Overview
- Carlton defeated Melbourne 10.14 (74) to 7.13 (55) in the wildcard final on Saturday to advance to an elimination final against Geelong next Friday.
- Rising Star Jagga Smith sealed the victory with two late goals while Sam Walsh had 39 disposals and Ben Ainsworth kicked three goals.
- The match drew 91,733 spectators at the MCG and marked the end of Melbourne’s season after a fortnight of injuries and Jacob van Rooyen’s three-match suspension.
- Captain Patrick Cripps left with a knee complaint in the third quarter then returned with extra strapping, and Carlton will monitor his and other minor injuries during a short turnaround to face Geelong.
- The result underlines the wildcard concept: an in-form lower-ranked team can reach September, completing Carlton’s dramatic midseason revival under interim coach Josh Fraser from a 1-8 start to a top-10 finish.