said to be key to the Tigers’ resurgence in 2017 (where McRae was an assistant), and the exact same can be said for Collingwood in 2022.
While winning clearly helps, the Magpies simply look like a much happier club — you only need to attend or watch a game or be in the rooms post-match to really feel it — and it’s bizarrely made even Collingwood’s biggest haters warm to it (perhaps some more than others).
McRae’s message all season has been for his troops to stay in the moment week to week and celebrate the good times when they come — and this message has clearly resonated with the group in a breath of fresh air for the competition.
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Whenever the Magpies coach after a win has been quizzed about upcoming clashes, his reply has been consistently along the lines of: ‘We’re enjoying this one for now and we’ll worry about that later.’
“He’s really light hearted and has a lot of fun,” Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury said of McRae on Triple M over the weekend.
“Even (against Melbourne) before the game he said, ‘make sure we go out and enjoy the occasion. Take a look around, take the crowd in. I want you boys to play with freedom and fun, smile, enjoy this.’
“You just feel so comfortable and confident. You can see it with how we play, we’ve got energy and enjoying ourselves — and that’s all off the back of our coaching group and ‘Fly’ (McRae) driving that message home.”
What may be perceived as over celebrating is this very positive energy Pendlebury speaks of and aura galvanizing the group and driving one of the most unprecedented runs in league history. The players are simply living McRae’s mantra and riding the tidal wave of emotion.
No matter how far they go, Pies fans will always remember this winning streak and McRae’s first season at large as a truly special period.
This idea that clubs can only celebrate after finals (or grand finals) is mad. Does that mean of the 400 plus games that are played across the season, only one match is worthwhile celebrating because it ends in silverware? Or players who don’t play in flags shouldn’t cherish special victories along the way? That’s too shallow.
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The same can be said for scrutiny towards North Melbourne after it recorded its second win for the season against Richmond in Round 18. The club had just seen its coach depart amid a particularly tumultuous stretch of its horror season, and against all odds, knocked off one of the league’s powerhouses. Bloody lap it up.
There’s too many lows in footy to not enjoy the highs, and for Collingwood, last Friday night might well be the peak of its season. The odds are that the Pies probably won’t go all the way (not that you’d confidently bet against them right now!) But what may or may not happen in September shouldn’t matter.
Of course, context is everything and there’s a line. Not every win should prompt such a reaction, although it’s fair to say the Pies have played in an unrivaled amount of games that have probably warranted it in 2022.
But after having no crowds for the best part of the last two years and the club enduring a particularly rocky period over that span including the infamous 2020 trade exodus and departures of long-time president Eddie McGuire and coach Nathan Buckley, the players should be allowed to enjoy their unforeseen bounce back.
Although winning a flag is ultimately every club’s goal, there’s no rule that they can’t have fun along the journey.
The NRL won’t be reversing the outcome of Wests Tigers’ controversial loss to North Queensland in round 19 but will review the rule that allowed a captain’s challenge after the siren had gone.
And the Tigers also confirmed the club had decided not to pursue a course of legal action after “forcibly” making its position clear to the NRL in recent discussions having also undertaken independent advice.
In the aftermath of the Cowboys kicking a penalty kick to snatch a 27-26 victory courtesy of a captain’s challenge after the final siren, the NRL admitted bunker official Ashley Klein got the wrong call to uphold North Queensland’s challenge after winger Kyle Feldt and the Tigers ‘Asu Kepaoa collided while Feldt was chasing a kick.
Klein incorrectly ruled that Kepaoa had provided an “escort”.
The NRL world was fuming for what most considered the worst decision of the season and the Wests Tigers threatened legal action.
But after an investigation and meetings between league heavyweights and the clubs, the NRL declared on Monday there would be “no further consideration” of the match, ruling out awarding the game to the Tigers.
“Chairman and CEO of the Wests Tigers met with the chairman of the ARLC, NRL CEO and NRL head of football last week,” an NRL statement said.
“The meeting was agreed to discuss various aspects of the rulings made in the final minutes of the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys match on 24 July 2022, being the subject of a formal complaint lodged by Wests Tigers with the NRL.
“The NRL has acknowledged the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers and in response has put forward its interpretation of the rules which enabled the captain’s challenge to be made and the subsequent decision of the bunker match official.
“The NRL has already acknowledged that the bunker official decision of ‘escort’ was incorrect, leading to the erroneous awarding of a penalty in favor of North Queensland Cowboys which ultimately decided the match.
“On the matter of whether the captain’s challenge was permissible in terms of how the rules were drafted, the NRL and the Wests Tigers expressed differing views and interpretation.
The NRL is comfortable with the interpretation that was applied but has acknowledged, in light of the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers, that the rule needs to be reviewed at the end of the season to provide more clarity so as to ensure that there is no future misunderstanding as to the intent and application of the rule.
“Wests Tigers will be consulted as part of the review, together with other interested clubs and stakeholders.
“The NRL acknowledges the professional and respectful manner in which the representatives of the Wests Tigers have pursued their concerns on behalf of their club’s members and fans.
“There will be no further consideration in relation to the match of 24 July 2022.”
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis had said in the aftermath of the game that the club was exploring its legal options but the club ruled that out on Monday after talks with the NRL
In a statement the club said that decision may be “disappointing to many” but officials were happy they would be consulted on charges to the rules.
“We have made our point to the NRL and made it forcibly,” the statement said.
“We did so on behalf of our members and fans and gave voice to their legitimate concerns that the outcome of the match was not just nor fair. We extracted a concession from the NRL that the obstruction penalty which was given was erroneous and therefore, by implication, Wests Tigers should have won that match.
“We know it, everyone knows it. Unfortunately, the history books will not record it that way.”
