This Has To Stop!

Right now, in our society, we are surrounded by hate. It is not just hatred directed at other cultures and religions; it is also hatred directed towards those in our game—the AFL. I witnessed this during the game against Gold Coast.

Now I understand that in the game on Saturday afternoon, the umpiring was, to put it mildly, deplorable. It was inconsistent. It was skewered one way. It was downright bordering on cheating. However, putting that aside, it showed a maturity amongst the Carlton players not to let that dissuade them from their ultimate goal – to win. I have always been a firm believer that no matter what is thrown at a team, it is how they respond to the obstacles that will serve them in the long term, the final siren being one of celebration, not of what could have been. The team showed a level of maturity that has been lacking for a while at the club, and for this, I applaud their ability to rise up and win, despite the terrible umpiring.

I will not go into specific instances, as we all know, including coaches, commentators and social media, that this game, in particular, was very poorly umpired. What the solution is, I have an idea: make umpires full-time and not part-time employed. Make them accountable should the need arise.

I understand, and so should others, that umpiring the game is a human position whereby adjudication is open to interpretation, sometimes correctly, sometimes not. This is not the issue. The issue is that it is inconsistent and sometimes favours one side during a game over another. A team will have legitimate issues if it plays against two teams – the opposition and the umpires. Yet, how a team rises above that will eventually determine how a team finishes at the last siren, even though it should not get to that point.

Now, the reason I have said that we are surrounded by hate is that I was sitting in a member’s area, and the vitriol and language used by one particular supporter who is a member was directed not only towards the umpires but also towards our players. It was abhorrent and totally uncalled for. Yet it seems that in our society right now, hate has become the buzzword and action that some believe they have the right to verbalise and shout out.

I understand that we get frustrated towards the umpires, but that does not mean we need to sink to a level that this supporter was going down to. It does not give this supporter the right to shout out what they did to an umpire who was directly in front of us. I got up and yelled at the umpire, but I said, ‘There are two teams on the field,’ and ‘Do your job.’ But this other member belittled, degraded and called him names that will not be written here. The interesting thing was that when a Carlton player performed in a way that was contrary to the umpire’s decision, he just sat there, scowling and did not celebrate as everyone else did.

This supporter then directed a diatribe of horrible language towards one of our players. The said player was directly in front of us and could hear every word. I know that there have been others who call themselves ‘supporters’ who have also behaved this way, and then when they jump off in their support, they are quick to jump back on again when it suits them. I do not and will never understand the hatred directed towards a player who is playing for our club, or for any club, for that matter. I do not and will never accept this type of behaviour. Luckily, someone told the supporter to show some respect. The supporter became slightly more silent, but the damage had been done.

The point of this article is that there is so much hatred around in our world, and it is spilling over into the game that we love so much. It’s not that the person is a passionate supporter because when we won, they just sat there, sullen and looking angry.

The point is that sure we are passionate about the game and our club, but in the scheme of what is going on in our lives, it is just a game. Sure, we want to see success, but it cannot come by sinking to a level that is downright derogatory, insulting and disrespectful. We cannot allow supporters to belittle, insult and say comments that are either racist or denigrate people. We cannot allow this level of hatred to infiltrate our game. It is bad enough it is in so many aspects of our society. We have to be just like the team, rise above the walls that get put up around us during a game, and win in a way that shows that we are better than what gets thrown at us.

#GOBLUES!

All photos courtesy of the AFL

Disappointed – yes. Expected – yes!

About five years ago, I looked at the club, where it was heading, and what it had in terms of its talent with the players we had. I wrote down where I thought the club would be at season’s end. So far, I have not missed. I will not dissect players’ performances, as I have said before; that is something others do. This is a different view and perspective on the team.

Recently, a post about AFL coaches was posted on social media. To my mind, one of the best coaches in the past ten years has been John Longmire. He became the coach of Sydney in 2010. He has been at the helm of the club since then, and in that period, the club won a Premiership in 2012. The club has missed being in the top 8 twice, 2019 and 2020. So, in 13 years, his consistent leadership has put the Swans in a position to vie for a Premiership and has only won it once.

Carlton has had since 2010; if we are to take a comparison that aligns with Sydney, is on its fifth, yes, the fifth coach. We have not had consistency across the board when it comes to the direction of where the club wants to go and how to get there. Yet there is an expectation that given the talent we have, and we have exceptional talent, the club, now in its fifth coach over 13 years, will achieve a way of playing that Sydney has taken 13 years to perfect.

