Carlton midfielder Matt Kennedy has admitted the Blues were “reactive” late in Thursday night’s narrow one-point win over Melbourne and says his side is still trying to rediscover the edge that charged it deep into finals last year.
Despite being in control for the majority of the MCG showdown – including kicking the first six goals – the Blues faded against the Demons in the fourth quarter, conceding the last four majors to nearly collapse.
Michael Voss’ side had no answers for Christian Petracca’s five-goal masterclass, but still held its nerve when it counted to claim yet another close win in a positive Blues hallmark dating back to last year’s finals series.
Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Speaking to foxfooty.com.au post-match, Kennedy conceded the Blues “tried to save the game” and went into their shell too early, while Melbourne “went for it”.
“When you do that you second guess yourself and are on the backfoot a bit. We just pulled through,” Kennedy said.
“I think we got a bit reactive and that’s not the way we want to play. We want to defend hard but still be aggressive with our play.
“We’ve learned a lot – this year especially – we’ve been in a lot of close games. You can’t afford to lose that connection, you’ve got to go back to your role and the next task at hand.
“We made a lot of mistakes tonight, but were able to stick together, which is hard to do in those moments. There will be a lot of learnings out of tonight’s game. The best thing is we leave with the four points.”
Kennedy was full of praise for Petracca, who he was matched up on to start the game before the superstar Demon moved into attack to just about single-handedly turn the contest.
“He’s a freakish player, he’s so good. He was such a good presence for them forward,” Kennedy said.
“We tried everything to stop him but he was just too good. Sometimes you’ve just got to give those players credit.”
After Petracca’s switch forward, Kennedy played predominantly on Jack Viney, labelling the Dees midfielder a “beast,” saying he “hasn’t played on anyone like that before.”
The win saw the Blues improve to 6-3 and bounce back from last week’s loss to arch rival Collingwood on a night Carlton’s midfield was below its best.
Usually such a strong part of the ground for Voss’ side, the Blues on-ballers lowered their colours against the Pies including losing crucial contests in key stages.
“We lost a bit of our DNA in terms of pressure,” Kennedy admitted.
“Last year when our season turned, we valued pressure and defence so much and everyone got involved off the back of that.
“I think we’ve just gone away from that a little bit. We’ve tried to get a bit too much of a sexy play, if you want to call it.
“We need to shift the dial and really get after it. We’ll look to increasing that.”
Kennedy this week returned to the Blues 22 after surprisingly being made the sub against Collingwood, while fellow midfielder George Hewett received the vest against Melbourne in another curious call from Voss.
The Blues coach explained post-match they were simply “sharing the load” and embracing a “squad mentality” over a “long season”.
“We realise it’s a long year and we’ve been fortunate enough to get more bodies back. That hopefully will put more pressure on players in their positions, because that drives the next level,” Voss told reporters.
“We’ve got the personnel to be able to keep finding form and keep challenging others. If we can share the load, that’s what we’ll keep doing.”
Voss also pointed out his star-studded midfield, which could be without Adam Cerra for the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury, “haven’t played a lot together” and are still looking to develop on-field “relationships” and “cohesiveness.”
Sitting 6-3 in fifth position with the rest of the round still to play out, Kennedy suggested the Blues can still yet reach another level in a season the club went in with lofty expectations to challenge for the flag.
“We’re versing ourselves at the minute and right now we’re not at the standard we value in terms of defence and even a bit of offence,” he said.
“But we’re learning, growing and adapting. The game plan is always changing, we’re tweaking a few things.
“You’ve got to be able to adapt otherwise you get left behind. Right now there’s work to be done and we know that as a team. We’re playing OK, but we know we can be better.”
Source Agencies
