Updated ,first published
Everyone still remembers Carlton’s round one capitulation against Richmond last year.
But this latest one from the Blues – against Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, after leading by 43 points early in the second quarter, and still being up by 20 points after back-to-back goals in the final term – might be worse.
It could also be fateful for under-pressure coach Michael Voss, who admitted post-match he was “filthy” after watching his players add to their worrying theme of second-half fadeouts.
The Kysaiah Pickett-inspired Demons, in their third match under new coach Steve King, rallied from another horror opening quarter and a largely insipid first half to kick the final seven goals and record a remarkable 23-point victory.
“We’re putting ourselves in great positions, and we’re handing it back,” Voss said.
“That sounds like I’m taking something away from Melbourne… but we’re also not helping ourselves. We have to own it. That’s the first thing we have to do. I’ve taken the measure of, ‘Let’s look at this glass half full’, and sort of see the things that we’ve been rehearsing over the course of pre-season, and seeing the transfer and really highlighting what those moments are.
“But today was really disappointing. I was expecting more than that, and we didn’t get the change we’re after.”
It ended up being a wonderful way for Melbourne to celebrate 250-game veterans and flag heroes Max Gawn and Tom McDonald, who both made big contributions. The Demons scored a miserable 12 points to the main break, but piled on 14 goals to four from there.
After sacking premiership coach Simon Goodwin then trading champion midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver in the off-season, new-look Melbourne have two wins from three matches in 2026.
However, Voss’ Carlton slipped to 1-2 ahead of a Good Friday date with North Melbourne.
“The quick turnaround might be a good thing for us,” he said.
The Blues led by a match-high 43 when Elijah Hollands snapped their seventh goal 39 seconds into the second term. The Demons, who struggled even to complete handballs to one another in the opening hour, took until almost 26 minutes into the same quarter to finally kick their first goal via Harvey Langford.
Coincidentally, Langford was the one who put Melbourne in front two terms later, still with almost six minutes remaining, after Pickett soccered the Sherrin 20-plus metres.
Langford, a top-10 pick who turned 20 this month, gathered the ball, wheeled out of trouble and bounced the ball through the goals.
The Demons were an irrepressible force from there, led by Pickett, a dominant Gawn, who overwhelmed his opposite number Marc Pittonet with 23 disposals and 58 hitouts, and forward Bayley Fritsch, whose stellar record against the Blues continued with four second-half goals.
Pickett was scratchy early, much like the rest of his teammates, but finished with 33 disposals – the first time he had more than 30 – 10 inside 50s and an enormous 821 metres gained, in a predominantly midfield role.
He intercepted a Carlton attempt to escape their defensive 50 in the last quarter then blasted through a magnificent goal, and was involved again as Fritsch slotted his fourth.
Exasperated Blues fans began walking out in their thousands at that stage.
Melbourne came at Carlton several times in the second half – after emerging from half-time with reinforced intent – but Hollands’ goal early in the fourth quarter appeared to have stemmed the flow, particularly when soon after he laced out Matt Carroll for another.
But the Blues’ brave, clean ball movement from the start of the match reverted to a static version that played a role in them surrendering what should have been a match-winning lead.
Melbourne were good in the end, but far from perfect.
In the third term, Harry Petty appeared to have cruelled their comeback bid when he held on to resurgent Blue Mitch McGovern for too long and gave away a 50-metre penalty that cost the Demons a goal and stretched Carlton’s lead back to 30 points.
McGovern had three goals at that stage, and loomed as the story of the day. Instead, the Blues shot themselves in the foot again as they prepare for what will certainly be another week of scrutiny.
King hailed Pickett’s performance as “special” but felt his players’ unerring belief helped them fight until the end.
“We believed the game would turn around if we started to execute the basic fundamentals, which cost us dearly in the first quarter,” King said.
“I thought things started to turn halfway through the second, and the stats told us that the game was played the way we wanted. We just couldn’t capitalise when we had our opportunities. So for me, just immense pride in our playing group, to believe in themselves and each other, and have that spirit to do it for two pretty important people [Gawn and McDonald] in the history of our footy club.”
Carlton’s Zac Williams (ribs) took no further part after a third-quarter collision with Pickett, while first-year defender Harry Dean (hip) went to hospital after an awkward landing. Demons recruit Changkuoth Jiath’s day ended before half-time with a calf setback.
