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As a loyal Carlton fan I need to get one thing off my chest – We deserve to be there! Much of the commentary after Carlton knocked the Tigers out has revolved around their legitimacy as a finals contender.
I understand and accept the novelty value of Carlton progressing to finals thanks to Essendon’s penalties. And yes, Richmond losing in their long-awaited finals appearance to the ninth placed team does warrant a few laughs.
But let’s take pause for a moment and consider what those saying Carlton don’t deserve to be there are really saying.
They’re saying they endorse Essendon’s supplements regime. They’re saying they endorse the injection of unknown substances into AFL footballers.
And until ASADA delivers its final report, they’re saying they endorse the very real possibility of an AFL club using performance enhancing drugs.
Moreover, they’re also saying they would have preferred the AFL Commission did not act to bring Essendon to account for its misdemeanours.
They’re saying they would have preferred if the Commission did not value the integrity of the game.
It’s not Carlton’s fault Essendon failed the game so badly. It’s not Carlton’s fault the Bombers chose to treat its competitors with such contempt.
It’s also not Carlton’s fault that North Melbourne didn’t win enough games to finish ninth.
And it’s not Carlton’s fault West Coast and Adelaide underperformed so badly this year.
Carlton can only be responsible for its own actions. One club had to finish ninth and it was Carlton. Get over it.
Over the last two weeks, in particular, while far from perfect, Carlton have delivered two performances that typify everything we love about the game of AFL.
Carlton have delivered courage and fight none of us knew they had. Carlton have delivered thrills and excitement. Carlton have delivered hope to its fans.
And, crucially, Carlton have delivered all of that within the rules of the game.
After the AFL Commission kicked Essendon out of the finals, the ninth placed team deserved to be promoted. At least, the AFL deserved to have a finals series consisting of eight teams who played by the rules.
Thank goodness the first weekend of finals just gone was a fantastic advertisement for the game.
Finally, without the long shadow of Essendon, we are all free to talk about footy again. Proper footy. Not embarrassing calls of heroics or splitting hairs over the legality or otherwise of injected substances.
This weekend we saw one club stamp its authority on September and we saw three fantastic upsets against the odds. And through that, we saw eight clubs play an unwitting role to help undo all the ill feeling Essendon has given season 2013.
Hawthorn, Fremantle and Port Adelaide, the game of AFL thanks you.
To Carlton, your performance against Richmond, to fight back from 32 points down, was a fitting end to a great weekend of football.
Not only did Carlton make the finals on merit, they delivered a performance worthy of any finals series in any of the 117 years the game has seen.
And they did so in front of the biggest crowd ever to witness an elimination final.
Footy is back!
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