Sure, we have injuries, but it should not mean that this should be the excuse for losing. The depth of any playing group has to be one where no matter who is out, they can fill the spot, maybe not in the same way, but it can be filled. However, perfecting a pattern of players and their abilities and what they can bring to a team requires not only talent and fitness but consistency in training and coaching. Where each player understands what will be expected of them and, given time and maturity, will deliver on those expectations.

How can any club achieve what we all want Carlton to accomplish if there has yet to be consistency in the end goal regarding its coaching team? Just look at how many coaches we have had over 13 years. If a coach such as Longmire wins only one Premiership in 13 years, what do you expect Carlton to achieve when Vossy has only been in charge since 2022?

I understand that the game was disappointing, but let’s be realistic here; we are just not yet ready. We are making exceptional strides in getting there, but it is going to take time. I know that some will say we’ve waited for so long, and the time is now. Rubbish! If we had had consistency in our coaching team, then sure, that is a legitimate statement. But we have not.

Today, I went out for a walk with my Carlton top and hat on. I was unafraid to show that I am a loyal and true club supporter. To lambast the club based on Friday night’s performance against what I consider a real contender for the Premiership is very narrow-minded, in my mind. We must stop this expectation that the club is better than the others in terms of its growth, because we have not had consistent coaching and therefore, a consistent game-plan, for a long time. We have it now, but it will take a little more time, and we need to be a little bit more patient. We need the consistency of what a consistency and belief in our coaches can and do bring. We will get there.

#GOBLUES!

Take the 4 points!

Four points is four points, and no matter what transpired during the match, we got the four points in the end.

Social media and commentators have gone “off their chops” about how Carlton managed to scrape through. How Stephen May protested that the ball was touched, so because he protested, it must be so. Given that the Score Review held up the game for a while, the actual score was allowed to be a goal, and that did not sit well with not only May but also commentators who have stated that because he protested so much, and he doesn’t do this often, it must be touched. That is quite laughable, really, because how many other players say they touched the ball, and then a goal was allowed? Are they any more credible than May, or is it just because it’s a Melbourne player?

Then some say a Carlton player was given a free kick because they “staged” their head hitting the ground. A tackle was done; now explain this to me: how is a player supposed to stop their head from hitting the ground given the tackle it was? He had one hand on the ball, the other has pinned. Showing a bias during commentary proves to me, at least, why I have little or no respect for said commentators who cannot leave their bias at the door. Who favours one team continually. The game had issues all over the place in terms of illogical umpire decisions. Yet these are not discussed by commentators. So, besides that, let’s take apart the game and see it for what it is. For me, the game proves that we are not the team we have been in the past. Here’s why.

In the past, we have been a club that has languished near the bottom; Melbourne has not. In 2020, Melbourne finished 9th, we 11th. In 2021, Melbourne finished 1st, we 13th. 2022, Melbourne finished 2nd, we 9th. In 2023, Melbourne finished 4th, we 5th. Before 2020, we were a consistent club that was on the bottom of the bottom. Yet while Melbourne did finish 17th in 2019, we finished 16th, but that was one minor hiccup.

Simon Goodwin has been the senior coach for Melbourne since 2016, and Michael Voss has been the senior coach since the end of 2021. Vossy was appointed senior coach after what had been a tumultuous period for the club in terms of stability in its senior coach. While Melbourne has had stability in where it finishes, even winning one Premiership, besides 2019, the club has been knocking on the top eight door for a number of years, Carlton has not. It has only been in the past two years (not including 2024) that the club has been either in the top 8, or knocking at the door. Yet commentators and some supporters think that a club’s success, given the players they have, is simple and easy. That they have the knowledge to ensure that a solid lead from the start would be enough to secure a win. To do that, it takes time to learn, persistence, and a shock to come close to losing to know what to do down the track for the rest of the season.

We have been contending for the past two years and will continue to contend, given the players we have and who we could possibly acquire in the future. But for any team to step out of the turmoil that plagued Carlton in the past, consistency in its coaching group and administrators and a sense of this consistency in how to go about securing wins will ensure eventual success.

