Carlton

Carlton went to Adelaide Oval looking to stamp its ticket to the 2022 finals series but the stunned visitors were outmuscled by the hardworking Crows, ...

It was the first of four unanswered majors that set up a four-point Adelaide lead at the main break. For the Blues, Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh finished with 41 and 40 possessions respectively, but too many of their midfield colleagues failed to have an impact. Carlton went to Adelaide Oval looking to stamp its ticket to the 2022 finals series but the stunned visitors were outmuscled by the hardworking Crows, Brodie Smith and Ben Keays starring in a 29-point win that could cost the Blues a top-four finish.

Carlton are fighting an uphill battle to feature in the AFL finals after losing to Adelaide by 29 points.

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Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh battled hard in the middle, but the Blues struggled to get a foothold in the game in the five-goal defeat. Corey Durdin (shoulder), ...

Matthew Cottrell looked to spark the Blues into life in the final term, kicking two goals to continue a strong recent goal kicking return. Jack Silvagni’s pack mark and goal in the goal square was the highlight of the term, but their kicking around the ground was their downfall, resulting in easy turnovers in the Crows’ favour. In wet conditions, kicking was wayward from both sides, but a Darcy Fogarty goal on the siren meant the Blues took a three-point lead into the first change.

Carlton's bid to return to the finals for the first time since 2013 is suddenly not looking so iron-clad after they were upset by a resurgent Adelaide.

Ned McHenry then shirtfronted Adam Cerra magnificently, allowing Harry Schoenberg to pounce and drill a heads-up pass to Keays, all alone in the goalsquare for one of his three majors. The new-look Walker-Keays forward tandem worked a treat for Adelaide, the under-siege and progressively under-manned Blues outworked repeatedly and constantly hemmed in their back half, virtually for the best part of three quarters. Matthew Cottrell’s two goals against the grain in the fourth term kept Carlton in the hunt before Darcy Fogarty produced a moment of magic, spinning past Lachie Plowman and Lochie O’Brien, brushing aside Adam Cerra and snapping truly over his shoulder to ice the upset.

Carlton coach Michael Voss says a disastrous defeat against Adelaide won't shake his side's belief as they push...

"We're building something really special here. "That effort, work-rate has got to be the cornerstone of your game ... tonight we were certainly outworked and that puts a lot of stress on other parts of your game." At times it's hard and frustrating but tonight was more than a glimpse, tonight was reassurance for our playing group that what we're doing is heading in the right direction." "We're in with a shot, we're gonna full roar at it so we're looking forward to those contests ... we're gonna first unpack this one and and get to work on our game." "We haven't changed, to be honest with you, with the way we've gone about it the whole year," he told reporters. Carlton fell by 29 points at Adelaide Oval and remain seventh on the ladder but with their last three matches against Brisbane (fifth), Melbourne (second) and Collingwood (third), the Blues need to spring an upset to avoid falling out of the picture.

Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh battled hard in the middle, but the Blues struggled to get a foothold in the game in the five-goal defeat. Corey Durdin (shoulder), ...

Matthew Cottrell looked to spark the Blues into life in the final term, kicking two goals to continue a strong recent goal kicking return. Jack Silvagni’s pack mark and goal in the goal square was the highlight of the term, but their kicking around the ground was their downfall, resulting in easy turnovers in the Crows’ favour. In wet conditions, kicking was wayward from both sides, but a Darcy Fogarty goal on the siren meant the Blues took a three-point lead into the first change.

Sometimes, a game is so big, it takes two Mongrels to cover it. Jimmy Ayres and Brett Hodgson tackle the Crows and the Blues.

