The Preview | Round 22 V Port Adelaide
Written By Ari Stamatakos
The Season So Far:
It’s going to be an emotional one. Saturday the 14th of August will be the 300th and last time Marc Murphy plays an AFL game. Unfortunately, this game is pretty much meaningless when finals are concerned. Carlton is out of the finals race, with the finals two games being nothing short of reminders to the fans of what could’ve been if we had won games we should’ve. Based on Carlton recent form, expect a fiery performance and an 8-goal win, but expect the unexpected with these Blues as that win could easily be a loss. Port Adelaide on the other hand, with 4 wins in a row, has, pretty much, assured them a place in the Top 4. Only a capitulation from the Power would see them miss out on the double chance in September. With the news that Liam Jones will miss with a knee injury and Harry McKay will also miss out, this puts Carlton’s already depleted key position stocks in turmoil. With the Murph retirement and the tragic news that Co-Captain Sam Docherty will undergo another round of chemotherapy as a result of his testicular cancer recurring, this is certainly going to hit home. Thinking of you, Skip 💙
The Last Time They Met:
The last time these two sides met was in front of a half-full MCG back in round 5 where both sides seasons were still in the balance. The Blues coming off their second win in a row against the Gold Coast Suns, whereas the Power were coming off an incredible victory against the Tigers.
It was a cagey opening part of the match; the first goal was not kicked until the 12th-minute mark where Charlie Dixon got away from his man and kicked truly from 30 meters out. The Blues got the quick response however through Lachie Fogarty who took a good overhead mark from directly in front slotted his first. It was then goal for goal as Mitch Georgiades major was cancelled out by Sam Walsh a matter of minutes later. The Power broke that streak with 2 goals in a row, first through Robbie Gray and then through Orazio Fantasia. The Blues got one back before halftime as Levi Casboult showed some agility and snapped through his first to cut the margin to 5 at the first break.
The Power started to get ascendancy over the contest soon after the quarter-time break as both Georgiades and Gray got their second of the night. And once again the Blues were bailed out by Levi Casboult who slotted through from the pocket to keep the Blues in the game. However, the Power flexed their muscles late on as Gray kicked his third, before an undisciplined 50m penalty by Cripps gave Scott Lycett the opportunity, which he took right before the halftime siren. The second half started promising for the Blues, before getting really bleak, really quickly. 2 goals apiece halfway through the term saw the margin at an even 21 points before the capitulation happened. Fantasia waltzes through to kick the first, Georgiades kicked the next not long later. Before Dixon marks 50 out and roosts it through for a 37-point lead, then the icing on the cake as Woodcock, snap from the pocket gave the Power a 43 point lead heading into the final term. The last quarter was very professional by the Power, stifling any attempt the Blues made for a comeback whilst not overexerting themselves to pile on the misery. The Blues kicked some junk-time goals to make the margin respectable, but at the end of the day, the Blues went down by 28 points.
The best for the Blues on this day was Sam Walsh (29 disposals, 1 goal 6 tackles), Sam Docherty (25 disposals, 8 marks, 6 rebound 50’s) and Patrick Cripps (27 disposals, 5 score involvements, 6 clearances)
“Key” Matchup:
Jacob Weitering and Charlie Dixon. This is the storyline that has run through the last 2 meetings between these two sides, ever since Dixon dominated the ‘Robbie Gray.’ (which we don’t speak off ever again) With Liam Jones out, this will be the matchup and it’s going to go back to old school, 1-on-1 football, the better man wins. Hopefully, for the Blues, our All-Australian hopeful will come out on top, like he has done so many times before. Only really being beaten a handful of times at best this season, Weitering is having a year to remember and is one of the very few shining lights in what’s a bleak year for the Carlton Football Club been. He has only lost 23% of his contested defensive one-on-ones this year, which is a good sign considering the physicality that Dixon possess.
Dixon on the other hand is having a season which, at the end of it, would make him feel pretty disappointed. Not coming close to reaching the heights of last season, he has managed 42 goals so far this season, which isn’t going to get him close to the Coleman Medal, which would’ve been the aim prior to the season. He has had a much better supporting cast this season, however, as Mitch Georgiades, Orazio Fantasia and Todd Marshall have all kicked 20 plus goals last season. Dixon vs Weitering would be a match up which would get fans in the ground to see that one-on-one specifically. The 15 thousand at the Adelaide Oval will be enthralled, and all the Blue Baggers at home will be as well. Hopefully, Weiters can get the job done and lead the Blues to a win in Murph’s 300.
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