As mentioned earlier, this blog is not about singling out players from any match, although on Thursday night, some truly stepped up. It’s about a team that was once at the bottom, but is now steadily and diligently making strides towards that ultimate win. Thursday night’s victory against Melbourne was a testament to this progress.

On my way home, I overheard someone saying that if Carlton supporters believe this was a win to be proud of, then we are disillusioned. I couldn’t disagree more. I am far from disillusioned about the team and our current position. We have a lot to learn and grow in season 2024, and this will only make us a stronger team after the Bye. We are in a better position now than we have been in the past. So I will gladly take the four points and smile at the win, because I know where we have been and where we are headed.

#GOBLUES!

Let’s Take A Deep Breath!

First, let me say that I was disappointed with the loss on Friday night, yet I am not gutted, angry, furious, etc., as some are. The only thing I am disappointed in is the reaction some fans are spouting on social media, when the fact is that we have lost two games against top sides. But let’s step backwards for a moment.

This blog focuses not on players, coaches, etc., but on the game as a whole. It is how I see it. If some want to have a view about players or coaches, there are plenty of other blogs, views etc., that deal with that.

We have lost two games (I’m not including the Adelaide game), where the opponents were both Premiership teams from 2022 and 2023. We didn’t get thrashed, we lost, and at times, it was a loss that was our doing. However, we are in Round 8, and based on what transpired last season, what matters is not how well you do now but how well you do after the Bye Round.

Make no mistake, solidifying a team in the top 8, anywhere before the Bye Round, is enormous and can make the difference to the run towards the Finals. Yet, with each brick wall the team comes up against, there will be a chance to knock that down slowly. And I think that this season, that is precisely what we are doing. Coming out full gung-ho from the start for a team that for the past has been languishing at the bottom does not enable that team to slowly grow, become better and stronger, where in the long-term of a season, this will enable players and teams to be stronger, more resilient and develop a stamina that will take them into the Finals. This is what the club must focus on.

Right now, as the ladder stands, we are sitting at the bottom of the Top 8. For some, that is catastrophic. For me, this is not. Given the season’s length and where the club sits right now in terms of what it wants to achieve, our season is not looking that bad. Sure, there is room for improvement, especially in our backline, but again, growth, maturity and learning from errors will make the team stronger and better.

We are not the team we were years ago when pressurised games resulted in thrashings. Sure, we need to focus on some aspects of the game, but we are getting there, and with each and every game, win or lose, the club will make strides toward eventual success. It might not happen at a speed that we want, but it will happen.

This season’s competition is closer than it has been for a while, making for a better game. After the Bye Round, it will separate the ones that are capable and the ones that are not. Carlton has shown, as displayed in season 2023, that you should not count them out now or do so at your peril. Because in the lyrics of the song St. Elmo’s Fire, ‘But maybe sometime if you feel the pain, You’ll find you’re all alone, everything has changed, Play the game, you know you can’t quit until it’s won, Soldier on, only you can do what must be done.’ I do not think that the club is going to quit until the success that it seeks is achieved. We have hit a roadblock, a snag, a detour, call it what you may, but in the end, we will be back on the right track. This I believe!

#GOBLUES!

AFL…be serious & consistent…

A very telling article has come out from Hamish Brayshaw, and it should and must be both applauded and actioned. It is brutal. It is to the point, and it is absolutely spot on.

The whole issue regarding high-head contact is being fiercely debated in the media, and some say that each high-head contact should be rated according to the action. Some in the media have stated that Toby Greene’s suspension should not have happened. Jesse Hogan’s suspension was overturned because he threw a fist against another player’s head, and it was deemed to be negligible.

We have seen the AFL come out quite categorically stating that high-head contact in any form must be seen in the long term and what damage it can and does do to a person, and therefore, the offending player must be suspended. But then again, a character reference can get certain players off but not all. The sheer hypocrisy surrounding this is mind-blowingly unfathomable.

I agree with Hamish Brayshaw, who states that the game right now on this issue stands on a precipice of confusion, and the direction the AFL now takes must be one of consistency, no matter who it is. If the AFL does not adhere to its rulings, such as high-head contact and a player has a suspension but gets overturned because of intent, or even if the player is not concussed, or even due to good character, then more and more people will back away from not only playing the game but supporting it. The damage in the long-term from high-head contact in sports is profound and startling. How many more players will in the long-term suffer the effects of concussion, and the offender gets a slap on the wrist?

