“It's ghastly!”: Higgins’ match-winner takes Carlton’s finals fate out of their hands

Carlton’s finals hopes now rest on the final game of the 2024 home and away season after going down to St Kilda 74-76 in heartbreaking fashion at Marvel Stadium.

A win would have locked Carlton into the top eight and after snatching the lead with five minutes remaining, a Jack Higgins match-winning snap with less than 20 seconds left on the clock meant that they’re now at the mercy of Sunday’s Fremantle v Port Adelaide clash.

The equation is simple for Carlton now. If Fremantle wins, they don’t play finals. If Port Adelaide wins, they will finish eighth and play Brisbane in an Elimination Final at the Gabba.

Unfortunately for the Blues, it could turn out to be the second time in three years that they’ve missed out on finals thanks to a last-gasp match-winner from the opposition - following Jamie Elliott’s famous goal at the MCG in 2022.

AFL Nation’s Gerard Whateley described the finish as ghastly given the pain that Blues fans went through almost two years ago to the day.

“The siren is the ultimate curse for Carlton,” Whateley said on AFL Nation.

“St Kilda steal it at the depth they celebrate as if they have made the finals!

“It's Carlton who must now endure the torture of what is about to unfold in the west to see if they will play finals in 2024.

“It's ghastly! … They've got the Elliott moment and now the Higgins moment to haunt them at the final hurdle.”

Carlton tragic Andy Maher - who was also in the AFL Nation booth for the Elliott winner, admitted that the loss was a tough pill to swallow with their finals fate now out of Carlton’s hands.

On top of the Higgins goal, Maher thinks that the moment that could come back to haunt the Blues is Brodie Kemp’s miss after the defender-turned-forward missed an easy set shot late in the fourth quarter to put the Blues up by 10 points.

“If Kemp kicks the goal, then everything changes … it’s going to be a tough one to swallow,” Maher said.

“They'll look at the Higgins goal … and they'll be thinking, ‘How could he have found the meter and a half to be where he was to receive it? How do we not get a smother on that kick?’.

“It was a superb kick, absolutely magnificent.”

The victory for St Kilda means they finish 2024 in 12th position.