- \n
- Carlton will take a two-pronged ruck division into Friday night\u2019s elimination final against Sydney at the MCG, with Marc Pittonet to play alongside Tom De Koning despite a forecast for rain.<\/li>\n
- \u00a0A collision with Richmond\u2019s Trent Cotchin in round 16 cost Charlie Cameron two front teeth, with the Lion admitting his confidence had been affected in the aftermath.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tall order: Pittonet brought in for Blues back-up<\/h3>\n
AAP<\/em><\/p>\n
Carlton will take a two-pronged ruck division into Friday night\u2019s elimination final against Sydney at the MCG, with Marc Pittonet to play alongside Tom De Koning despite a forecast for rain.<\/p>\n
The important selection call comes after coach Michael Voss experimented with key forward Harry McKay as a back-up to De Koning in round 24, when the Blues lost to GWS.<\/p>\n
McKay will spend more time in attack alongside back-to-back Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow, with Pittonet set to add a physical presence around the ball in predicted tough conditions against Swans pair Tom Hickey and Hayden McLean.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like that\u2019s been a real strength of ours throughout this year,\u201d Voss said of his ruck pairing. \u201cThey bounce off each other really well and they\u2019re obviously pretty good at their own individual roles, but we feel like we lean into our strengths there.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet is back for the elimination final against the Swans.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n
Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty will return after a week off for the elimination final, while wingman Blake Acres is available to play despite hurting his shoulder in round 24.<\/p>\n
Friday night will be Carlton\u2019s first finals appearance since 2013 and Voss declared the event partly a celebration for the Blues and their supporters. \u201cWe want all that noise, we want that real positive energy and we want to put smiles on faces,\u201d Voss said. \u201cTo do that, we\u2019ve got to get out and get our jobs done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elimination final will be played in frigid temperatures as the mercury plummets in Melbourne, with the Bureau of Meteorology expecting hail and rain on Friday with the day-time temperature to hover between just seven and a top of 12.<\/p>\n
The temperature is predicted to stay in single figures, but the \u201cfeels-like\u201d temperature will be much lower, dropping to just one degree. On its website, the BoM explains the concept of its \u201cfeels-like\u201d measure, otherwise known as apparent temperature.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur instruments measure \u2018ambient temperature\u2019 \u2013 how warm the air is in the shade and sheltered from the wind. But by taking into account wind and humidity we also calculate \u2018apparent temperature\u2019 \u2013 how warm you might feel<\/i>. There can be a considerable difference between the two,\u201d the bureau says.<\/p>\n
The Blues endured a rough start to Voss\u2019 second year at the helm and looked out of contention with a 4-1-8 record halfway through the bye rounds.<\/p>\n
A fierce blowtorch was turned on the coach and his players, who were jeered off the ground by long-suffering fans after several poor performances.<\/p>\n
But a stunning nine-match winning streak, which was ended by GWS in round 24 when Voss rested some key players, propelled the Blues into September. They are warm favourites to win against Sydney, expecting the bulk of support from a crowd tipped to reach 90,000 at the MCG.<\/p>\n
Cameron\u2019s confidence rebounds after brutal blow<\/h3>\n
Andrew Stafford<\/em><\/p>\n
On Saturday night at the Gabba, Charlie Cameron will line up for his 200th game. Coming into the qualifying final against Port Adelaide, and in a talent-stacked Brisbane Lions team led by 2020 Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, the 29-year-old Lardil and Waanyi man from Mornington Island is the ace in the Lions pack.<\/p>\n
Cameron is the rarest of small forwards in the modern game in that his explosivity is matched by an underrated level of consistency. In six seasons with the Lions since crossing from Adelaide, he has failed to top 50 goals just twice: in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, and his first season with the club (2018), which was cut short by an ankle injury.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s played 115 consecutive games since \u2013 the third-highest streak in the league behind Collingwood\u2019s Jack Crisp (211) and Melbourne\u2019s Christian Petracca (130). That speaks as much to high standards of preparation and recovery as it does to good luck, and Cameron was rewarded for his 53 goals this season with his second All-Australian jacket last week.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Charlie Cameron leaves the field after losing two teeth against Richmond.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n
That run was nearly broken in round 16, after a collision with Richmond\u2019s Trent Cotchin cost him two front teeth. Cameron admitted his confidence had been affected in the aftermath. \u201cI had a patch of six weeks where I wasn\u2019t playing up to the standard,\u201d he said on Thursday. \u201cI just tried to block it out, I think I was worrying about it too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having set himself for finals, Cameron shapes as one of the key players in September. He is as much a barometer for the Lions as Jordan De Goey is to Collingwood, Toby Greene is to GWS or Charlie Curnow to Carlton. His finals record is elite: in 16 matches, he\u2019s kicked 34 goals, above his career average of 1.78 a game.<\/p>\n
And Cameron is no downhill skier. In the qualifying final of 2021, when the Lions were soundly beaten by premiers Melbourne, he kicked five goals. In the subsequent semi-final, in which the Lions lost by a point to eventual runners-up the Western Bulldogs, Cameron slotted three goals, handed off another three assists and laid five tackles.<\/p>\n
He has also won matches off his own boot. It was in the 2017 preliminary final, playing for Adelaide, that Cameron served notice that he was an emerging star of the competition, kicking five goals from 19 disposals to destroy Geelong. Last year, he kicked three goals in both the elimination and semi-finals to snatch narrow victories over Richmond and Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Cameron, remember, plays in the toughest position on the ground to get a kick: forward pocket, otherwise known as starvation corner. In the heightened intensity of finals \u2013 where close to 200 tackles might be laid in the course of a match \u2013 the most highly skilled players are swarmed before they can find space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019ve just got to give yourself opportunities where you can get involved early,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cThat\u2019s something I look to do in finals, get involved early so you can get some confidence, so to make the most of opportunities when they come around \u2026 I just try to keep it as simple as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron only needs half an opportunity to bend a game to his will. Like Cyril Rioli, he can exert a profound impact on the contest with a handful of possessions (five in last year\u2019s semi-final against Melbourne yielded 3.1). This ability to make things happen also brings crowds into the game. With the Lions guaranteed two home finals, that will be vital.<\/p>\n
Also like Rioli, Cameron instils fear in opponents going the other way. He ranks second in the competition this year for tackles inside 50, just one behind Melbourne\u2019s Kysaiah Pickett. His chase-and-tackle pressure creates opportunities for the Lions\u2019 other small and medium forwards Lincoln McCarthy, Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think over the last two years I\u2019ve had a real focus on that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to set myself goals to be the No.1 forward-50 tackler in the game, so I just try to bring that pressure and everything else will flow on from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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