To subscribe to what the game was and how this issue was handled back in the 1980s, even the 1990s, is ignorant and misguided. Back then, there was no fundamental understanding of the long-term effects of continual high-head contact on a person and what it does to their brain. Should we just accept that players will get concussions or be hit in the head and allow these players to then suffer the consequences of brain damage in their later years? Absolutely not, and neither should anyone.

In Hamish Brayshaw’s open letter, he brilliantly stated the double standard that the AFL is facing in this issue. Past players are suffering. Greg Williams has said that he cannot remember much of his life: his wedding, the birth of his kids, or even winning the 1995 Grand Final. Danny Frawley committed suicide, and it was found that he, too, suffered the effects of concussion and CTE when an autopsy was performed. Shane Tuck also took his life and it was also found that he too suffered from the effects of continual concussions.

How many other players must be feeling the effects of brain damage that will not show up until they are dead? For those in the media who say that some high-head contacts are negligible, they should and must, in all honesty, shut up. They are not the ones suffering; maybe they will only really understand when they eventually suffer the effects or know someone close to them suffering.

The AFL MUST stop this nonsense of unsureness about what constitutes a high-head contact. If any person hits the head, no matter how or why, that offending player must be suspended, irrespective of their character. If a concussed player is out, the offending player must be out for that same period. If a player is not concussed but plays on, the offending player must be suspended for at least one week, no matter their character or not.

If the AFL is serious about this, they must read and take action on all the points that Hamish Brayshaw has raised.

#GO BLUES!

https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/former-player-hamish-brayshaw-tears-broken-afl-to-shreds/news-story/1e7172c9d0930db3b3e2c1d082d6db35

Disappointing – yes…but…

To say that the match on Saturday was disappointing is while true, I do agree with Vossy’s sentiments. However, despite the terrible umpiring (and it was awful) and despite the inaccuracy not only in the goals department but also in our turnovers, it is Round 7.

Yes, we should have won that game, but despite the terrible decisions made by both umpires and some of the Carlton players, the team should and will take some clarity and understanding from this game.

Media have actually come out and stated that Carlton was playing against two teams yesterday: one from Geelong and one from the umpires. While this is true, a team must and should not rely on this when it comes to endeavouring to win a match. A team must put that aside and play according to their game to win anyway. The lack of clarity and consistency by the umpires did not help, but our lack of consistency and clarity by the players who panicked when they shouldn’t have and turned the ball over or fluffed the goals is, I feel, the reason that we lost. But then again, it is Round 7.

Sure, right now, Geelong is on the top of the ladder, unbeaten, but I do think that given the age of the playing group’s major players, the toll on their bodies will come into it long-term in this season. Players who are younger struggle during this season, so older players, such as those in Geelong, will suffer more. A body cannot sustain the type of pressure teams place on them continuously, and there will be other teams who do that, and for Geelong, there will be repercussions. And it all comes down to what will happen after the major Bye. If Geelong loses some of their major senior players, it will come down to their younger, less experienced players, and we know that without the guidance of the older players, a team will not be the same. Remember, it is only Round 7.

I would much rather Carlton lose a few before the Bye and learn and grow from the losses, than games after the Bye round. After the Bye, games become more vital in the bid to not only be in the top 8 but also to vie for a top 4 position. To be in a position where Carlton sit right now, is going to be beneficial. Let a team grow and get better with every game before the Bye and then hone what was learned and developed afterwards to make a strong pursuit to the top 8 and, hopefully, the top 4.

The next few weeks and the game against Geelong was and is always going to be fraught with challenges. How the team addresses those will be paramount to how they will finish the season, but it is not a definite outcome in Round 7.

There was much to like in the game against Geelong, but there was also much to dislike. With two losses under our belt and given the game we played against GWS, we have the capacity and ability to be better than we were against Geelong, and I feel we will come out a better side for it.

Round 7 has taught the team that they should not be rattled by the under-performance of very questionable umpiring decisions. They must and should learn that to be better, they must rise to the challenge ahead and win despite poor umpiring. We have the team to do it. They have to believe they can. I certainly think they do and will.

Losing such as this is not a “graceful” loss, as has been stated in past seasons by coaches; it was disappointing and a loss of the team’s own making. But with this loss, given the players we have, it will make them a better team and a much more hungrier and, dare I say it, angrier.

