Carlton defeated a gallant, injury-ravaged Richmond team by five points, 12.14 (86) to 12.9 (81), in a thrilling Round 1 opener at the MCG.
On a rollercoaster night in which the Tigers suffered three injuries to Josh Gibcus (suspected ACL), Dion Prestia (hamstring), and Tylar Young (concussion), both teams enjoyed moments of domination that came down to the wire in the fourth quarter.
Michael Voss’ team is gaining a reputation as the clutch kings, having won its last six games by six points or fewer, including last year’s two championship victories.
Carlton currently has a 2-0 lead going into their bye week, with North Melbourne coming up on Good Friday and a number of prominent players expected to return from injury, while the Tigers fall to 0-2 under new coach Adem Yze despite a much improved effort from their opening round loss to the Gold Coast.
There were no late alterations, with Corey Durdin (Carlton) and Rhyan Mansell (Richmond) named as starting substitutes.
Harry McKay, last week’s clutch hero, scored the first goal off a set shot to get Blues fans excited at the MCG.
McKay then set up the Blues’ second goal by curving a kick to Matt Kennedy deep in the forward 50 and bombing it through the huge sticks.
“Just looks physically and mentally like he’s in such good shape,” Channel 7 caller James Brayshaw said about McKay. “Got a real spring in his step the big power forward.”
After nearly a year out of the game, Tom Lynch kicked Richmond’s first, boosting his confidence, while Shai Bolton was active early for the Tigers.
Lynch scored another goal after receiving a free kick for front-on contact, much to the chagrin of booing Blues fans, in a fantastic start to the star forward’s comeback.
It helped shift the tide at the MCG, with Jayden Short firing a long-range bomb near quarter-time for Richmond’s fourth goal in a row, giving them a 12-point advantage.
Richmond led 5.2 (32) to 3.3 (21) at the first break, with Blues fans once again jeering.
Dion Prestia was replaced at quarter-time due to a hamstring injury, dealing a crushing blow to the Tigers.
Charlie Curnow kicked the first goal of the second quarter to bring the Blues within a kick, but Noah Balta answered immediately at the other end.
However, the Blues had seized control of the game in the second term, dominating general play.
Michael Voss’ team pounded the goals with many points before Ollie Hollands converted a set shot around his body.
Geelong is fantastic. According to Joel Selwood of Channel 7, the Blues’ ability to play with several “gears” has been a significant improvement.
McKay came through again for the Blues when they needed it, taking a tough contested mark outside 50m and kicking an incredible goal from distance to reclaim the lead.
In horrifying scenes for the Tigers, Josh Gibcus, who missed the entire season due to injuries and underwent hamstring tendon surgery, went down after falling awkwardly on his knee during a game.
Gibcus had to be stretchered off the field, which halted play for a while.
“This could be a tragedy,” Channel 7 commentator Matthew Richardson stated. “He had to work extremely hard to recover from hamstring tendon surgery. He had treatment overseas.”
Leave a Reply