Blues in genuine danger of missing finals entirely after Pies loss as list queries emerge

Has Carlton let a genuine opportunity to contend in 2024 slip away?

That’s the question being asked after they dropped their fourth game out of their past five, this time going down in agonising fashion 84-81 to traditional rivals Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night.

Trailing by 32 points early in the fourth term, the Blues fought back, kicking the next five goals to give themselves a chance to win the game when Mitch McGovern marked inside 50 with three seconds left, having a shot after the siren to claim victory.

Unfortunately for the Blues, McGovern shanked the footy with the ball going out of bounds on the full, handing the win to Collingwood.

Cornes thinks that the pressure simply got to McGovern as his technique failed him at the worst possible time.

“As much as you’ve got sympathy for the player, he’s got to be much better than that,” Cornes said on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far.

“How you can miss a set shot by 10 metres … the pressure got to him.

“Whether it was a lack of technique or because he’s a defender and he hasn’t been practising his set shots … in that moment, his technique failed and it cost them potentially a top-four spot.

“Albeit there were some other big moments that the Blues will look back on and be regretful about.”

Cornes’ co-host Riley Beveridge isn’t just concerned with Carlton’s top four hopes, as they now sit seventh, just five weeks after sitting a game and a half clear in second, and he worries that the talented side may never truly contend as they haven’t finished top four since 2000.

“They’ve lost four of their last five now, their only win in that stretch was against North Melbourne,” Beveridge said.

“They could be out of the eight by the end of the weekend. Next week they play Hawthorn on the Sunday and Hawthorn has got Richmond and North Melbourne to finish their season, Carlton has West Coast and St Kilda, they both should win their last two … so next week becomes a mini Elimination Final for them.

“Do you have worries that they’re just not going to get there? I just worry about the state of this list now, it’s just missing something I think to take them to the next level.

“They’re a good football team and have been for the last 2-3 years, but they’re not a great football team.”

Cornes thinks that the Blues’ biggest issue is that they’re too reliant on too few and when stars like Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow combine for one goal and 17 touches their bottom six becomes exposed.

“Their bottom six can become exposed,” Cornes said.

“Curnow’s form actually hasn’t been that good, he was well beaten tonight and ineffective and Harry McKay was missing … they’re so reliant on Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering and Sam Walsh, once you drop away from that there’s some serious issues.

“They have a soft underbelly, match them on ball and the game is yours because they’re one-paced through the midfield and too reliant on too few.”

If Hawthorn beats GWS at Manuka Oval on Sunday, the Blues will only be inside the top eight on percentage.

They face the Hawks in a huge clash at the MCG next Sunday.