Brisbane have survived an uncharacteristically fast-finishing Carlton to escape with an 11-point win after late drama threatened to put the result to bed.
Amidst a season of second-half fadeouts, Carlton bucked their crippling trend to kick 11 of the last 15 goals of the match, after trailing at one stage by 49 points, as they nearly snatched an unlikely victory over the two-time reigning premiers.
The result was still up for grabs until Lachie Neale kicked the sealer for the Lions at the 28-minute mark, but it was almost put to bed earlier in the last quarter when Levi Ashcroft was awarded a double free kick directly in front of goals.
The second-year midfielder drew a high free kick from Ben Ainsworth inside 50 and kicked the goal to give Brisbane a 28-point lead with just seven minutes left on the clock.
He went straight up to Ainsworth to let him know about it, which started a fracas between the two sides that saw Sam Walsh give away a second free kick to Ashcroft.
“Brisbane are going to get another free kick here. Carlton’s imploded, the goading got to them,” Alister Nicholson said on Channel 7.
“And they’ll get another shot here, Brisbane. The antagoniser gets rewarded.”
A goal would have put the result well beyond doubt but the youngster missed it, keeping the door ajar for Carlton.
His goal sparked a fracas that resulted in another free kick.
“You would so like to see the umpires stay out of all that garbage,” James Brayshaw said.
“I just don’t know how they get sucked in, it just does my head in.
“It’s so obvious what’s actually happened, so just don’t tip into it.”
Matthew Richardson added: “If you just run the ball back to the middle, the players will split it up pretty quickly.”
Carlton’s second-half tidal wave continued thereafter as the 16th-placed visitors kicked four of the next five goals to finish the match just 11 points short of the champs.
The 14.16 (100) to 13.11 (89) result came barely two years after the Blues came from 46 behind to beat the Lions by one point at the Gabba.
They couldn’t finish the job on Friday, but after coughing up six first-half leads to lose in eight games already this season, there was a different narrative for Voss and his besieged Blues (1-8) to digest.
The Lions dominated from the outset, venturing inside the Blues’ 50 five times before eventually kicking a goal.
Lachie Neale (33 disposals, nine clearances, one goal) led the assault at clearances, and the one-way traffic eventually told as Logan Morris (four goals for the game) and big men Sam Draper and Darcy Fort added majors.
Brisbane led clearances 24-11 and centre bounce 10-2 at halftime and it was more of the same when they resumed, even with Neale copping a tag.
Hugh McCluggage’s goal was a sixth straight for Brisbane — the seventh time the Blues had conceded that many consecutively this season.
But that’s where it turned, a high-flying Morris spilling a mark and Ben Ainsworth ending a 40-minute goal drought for the Blues.
Jagga Smith and Patrick Cripps (32 touches, nine clearances, one goal) followed suit, and Mitch McGovern (three goals) snuck two goals in the final stages of the quarter to make it a 20-point game.
It was a complete turnaround, the Blues up 16 in contested possessions, seven in clearances and 14 in inside-50s.
Harry McKay (three goals) goaled immediately from the restart, with a Kai Lohmann goal ending a six-major Blues run.
Fort hit the post, and Levi Ashcroft and Neale followed up with frustrating misses to keep the Blues in it.
McKay, McGovern and Will Hayward (three majors) booted goals to make it a 10-point game with three minutes to play.
But Neale finally iced it, intercepting a handball and snapping truly to settle the nerves of 31,147 fans.
