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The Carlton Blues have won the 2015 wooden spoon after a 57 point win by Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
HAWTHORN 17 11 113
CARLTON 8 8 56
Despite the comfortable win, and hardly raising a sweat in the victory, the Hawks were dealt a blow to their premiership chances.
Isaac Smith went down with a medial ligament strain after having his knee bent in a tackle during the third quarter.
>>MATCH REPORT: Smith hurt as Hawks beat Blues
In the best case scenario, he misses one or two weeks. In the worst case scenario, his season is finished.
That will hurt Hawthorn as they lose one of their ball carrying players.
As for the game itself, the Blues started well, as they matched the Hawks early.
Hawthorn then flexed its muscles as it kicked four straight goals to lead by 27 points at quarter time.
Jordan Roughead kicked two goals with Jack Gunston scoring one himself.
Carlton would remain in the hunt with three goals in the second quarter, as Hawthorn registered four themselves, to be 30 points behind at half time.
Any chance of a comeback though was immediately destroyed as Hawthorn kicked away in the third term.
Five goals – including two to Gunston and one to Roughead – to just one from Carlton opened up the gap to 54 points.
Hawthorn then opted to put the cue in the rack in the final quarter, as they tried not to get anymore injuries.
They ended up winning by 57 points, after Carlton kicked the first two goals of the final quarter.
Sam Mitchell starred with 34 disposals as both Gunston and Roughead kicked four goals.
Andrew Carrazzo, in his final game, was Carlton’s best with 33 touches. Andrejs Everitt also played well.
Carlton’s focus now turns to 2016 and clearing out the list to rebuild for the future.
What that holds is anyone’s guess. Brendan Bolton has a challenge ahead of him.
Hawthorn now focus on next week’s qualifying final against West Coast. That match is on Friday night.
Carlton will be looking to avoid a repeat of Round 17 when they face Hawthorn in the final round of the AFL on Saturday afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:40pm AEST.
In one of the darkest days for the football club, on a Friday night, Carlton lost by 138 points to Hawthorn in Round 17. They would kick just four goals for the match with the Hawks kicking 27.
The Hawks also smashed the Blues in stats with 114 more disposals, 29 more contested possessions, and 33 more inside 50s. It was the biggest loss in the Blues’ history and probably ended the chances of John Barker being coach of the club in 2016.
Now Brendan Bolton is the coach for next year and he will get a good look at the gap between his former club – Hawthorn – and his new one. To put it simply, Carlton need a good performance, to give the fans and club something to look forward to in 2016.
One player who has performed well in 2015 for the club has been Patrick Cripps. He should win the Carlton best and fairest, as well as the NAB Rising Star award, and the club will be looking to build around him for next year and beyond.
Despite this match being a dead rubber for Hawthorn, they still have plenty to play for. A win would see them face West Coast in Week 1 of the finals. A loss, and a Sydney win, would see them playing Fremantle.
They have a huge say in deciding what team they will face in Week 1, though I’m confident they will believe they can beat any team in the competition. Their focus will instead be on settling on a squad of 22 for Week 1 of the finals, and finishing the season in style.
They have made two changes for the clash with Sam Mitchell and Paul Puopolo back after missing the trip to Tasmania last week. Billy Hartung and Luke Breust have been rested for the clash.
Carlton have made three changes with Chris Yarran, Sam Docherty, and Brad Walsh out. With Yarran likely to move next year, as a potential trade, he could have already played his last game for the club. In for the Blues is Clem Smith, Nick Holman, and Andrew Carrazzo.
Saturday’s match will be the final one for Carrazzo, who retires after playing his 194th game. He looks likely to be an umpire in 2016.
This game looks to be a one-sided contest. Bookies are offering almost $20 on Carlton in a match where you could almost name your price for them to win. Hawthorn might experiment with different things in the first half, but they will win by plenty as they end Carlton’s season.
Prediction: Hawthorn by 60.
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