It was a heavy loss for the Carlton Football Club to Port Adelaide, losing by 50 points. That being said, this match highlighted some pretty alarming issues the team has to figure out. The game’s outcome has intensified scrutiny on coach Michael Voss, who acknowledged the players’ shortcomings during the contest. Though the game moved to the Adelaide Oval, it was Carlton’s performance that crumbled, and in particular, their insipid first half showing.
After a horrendous start when they gifted Port Adelaide a six-goal lead, Carlton were all at sea in the first half and left chasing the game. In particular, Voss decried that the players let them down for not fighting for what he called a key battle. “We just didn’t look like we had the energy for the start of the game,” he stated, emphasizing the need for a stronger beginning in future matches.
Adding to Carlton’s woes, defender Adam Saad suffered a concussion after a shoulder bump from Port Adelaide’s Dante Visentini during the second quarter. Saad’s injury yanked him from the game. Now begins the difficult task in reshuffling without one of their most pivotal playmakers.
In a further setback for the side, skipper Patrick Cripps suited up but soldiered on though an illness. After recovering enough to feel better on Thursday, he took the field with a determination to play. His condition had to complicate his performance. Voss said Cripps’s decision to play was an example of Cripps’s leadership, even when in the face of personal health adversity.
Though these misfortunes left their mark, George Hewett finished on top of Carlton’s disposal count with 22 possessions, and Sam Docherty added 19 to the count. This was still not enough to keep up with Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee and Zak Butters who each had 30 disposals. Port Adelaide were back on showing their strength. Forward Mitch Georgiades absolutely wrecked the game, scoring five first-half goals to fuel a lopsided 85-point defeat of the Eagles.
Voss lamented his side’s failure to consistently create scoreboard pressure over the course of the game. “One thing I’ll say is the group the whole night I felt like we stayed connected out there but we just couldn’t get any traction out on the field in terms of scoreboard pressure,” he remarked. This poor showing all around leads one to wonder what was going on with this team’s preparation, focus, and overall execution on match day.
The loss has sparked discussions about Voss’s job security, with analysts and fans questioning whether he can turn around the team’s fortunes. Local footy fan and NFL commentator Kane Cornes summed it up well with, “This loss has recalibrated my mindset. There are some performances you can accept, this one you cannot.” Voss himself acknowledged that the time has come, and the game should hold the same accountability to him and his players.
We’re just at a point now where we need to be responsible about what the reality is. There’s just no way around it, we’re in a difficult position,” he said. The pressure mounts as Carlton prepares for their next match, with fans expecting a response from the team following this disappointing showing.
We were able to use the shorter break to our advantage,” explained Voss. He said that it was a key focus in the team’s preparations heading into this match. From every single measure imaginable, the team under performed on the field. This has called into question their capacity to pivot on the fly.