#GO BLUES!

15 Minutes!

On Saturday morning, I was walking along the Yarra in Kew. Two men were coming in the opposite direction, one wearing a “sports” cap. As they walked nearer, I could see that the taller one had on a Carlton cap.

I was wearing one, too. As they passed, the one wearing the cap smiled and said, ‘Go Blues.’ I replied the same thing. It was then that I realized I had said, ‘Go Blues’ to none other than…Stephen Kernahan! It was then that I felt, that today would be a good day.

From the first bounce of the ball yesterday at Marvel Stadium, I knew we would be fighting hard to beat a very in-form GWS. After last week, as I had written, this match would determine where the season’s path would lead us. For the first quarter, it was back and forth. In the second quarter, it was more back. We were down nine points. At one stage, we were down 21 points. But in the third quarter, all it took was 15 minutes of sheer fight, grit, determination and a pressure that has now become synonymous with the Carlton in season 2023 and now 2024. Because that is all it took – 15 minutes!

In 15 minutes, Carlton produced some of the most scintillating footy that they have been lacking for quite some time. It was as if, for 15 minutes, the pennies started to drop. In those 15 minutes, Carlton FC showed what a team of players who were so determined to honour the guernsey they were wearing, and they were not the team from last week. And all of this on the back of having some of our major backline out from injury. Because it shows what I have stated for a long time – DEPTH!

Having depth in a playing group is paramount to being successful. It makes no difference who the team stars are and who were on Saturday because no star player can do it alone. It takes a team and it takes depth in the playing group to allow just 15 minutes of carnage! That was what happened on Saturday. Sure, there were players on the ground who really stood up, but they could not have done it alone. There were stellar performances by key players, but key players need those in the background in order for them to show what they are capable of. Crippa and Walsh both stated after the game in an interview, that sure they played well, but it takes a team to win and that was what happened on Saturday, and it took just 15 minutes.

Last week’s setback was one that I think the team needed (as I have said before); how they responded to this weekend’s match will set them up for the rest of the season. This win has been not one step but quite a few steps forward. It showed what they can be capable of even if some major players are out, and all it took was 15 minutes.

Having this depth in the playing group, allowing major players to show what they are capable of, and the team’s “not giving up” attitude will ensure their achievable success in season 2024. It took depth and 15 minutes. Great win, Carlton. Great win! Knew it was going to be a good day!

#GOBLUES!

Own the loss…grow from it!

Five minutes into the match, I realized that we would struggle to win. It was not that we weren’t capable; it was just that, for some inexplicable reason, I felt we would not win this time. Yes, it was disappointing. Yes, it was gut-wrenching. But no, I am in no way worried or concerned. I have said before that five years ago, I wrote down where I thought the club would be in the next six years. So far, I have not been wrong.

I understand where the club sits right now and what it must do to be the success it wants to be. But let’s be realistic here. We lost in Round 5. Not Round 15. Not Round 20, but Round 5. Yes, we lost to a team that had yet to win a match. But again, it is Round 5.

In the modern game, it is never about what happens before the major Bye Round but what happens after that. Carlton showed it in 2023, and they will show it again in 2024. But what is more important is what happens next.
For the next round, we will be playing against a team that is not just pushing but bombarding the competition in a way that has yet to really make them successful since they were formed.

For the first time in their history, I really believe GWS could go to the very end. They now have a culture and a team that could do just that. They are also a few years ahead of Carlton in terms of this.

The game on Saturday was like a slap in the face. A kick in the guts. It sent the team back just one step, and for me, it was a step that needed to be taken. I am a firm believer in owning up to your mistakes because only in this can you ever grow and become a better person and player. A few seasons ago, the team would have retreated into their shells and fallen into a spiral hole. Now, the team will do the opposite, and I really think that GWS should be worried.

Adelaide came out firing. They had more to prove not only to themselves but to their supporters. Carlton was on the back foot for the entire game.
But it is now time to regroup, reconcile with what happened, and take a step forward, which I do think they will. It is now the time for the club to understand that they are not the team from a few seasons ago; they are better. They will need to learn and understand the mistakes made on Saturday, own them, and work on them. I do think that this is what will happen.

