MELBOURNE'S 2026 AFL season has come to end, going down to Carlton by 19 points in a pulsating wildcard final on Saturday night.
The Demons burst out of the blocks with the first four goals of the game before Carlton clawed its way back into the contest, storming home in front of 91,733 fans at the MCG.
Despite roughly even inside 50s to quarter-time (13-12), the Blues were going at 41.7 per cent efficiency in their forward 50. Each time, their build-up was a little too slow and shallow, allowing Melbourne to intercept with ease again and again.
A free kick from a push in the marking contest for Harry McKay gave Carlton its only goal for the quarter, despite attempts from the likes of Matthew Cottrell and Hollands.
Down the opposite end, minutes after being the reason for a reversal of a shot on goal for teammate Harrison Petty, Demon Harry Sharp redeemed himself with a dribbling goal to open the ledger. Harvey Langford also kicked one of the goals of the game on the run from the 50m arc across the body.
The Blues worked their way back into the match in the second quarter. Now, they were getting the ball in deep, moving the ball quicker for their forward entries. Pressure instead built on the Demons, who struggled to make it count on the scoreboard.
A flurry of goals began the second half, with the teams trading them off the back of centre clearance wins, before things settled again and moved from end-to-end.
With 40 seconds to go in the term, Ben Ainsworth scored his third goal to put the Blues back in front for just the second time for the evening. Despite dominating clearances and forward 50 entries, Melbourne couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard.
The Blues threw Lewis Young forward for the final term. Smith goaled early after the side chipped the ball around. In a game where goals felt relatively hard to come by, it felt like a huge moment.
And the Blues did something they have struggled to do for so long – held onto a lead, when they needed it most. Despite a comedy of errors in the final 10 minutes, they took the full 30 seconds on multiple set shots, and fought for the ball to live largely in their forward half.
MELBOURNEÂ Â Â Â 4.3Â Â Â 5.6Â Â Â 7.10 Â Â 7.13 (55)
CARLTONÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1.3Â Â Â 5.5Â Â Â 8.8 Â Â Â 10.14 (74)
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GOALS
Melbourne: Sharp, Langford, Laurie, Gawn, McDonald, Petty, Fritsch
Carlton:Â Ainsworth 3, McKay 2, Smith 2, Cripps, Hollands, Kemp
BEST
Melbourne:Â Gawn, Langford, Chandler, Sparrow
Carlton:Â Smith, Walsh, Hollands, Ainsworth, Evans, Cripps
INJURIES
Melbourne:Â Nil
Carlton:Â Haynes (ankle), Cripps (knee)Â
Crowd:Â 91,733 at the MCG
