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A really important game coming up for Richmond as they take on Carlton at the MCG on a Saturday afternoon. Live scores and commentary kicks off from 1.45pm AEST.
The Tiger Army has every right to be gearing up for a tilt at the finals with their spot now assured.
But there will be the inevitable seed of doubt in the back of the fans’ minds coming up against Carlton.
Because they will know more than any other club that when the Tigers come up against a side that’s either in the same boat or just below them in ability, they manage to find a way to come up short.
That trend seemed to come to an end earlier this year when they played the likes of Adelaide and St Kilda during the middle of the season.
But then against North Melbourne in Round 15, it looked as if they’d forgotten about how to get the job done.
But the last fortnight shows this side has so much upside to them.
The defensive work to shut down Buddy Franklin and Jarryd Roughead in Round 19 was a master-class that the rest of the competition could take on board.
And while the forward line didn’t really fire in the second half last week, they had others to step up to the plate to get the win against the Brisbane Lions.
Chris Newman has a forced layoff before the finals with an ankle injury, while Ricky Petterd and Dylan Grimes will slot back in nicely to the back line.
Carlton almost seems resigned to the fact the season is over and done with now, especially after last week’s disappointing performance against the Western Bulldogs.
It’s been added by the fact Chris Judd’s season is all but over after a right knee injury during the Bulldogs loss, while Andrew Carrazzo will also see the season out on the sidelines with a calf injury.
This idea that Mick Malthouse was the messiah that would take the Blues to the top of the table was always a fallacy.
Is he the reason the club is failing? Of course not.
It’s those players that have yet to step up to the plate and actually take themselves to the next level that should be blamed for this.
For some reason, players always seem to miss getting the bulk of the blame – always falling on the coach.
Malthouse is an extremely good coach, but there’s plenty of ‘hangers-on’ that just aren’t fitting the bill.
Expect this off-season to be one of some tumult, with some big names offered up for trade and told not to come back next season.
Look, there is still a chance the Blues could come into finals contention if the Essendon saga brings them into it.
But right now, the Blues players should be in damage control not just for the club, but for their own reputations.
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