Carlton’s decade-long wait for an AFL finals berth is over and Blues coach Michael Voss is challenging his team to make the most of their September appearance.
Inspired by spearhead Charlie Curnow, the Blues locked in a top-eight position on Saturday with a come-from-behind 13.13 (91) to 13.9 (87) victory over Gold Coast at Heritage Bank Stadium.
Curnow kicked four second-quarter goals on his way to a bag of five for the match as the Blues overcame a shocking start which had them down by 40 points early in the second term to seal a four-point win and a first finals appearance since 2013.
Knowing the long wait for the finals had come to an end was clearly a relief for Voss.
“Since I started, that goal has been clear about what our direction needed to look like,” he said.
“That was just a great moment for the club, to be able to have that sort of confirmation that we’re playing finals footy.
"It hasn’t been said for a while at this club and I’m pleased that I’m saying it.”
Having sparked the Blues back to within just two points at halftime, Curnow again stood up tallest in the final term just as it looked like the Suns might hold on for a 10th win of their season.
The Coleman Medallist’s thunderous goal from the boundary outside 50 off just a couple of steps and then a long pass to find fellow key forward Harry McKay put the Blues into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Fittingly it was Curnow who claimed a defensive mark in the goal square to have the ball in his hands when the final siren sounded.
Carlton’s winning run now stands at nine games but having made finals, Voss is urging his team to seize the opportunity in front of them.
“This wasn't about making finals, it was about impacting them and I feel like the job isn't done,” Voss said.
“We've got more in us … we feel like we've sort of got that momentum.
“We've had lots of questions asked about us, as you would expect playing against some really high level competition, and we've been able to work our way through some of those.”
Apart from Curnow’s five, Matthew Owies, Jesse Motlop and former Sun Jack Martin all kicked two goals for the Blues.
Veteran Sun David Swallow kicked a career-best four goals for the hosts with Alex Sexton and Ben Ainsworth chipping in with two apiece.
Ahead of a potentially momentous week in the club’s history and the likely confirmation triple-premiership winner Damien Hardwick will be unveiled as the Suns’ new head coach, interim head coach Steven King was proud of his team’s ability to stick with the in-form Blues despite the disappointment of letting their good start slip away.
“They've got something to play for for the rest of the year and I think they showed that today,” King said.
“We wanted to finish strongly and win as many games as possible.
“Unfortunately we couldn't get that done today but that'll be a focus again in seven days’ time.”
Voss confirmed Sam Walsh and Adam Cerra would be pushing for a return for next week’s final regular season fixture against GWS at Marvel Stadium.
