Review | Carlton v Richmond | AFL Round 16, 2024
Written by Josh Gulabovski
Two weeks, two dominant victories for the old dark Navy Blues. The Blues have stormed into the month of a July off the back of a combined winning margin of 124 points over the last two encounters. The Blues are simply not just back, the Blues are simply not just here, the Blues are the now.
Carlton's dominant third quarter against Richmond on Sunday was simply the icing on a beautiful navy-blue cake as the Blues secured their fifth consecutive win and firmly established themselves as the biggest threat to the seemingly dominant and insurmountable front-runners, the Sydney Swans.
A major piece to Sunday’s victory was the man himself, Patrick Cripps. Our skipper did what the greats do and went to another level just as the Tigers looked as if they would make another run at the Blues. The captain tallied up a handy 40 disposals, 17 of those being contested and a goal which brought the Carlton faithful to their feet mid-way through the third quarter.
Speaking of that third quarter, Cripps was dominant from the get-go with 16 disposals in the third term alone. It was a standout performance from the skipper which saw the lead blow out from a single kick to over forty points at the final change.
Another shining light from Sunday’s victory was nonother than…read the next part in your best BT voice…Orazio Fantasia. A player who has had their fair share of criticism from the Carlton faithful was nothing short of outstanding. Four goals on Sunday was a performance worthy of high praise from even the most pessimistic of Carlton supporters. We as the Carlton faithful must accept that Orazio will never be a Charlie, or Harry, however that is not what Carlton needs from the dynamic small forward. As was mentioned on First Crack on Sunday, Orazio will be more than worth his weight in gold if he can replicate that performance come September and tear apart a final and be that X-factor that we know he is capable of.
The final key take away from Sunday’s win was the Blue’s ability to score goals, and I don’t mean Charlie and Harry, who together combined for a total of 4 goals, but the other contributors who tallied up a whopping 16 goals for the Blues. Owies, Fogarty, Cripps, Williams and Hollands, all names who contributed to the scoreboard in Carlton’s 10 goal win. Quite simply, we have found new ways to kick goals, this will be something the Blues can lean on come the business end of the season. When reflecting on the 2023 Finals campaign it’s easy to forget that Charlie Curnow only registered three goals across three games. Will he do that again? Probably not. But, if he does, we know we have the reinforcement to ensure the Blues kick a winning score.
Reflecting on the great Leigh Matthews' famous quote from 2001, "if it bleeds, we can kill it," directed then at the mighty Essendon, the Blues themselves can draw belief that the Swans are gettable. This past weekend, we in fact witnessed the Swans bleed. Looking ahead to September, the Blues will take inspiration from Michael Voss's former mentor, and take belief that if they meet the Swans, they know the task is not insurmountable. The Swans can be challenged, and Carlton is more than capable of finishing them off on the biggest stage.