I care not what commentators or others in the media and social media say; I only care how Carlton responds to the game on Saturday. Given the way Vossy and his team have handled the team so far, this loss will only make them a better side.

I am under no illusion as to where the club sits right now or where it will finish. I do believe that the seeds were sown in 2023, and in 2024, we will see the fruits of that labour. It is only Round 5, and what the team will learn and gain from this loss will only make them a better side. I do think GWS will be worried because they know what the club is capable of and what will fuel them in the game next Saturday.

ALWAYS WILL BE – #GO BLUES!

P.S Welcome back Mr Sam Walsh…first game, massive stats!

Own the loss…grow from it!

ALWAYS WILL BE – #GO BLUES!

P.S Welcome back Mr Sam Walsh…first game, massive stats!

Stay Calm!

There is a saying: Stay Calm & Keep Going. With the controversy over the weekend in the match between Fremantle and Carlton, it seems that this is precisely what happened when the eventual outcome came to fruition…and it was not the team that was ahead for most of the game.

The last few minutes of the game were, to put it mildly, really pressurised from all spectrums of the game.

Starting with Charlie Curnow’s ‘one-handed’ mark that kept us in the game to the very controversial decision by the umpire regarding Matt Cotterell’s mark, which led to Carlton being in front at the 29-minute mark of the fourth quarter. The game was, at this point, on a knife’s edge. All Fremantle had to do was regroup, go back to the centre and do what they had been doing for most of the game…dominate. But a rather petulant Jordan Clark, who apparently was swearing at himself (at least that is what he says), but an umpire did not see it that way, and a free-kick was awarded to Matt Kennedy under the dissent rule. He kicked the goal, and Carlton came out the winner.

The debate has been going on about whether the ball kicked, which resulted in Cotterell’s mark and goal, was touched as the Fremantle players indicated. The umpire made a decision, rightly or not, and awarded a mark to Cotterell. Some have said, given the close nature of the game, that the decision should have been made through a video review. By doing so, you are actually taking away the nature of a game that is being governed not by robots but by people, and being human, mistakes can and do get made.

Let’s look at it from this match perspective. At one point in the first quarter, a Fremantle player kicked the ball while it was in the air near the boundary, and everyone could see that it was out on the full. Crippa even stated this, but the umpires tossed it in. Crippa stayed calm and kept going.

Then another Fremantle player got the ball from a handball, turned, and ducked, and a high-head tackle free kick was awarded against the Carlton player to the Fremantle one. Carlton did what Fremantle did not—they stayed calm and kept going.

The point is that throughout the game, all games in fact, the umpire will make a determination based on what they see and believe. No umpire will change that decision during a match. It just doesn’t and should not happen. Yes, we have the technology to determine issues at the goal/point posts, but that is where it has to remain. We cannot allow the game to go further than that in terms of what technology is available. It takes away an aspect of the game where it is more mechanical than anything else. What will determine the eventual outcome of a game that has contentious issues is how a team stays calm and keeps going.

Fremantle had an opportunity to change the outcome if only they had stayed calm and kept going. It was within their reach to do that, but they didn’t. It doesn’t matter what happens at the start of a game, but in close games such as this one, it matters who can stay calm and keep going. Carlton has proven that this is what they are now capable of.

Other teams have to realise that Carlton in 2024 will not go down in a blaze of panic and disarray that was prevalent in their past. They have developed into a team that stays calm and keeps going when needed. The fight doesn’t stop because they are not in front. It stops when the final siren goes. The team’s ability to do that is a revelation in the club’s growth, and the rewards are showing exponentially!

Some are likening Carlton to Collingwood from last year. I wouldn’t say that, as we have a bit more growth to go. We have to know how to combat a strong backline that Fremantle put up, which thwarted Carlton for most of the game. It is here that Carlton needs to learn from this match and become better for it. Understand that other clubs will look at the Fremantle game and see what damage they can do in stopping our forward line. Despite that, it is Carlton’s ability to stay calm and keep going that will determine season 2024. Because it is that aspect of the game that has become synonymous with the club’s success.

Travis Bradberry (an author on emotional intelligence), quotes that, ‘mistakes and pressure are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm.’ Never underestimate Carlton’s ability to do just that. So far, in season 2024, this is exactly what they are doing and achieving.

#GO BLUES!

All photos courtesy of AFL.