Reality check as bubble bursts

Brisbane smash Carlton in the final quarter to win NAB Cup.

Blues coach Mick Malthouse during the NAB Cup final. Picture: Andrew Tauber

CARLTON'S pre-season bubble was decisively burst by Brisbane last night, with new coach Mick Malthouse facing structural and personnel issues ahead of his Round 1 debut for the club against Richmond.

His side's rousing second-quarter comeback from 27 points down to snatch back the lead was long forgotten by the time Brisbane dominated the second half to win its first NAB Cup title.

Malthouse said he was still positive about his team's development but agreed it was a big reality check.

"Yep, and probably a good one for me too, to have a look at what we were like under pressure and when things go bad, how we stop the play and do something about it," he said.

"The reality is we have played four games.

"This one today I wondered at half time, is there any run.

"I don't know if the boys played the game the night before.

"Brisbane were fantastic, but we had no run and that was disappointing.

"The fact we were able to creep back into the game but then surrender it so very quickly.

"We have got some serious work to do ( in the midfield).

"We thought we weren't too bad in there (in previous weeks, but) to get crunched like that, it's all of a sudden in your backline.

"Today it didn't matter about the structures, it was the competitiveness.

Carlton players after the loss to Brisbane. Picture: Andrew Tauber Source: Herald Sun

"We got smashed. We just need to reassess what took place in the last two weeks and work on it for the next two or three months and see if we can iron them out."

Brisbane's 40-point victory secured the club its first pre-season trophy, with Lions left-footer Daniel Rich winning the Michael Tuck Medal as best afield for his brilliant onball performance.

Carlton hard nut Mitch Robinson is likely to be scrutinised for a sling tackle that saw Rich dazed and groggy midway through the second term.

He could join key forward Jarrad Waite (calf) and Heath Scotland (club suspension) on the sidelines for Round 1, but it is Waite's absence that will really hurt.

The Blues trialled all of Matthew Kreuzer, Simon White, Shaun Hampson and Sam Rowe forward, but none of them thrived on the opportunity.

Lions co-captain Jonathan Brown, who finished with five goals. said the performance was the perfect way to finish the NAB Cup.

"They really put it on us in the second quarter, but we showed a lot of fight all through the pre-season and the back end of last year," he said.

"Its great to have a good NAB Cup and to get some silverware as we head towards Round 1."

Lions coach Michael Voss said the Lions' ability to finish the game strongly was "becoming a hallmark of our team"

"It is good for us in terms of our preparation and these guys have been working very hard and there have been lots of periods where we have worked hard and haven't been able to celebrate much, so we will celebrate tonight and park it tomorrow.

"The guys have handled their pre-season very well. They get a result tonight which is good reward for them."

Chris Judd made his own comeback from hamstring tightness but needed the run in his first game of the pre-season and was subbed out in the last quarter with 15 possessions.

Kreuzer was exceptional in the ruck (34 hitouts) and Bryce Gibbs (24 touches, seven tackles) continued his slashing midfield resurgence, but the Blues ended their pre-season with a pair of defeats.

Michael Jamison cramped late but the Blues dodged any other injury concerns, with Judd having 13 days to recover from his hit-out for Round 1.

Brisbane's was brilliantly served by emerging Rich and former Melbourne onballer Brent Moloney, with the dynamic half forward pairing of Daniel Zorko and Josh Green shredding the Carlton back half.

Irishman Pearce Hanley (30 possessions) continually off half back through the centre corridor, with Daniel Merrett was commanding in the air in defence but gave away several costly free kicks.

The Blues will attempt to extend their Round 1 hoodoo over Richmond on Thursday March 28, while the Lions take on the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Saturday March 30.
 

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