Few player versus player debates have been hotter in recent years than Marcus Bontempelli versus Patrick Cripps.
Both players were taken in the 2013 National Draft and both became star midfielders and captains very early in their careers.
Kane Cornes believes 2021 has definitively separated the two, with Bontempelli comfortably the better player.
The Bulldogs captain was the difference between the two sides on Sunday, gathering 32 disposals, winning 10 clearances and kicking a big goal. Cripps meanwhile finished with 15 disposals and was mostly unseen when the game was on the line.
“The leadership of Bontempelli. I look at Cripps and Bontempelli, prior to the start of the season we would have had them around the same mark,” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.
“They’re chalk and cheese at the moment. The impact that both skippers had, it was chalk and cheese yesterday.
“People would probably say Cripps is injured, but he’s just not influencing games and we saw what great captains do and that was Bontempelli yesterday.”
Cornes also took aim at Blues coach David Teague after his side gave up the five-goal lead.
Teague said during the week he was happy for the game to be a shootout and he certainly got his wish.
“They’ve conceded 100 points five times this year, which with North Melbourne is the most in the competition,” Cornes said.
“I don’t hear top-four ambitious teams speak like that.
“If you’re wondering what the issues are at Carlton, the players don’t buy in defensively like top four sides do.
“If you want to be that, you’ve got to be better and to concede what they did in that last quarter was alarming.”
The Blues lost control of the game late in the third quarter before completely falling away in the final term.
Tim Watson believes they were “obliterated” in the midfield when the game was on the line.
“In the last quarter 98 disposals to the Bulldogs and 65 to Carlton and 36-21 contested footy,” Watson said.
“When the game was on the line, someone from Carlton had to roll up their sleeves and they had to change the momentum, the only way to change momentum is to control the ball and win the ball at the contest.
“They weren’t able to do that. That’s why they have these great lulls in games, because they get obliterated around the ball and I don’t think that’s enough of a focus in the way they play and their DNA at Carlton.
“They got smashed around the ball. They were good around the ball early, but when the pressure came the other way, they just weren’t able to steal themselves in the way they needed to.”
Bontempelli and Tom Liberatore combined for 23 clearances across the game. Marc Pittonet (7) and Sam Walsh (5) led the way for the Blues, while Cripps only managed four.
Stay up to date with all the latest news from SEN. Sign up HERE.
