Heartbroken Blues Go Down Again


Blues v Eagles

By Shane Thiele
June 16 2002

C'mon boys, gather round.....everyone in.....start 'em off Ratts, lets do it with gusto....da da da da da....da da da....why isn't anyone singing? da da da da, there's still how long to go??? Six minutes, surely not?  Oh well, surely after last week it wouldn't happen again??.....

Well guess what folks it did happen again (And stop calling me surely!)
 
The siren sounded and all I could do was shrug the shoulders, shake the head and look forward too next week. (Yes, I know very well we have the bye). There was a time a while back when I wouldn't speak to anyone after a loss regardless of the margin.  One by one though each loss has weakened me even greater as the festering wound that is the wooden spoon opens deeper and deeper. I've lost the will to fight. Supporters of the fifteen other clubs will whip themselves into an orgasmic Nirvana as they take pleasure in kicking a wounded dog. Good luck to them, I hope it brings a small ray of sunshine into their sad little lives. I wonder if they realise that no amount of taunting can make the feeling of nine losses in a row any worse.
 
Fortunately after the agony of last week, the club had just six days to pick themselves up and get on with life. The general consensus was that the Blues would resume where they left us last week. Amazingly in a game between 6th and 16th the Blues started favourites with the bookmakers. Although reasonably confident I wouldn't have backed them with Monopoly money.
 
Deep down we all hoped that we would see a repeat of last years thirteen to one goal first half against the Eagles but as they say "Dreams are free". Carlton for all their efforts and possession could manage just one measly goal before Camporeale slotted through a trademark major in the final few seconds. The Eagles were hardly dominating but the Blues hardly looked like scoring all quarter. The loss of Corey McKernan to what at this stages seems like a long term knee injury didn't help the cause either.
 
The trend continued in the second with the West Coast's lead extending out to 25 points. You can win as much of the ball as you like but the only way to win a football game is on the scoreboard. The Eagles were cleaner and more efficient and the Blues were paying the price. Time and time again the ball they would run the ball throught the middle with consummate ease as most of the oppositions attacks started from deep in Carlton's forward line. For not the first time this season it took until the match was seemingly slipping away before the boys decided to show some resilience. The much maligned Simon Fletcher run rampant up and down the Optus Oval wing and with Merrington, Hickmott and Camporeale all running hot the Blues managed the last three goals of the half to reduce the margin to just five points.
 
The third was a tight tussle with neither side gaining any real ascendancy, the Blues for all their work still only managed to match their opponents goal for goal. A goal to Fevola in the dying seconds gave Carlton a rare three quarter lead with just seconds to go. The resulting ball-up with 14 seconds left on the clock brought back memories from last week as the Eagles surged forward only to be thwarted by a tight defence. Good to see some lesson's were learnt from the Geelong disaster.
 
At three quarter time, I prepared myself for the worst. Despite the change of momentum and the dominance of the Blues all around the ground I was anything but confident. A early goal to Beaumont extended the margin to ten points however a crucial miss to Michael Mansfield minutes after was a vital opportunity to starting nailing the coffin. The Eagles answered through Lynch and the Blues did likewise after some great work and clean hands from Fevola allowing Whitnall the luxury of running into a open goal. The second of two crucial misses in the final quarter to Fevola meant that the Blues were only 12 points clear with still seven or eight minutes remaining. As Dermott would say you jurrrsssttt got the feeling we still needed one more, the boys disagreed and decided to shut-up shop, the rest is tragic history.
 
Like all close games the focus of the umpiring and decision making by players will be centered on the final five or so minutes. We can all lament about the free kicks in the final few minutes and start penning death threat's to the Goldspink household but in the end we will still be bottom. Questions need to be asked as to why, as like last week it took a large deficit for the boys to spring into action? Understandably the confidence is low and the motivation to not finish bottom is being reduced week by week but surely a four-quarter game is not to much to ask for?
 
There were of course many positives including the return to form of some of the veterans and the blossoming of those who were born in the 80's but unless some of these kids get a taste of victory soon there are fears that another belting may be once again on the cards. Luke Livingston made his debut eight weeks ago, and with the next realistic chance of victory now three weeks away, may have to relearn the words to the club song. Blake Campbell has never linked arms with Brett Ratten nor has Bret Thornton with Lance Whitnall.
 
A win would be invaluable, although we will at least learn a lot about how much inner steel these players have over the coming weeks.

 

 

«
REVIEW

CARLTON
v
West Coast

Round 12

15 June 2002

Optus Oval

SEASON 2002

 
Carlton 2.4 6.9 10.12 12.16.88
West Coast 3.4 7.8 9.14 12.17.89

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