Carlton produced one of the stories of the AFL finals series, defeating Melbourne by 19 points in Saturday night’s wildcard final at the MCG, sending the Demons out of September and booking a date with Geelong in the elimination final.
The Blues, coached by Josh Fraser after taking over mid-season, continued their remarkable turnaround — a side that sat third-last on the ladder after round nine with just one win has now dropped only two games since Fraser took charge. Melbourne started the stronger of the two teams, leading by 21 points late in the opening term before Harry McKay sparked a Carlton fightback, kicking off a run of five straight goals that put the Blues in front for the first time.
The margin swung back and forth through the middle of the game, with Melbourne leading by a point at halftime despite dominating inside-50s in the third quarter, before Carlton snatched a four-point lead at the final change and never looked back.
Ben Ainsworth was among the best afield with three goals, while young gun Jagga Smith also starred. The result ended the finals campaigns of Melbourne veterans Tom McDonald and Jake Melksham, both retiring after the match.
Carlton now heads into a tough elimination final against Geelong.
Watched the game was great for carlton. Carlton really got on top of the demons during the second quarter and did not look back. Melbourne are a great side too
Whomever was tagging Pickett did a fantastic job.