Cats v Blues player ratings: From Geelong’s ‘Superman’, to those who had ‘horror’ nights for Carlton

The fairytale had to end at some stage for the Blues, and it happened at the MCG in front of more than 96,000 fans as the finals-hardened Cats flexed their muscles right when they needed to most.

Danny Russell (Geelong) and Sam McClure (Carlton) rate every Carlton player’s performance from the blockbuster elimination final.

Geelong

(2) Jay Polkinghorne: The latest to suffer the curse of the big forward during this finals series, he found it hard to break free and was monstered by Jacob Weitering in several marking contests but did manage a goal. 4/10

(3) Bailey Smith: Struggled to shake off a Cooper Lord tag early and would have been annoyed that his opponent kicked two goals. But he is impossible to keep down and got busy in the third. 7/10

(4) Tanner Bruhn: One of Geelong’s best early, and looks to have found his niche across half-back. He was able to become a spectator as the game wore on and the Cats shifted the match into their forward 50. 6/10

(5) Jeremy Cameron: Harder to spot than Where’s Wally in the first half. He didn’t get near the footy. He started at half-back before moving to the wing, but struggled to have any meaningful impact. He’s clearly not right. 3/10

(7) Shaun Mannagh: He has yanked himself out of the “opportunist/goal sneak” pigeonhole to become a damaging midfielder. Close to the Cats’ best as he rotated through the square and found stacks of the ball. 8/10

(9) Max Holmes: Is it poor taste to say the operation was a success but the patient died? He ran the game out and, after a long lay-off, will be better for the run, but he could not find the footy and had little impact. 3/10

(11) Michael Edwards: His biggest moment was being crunched by Blake Acres in a third-quarter marking contest. It was a relief to see him get up. Other than that, he was probably shaded by Marc Pittonet in the ruck. 5/10

(14) Connor O’Sullivan: He probably wished they had another week off when the Blues came out firing in the first quarter, but was able to put the bus in cruise control thereafter. None of the big Blues got off the chain. 6/10

(17) Lawson Humphries: Created one of the pivotal moments of the match when he spoiled a Carlton kick-in at full speed at the start of the third term. It set up a Mannagh goal, and sparked the Geelong avalanche. 5/10

(21) Oliver Wiltshire: He kicked three behinds. Had they been goals, he was right up there with the game’s best players. While others shaded him on the stats sheet – he had 22 disposals – he was vital to the Cats’ turnaround. 6/10

(28) Oliver Dempsey: Even though he was short of his brilliant best, was still the game’s best winger. He took two marks deep in the forward pocket in the first and third terms, but could not convert either. 6/10

(30) Tom Atkins: He looked bamboozled, or even slow, when Sam Walsh and Jagga Smith were creating havoc in the opening term. But the never-say-die fan favourite combined with Mannagh to help swing the game back on Geelong’s terms. 6/10

(32) Gryan Miers: More reliable than a box of matches, he was one of the chief fire starters for Geelong in the second term, streaming through half-forward. Not bad for a guy on a wonky knee. He kicked two. 7/10

(33) Shannon Neale: It’s funny how the game works. He was odds-on favourite to be worst on ground in the first half, a poor showing that included a butchered shot on goal. But he lifted to kick two after the long break. 5/10

(34) Oisin Mullin: He will be popping up in Jagga Smith’s nightmares for the next six months. He was shaded by Sam Walsh in the first term before switching to the dangerous Smith and rendering him helpless. 7/10

(35) Patrick Dangerfield: Clearly the game’s best forward and best player overall. He had a touch of the Clark Kents early, fumbling some marking contests, but found the Superman cape and became unstoppable. And if that wasn’t enough, he booted five. 9/10

(36) Ollie Henry: Started on the pine and had his typical flashy moments. He needs to sit down and watch Dangerfield’s game to understand the difference between promising and delivering. 5/10

(38) Jack Henry: Another of the Cats’ unsung heroes, he provides reliable cover deep in defence that allows Tom Stewart to strut his stuff. He often picked up Harry McKay as he pushed up the ground. 6/10

(39) Zach Guthrie: With another solid night in defence, he had 16 disposals and took four marks. Not a bad output. He was instrumental in keeping the small Carlton forwards quiet. 6/10

(42) Mark O’Connor: Started on the bench before being swung into the midfield to shadow Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps. If you measure his performance on Cripps’ output (24 disposals) he’s had a good night. 6/10

(44) Tom Stewart: You can see why the Cats were lost without him in last year’s grand final. He was huge in the first half as he almost single-handedly stemmed the Carlton surge. He was big all night. 8/10

(45) Brad Close: He continues to be a poster boy for the long-sleeve brigade. He started to get busy in the second term when the Cats needed a spark, and booted a goal with his third kick of the evening. He finished with 17 disposals. 7/10

(46) Mark Blicavs: He started forward and provided cover in the ruck. He was serviceable without being responsible for any big moments. Had 19 hitouts and six tackles. 5/10

Carlton

(2) Lachlan Cowan: Held his own when the defence was under considerable pressure in the second half. 6/10

(4) Oliver Hollands: He kicked an important goal but was a bit fumbly under finals pressure. 5/10

(5) Adam Cerra: Wasn’t able to display the kind of kicking proficiency that he’s shown previously under Josh Fraser. 5/10

(7) Jagga Smith: He was unbelievable early but well-tagged in the end and his impact was reduced. 5/10

(9) Patrick Cripps: The skipper tried hard all night and kicked an incredible goal. 6/10

(10) Harry McKay: He presented really strongly and was probably unlucky not to get rewarded with one or two more frees. 6/10

(11) Mitch McGovern: He was terrible – he had the sort of night he’d rather forget. 2/10

(12) Ben Ainsworth: He looked likely all night but couldn’t finish like he’s been able to do all year previously. 5/10

(13) Blake Acres: He missed a sitter early but competed really hard all night. 6/10

(14) Oliver Florent: He has been a real leader in the back 50 in the second half of the year and worked hard all night again against the Blues. 7/10

(15) Billy Wilson: He has quickly become one of their most important players, finishing with 26 disposals. 7/10

(17) Brodie Kemp: He’s had a great year and still hit the scoreboard, but he does go missing from time to time. 5/10

(18) Sam Walsh: The Blues’ best player, he just continued to break lines and run both ways. 8/10

(23) Jacob Weitering: He stood up under immense pressure, especially when Harry Dean went off for his concussion test. 8/10

(27) Marc Pittonet: He dominated the ruck for large portions of the game but couldn’t use his aerial presence to great effect. 7/10

(29) George Hewett: He dug in for the majority of the night and was typically tough. 7/10

(33) Lewis Young: He had a horror night, including making inadvertent contact with Dean’s head, which forced him off for a HIA. 1/10

(35) Harry Dean: He copped a loose boot from Young that effectively ruined his night. He still tried hard every minute he was out there. 6/10

(36) Cooper Lord: Two goals on the wing in a blockbuster MCG final is a great night. 7/10

(39) Talor Byrne: He just couldn’t find a way to have a genuine impact. 3/10

(44) Francis Evans: He was the best player on the ground early and finished with two goals. 7/10

(46) Matthew Cottrell: He plays an important role as a conduit and did some important things again in this one. 6/10

(47) Wade Derksen: He was excellent early and was far from the Blues’ worst throughout the night. 6/10

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