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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 3 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Melbourne
Last post by DJC -I left home at 1300 and caught the VLine train from South Geelong. It was a leisurely trip, so leisurely that I missed our first two goals.
One of the things I noticed walking from the station to the G was how few cars were parked in Yarra Park; fuel prices are biting.
I haven’t listened to any commentary on the match, read any reviews or posts here, watched replays and I haven’t seen any stats or votes. What follows are my own impressions, as flawed as they may be.
We played damn good footy in the first quarter and it seemed that we were going to give the Dees an old-fashioned shellacking. The only concern I had was that Max Gawn was all over Pitto and Skull.
The second quarter was much the same, although we weren’t getting the results on the scoreboard and big Max stepped his game up a notch.
I braved the crush in the Legends’ Lounge at half time and enjoyed a glass of Balter XPA.
At the start of the third quarter two thirds of the G was bathed in sunlight and it looked magnificent. I thought that you couldn’t get a better day in Melbourne, if only our team could continue on. Half way through the third quarter, the sun began shining directly into my eyes and my shady seat was roasting. Mistakes were creeping into our game and Gawn had stepped up another notch. Kosi Pickett was making his presence felt too.
We started the last quarter well and my confidence was restored ... momentarily! Melbourne lifted again and it was like we’d lost all confidence and cohesion and were resigned to losing.
It’s probably unfair to single players out but I thought that Kemp had an absolute shocker. He seemed to be far more concerned about his opponent than he was about leading and making his defender work. Our youngsters – Dean, Smith, Carroll, Byrne and Skull - all made rookie errors. That’s to be expected but it’s still momentum sapping. And, speaking of momentum sapping, the holding the ball free against Hewett was critical … and the Dees seemed to get more than their fair share of critical frees.
Lij Hollands was mercurial at times and the usual suspects plugged away, but we had no answer to big Max and Kosi.
Forget about Daicos and the Bont, Max Gawn is the best footballer going around now. Apart from his ruckwork, the outcome of virtually every kick down the line was a foregone conclusion.
The train trip home was morose and strangely quiet. I spoke to a Melbourne supporter who was getting off at South Geelong too and he said, “I can’t work out how we won, or how you lost.” I think the answer is between the ears.
I got home just after 2030; a long and pretty dismal day.
