Cameron checked it was OK to play short
CARLTON was yesterday embarrassed by a GWS side at times fielding only 16 players.
The Blues plumbed new depths in a 105-point defeat against a Giants side that had no fit bench players from the 17-minute mark of the third term. Giants coach Leon Cameron last night confirmed Brett Deledio had again damaged his left calf, with Toby Greene battling a tight hamstring. Rising Star nominee Sam Taylor has a left hamstring injury, while Dawson Simpson will miss several weeks with a left ankle injury.
Cameron revealed he had to check with an AFL official on the bench to play short before rotating players off for safety concerns to leave them without 18 men on the field.
“It was more the safety of the players out there. We kept on checking with the AFL official and, in a situation where it was not a great look, we handled it well,” he said.
Carlton coach Brendon Bolton said the Giants were the hardest-running midfield his side had encountered this year. But he backed in his side to learn from the loss and the Giants’ determination to keep running in that final term.
Asked what the last-term demolition said, he replied: “We have got a lot of hard work to do. We just played a serious contender. It is a fantastic template for our mids to understand the running power required.”
Bolton said the Blues weren’t offended by the Giants playing 16 men, aware Leon Cameron had to go into self-preservation mode.
The single shining light on a dark day was Harry McKay, who took four contested marks to go with three goals.