Even when he was out in a bit of space, his disposal itself was woeful, let alone his shot selection when there was a man clear out ahead on the wing, instead choosing to kick back inside to a contest which led to a direct turnover. Harry McKay had the chance to reduce the margin after a brilliant contested mark between Jordon Butts and Jordan Dawson, but a strange decision to go for the checkside kick from 15 metres out on a slight angle saw the ball miss the goals, to the bewilderment of those watching on. Less than a minute after copping a hip to the ribs from Nick Murray, Harry McKay limped back to the forward line and was on the receiving end of a bullet pass from Patrick Cripps at blistering pace on the 50 metre line, nailing a set shot goal from long range to get the Blues back within a kick. The key forward received a handball in the forward pocket where he shrugged a weakly attempted tackle from Lachie Plowman, spun his way out of another attempted tackle from Lochie O’Brien, ran towards goal whilst fending off a more reliable crack at a tackle from Adam Cerra to snap a goal which the commentators fairly compared to a Dustin Martin-like effort. JIMMY AYRES – Darcy Forgarty’s second goal that came in the fourth quarter epitomised everything that the Crows were doing right, and equally everything that the Blues were doing wrong. That display made me believe that the Crows were up for a fight that Carlton were uninterested in having. Jack Silvagni – Coming on as the sub in the third quarter (a baffling selection decision in itself), Silvagni kicked an important goal to bring the margin right back shortly after taking the field. Mitch McGovern – It’s not very often that McGovern assumes the mantle as number one defender anymore, but with even Sam Docherty falling victim to the relentless pressure applied by the Crows, there were a number of times where McGovern’s desperation on the last line if defence prevented certain goals and rebounded the ball out of danger. Possibly rotating the bigger body of Schoenberg (who had an outstanding defensive game) on to Cripps more often, and maybe having a runner with Walsh- but that’s honestly just hypotheticals, as the tandem of Berry and Schoenberg played very selfless roles on the inside. Injuries – Corey Durdin was eventually subbed out for Jack Silvagni after slipping in an attempted tackle and injuring his arm/shoulder. Nic Newman also ran afoul when he copped the opposition boot studs to his knee, slicing open a gash in his kneecap which saw him finish the game off the ground. The Blues shot themselves in the foot multiple times with horrific decision-making and bad execution, with Lachie Plowman’s badly botched switch late in the game a clear example of what the perceived pressure of Adelaide caused the Blue Baggers to do (I will concede though that Plowman generally does this once a game). JIMMY AYRES – Ben Keays – The term ‘Blue-Collar’ is thrown around a lot in the AFL these days, but it’s only fitting for the way that Ben Keays played.

Carlton's AFL finals hopes are in the balance after a disastrous defeat against Adelaide. Instead of keeping pace with rival teams chasing a top-four finish, the Blues are now in a spot of bother trying to make the eight after losing against a Crows ...

"We're building something really special here. "That effort, work-rate has got to be the cornerstone of your game ... tonight we were certainly outworked and that puts a lot of stress on other parts of your game." At times it's hard and frustrating but tonight was more than a glimpse, tonight was reassurance for our playing group that what we're doing is heading in the right direction." "We're in with a shot, we're gonna full roar at it so we're looking forward to those contests ... we're gonna first unpack this one and and get to work on our game." "We haven't changed, to be honest with you, with the way we've gone about it the whole year," he told reporters. Carlton fell by 29 points at Adelaide Oval and remain seventh on the ladder but with their last three matches against Brisbane (fifth), Melbourne (second) and Collingwood (third), the Blues need to spring an upset to avoid falling out of the picture.

AFL investigates claims Carlton star racially abused in shock loss to Crows.

This behaviour is unlawful for a reason,” he previously said. “Our message is clear, if you spread racism, whether online or at a game, there is no place in football for you. “Football is a place of inclusion and belonging and there is no place for racist behaviour in our game.

Adam Saad has spoken out as the AFL joined Adelaide in investigating reports of an alleged racially motivat...

Adelaide Oval should be an inclusive and family friendly environment," it read. "Football is a place of inclusion and belonging and there is no place for racist behaviour in our game," a statement read. "At the end of the day I know who I am as a person and us as a Muslim community.