Richmond Can't Stop The Great Roo
The Age
Friday September 8, 1995
North Melbourne would have us believe that its fate does not rest entirely in Wayne Carey's mits, but the Football Record knows better. ``Beat Carey, Beat North" was the headline on its front cover last night, which might have given Denis Pagan a seizure. If the league says it's so, then it must be so.
Earlier this week, the retiring St Kilda captain, Danny Frawley, was asked on television to select the winner of the Richmond-North qualifying final. Frawley agreed with the sentiments expressed earlier about Richmond's apparently superior midfield, and North being likely to miss the blue-collar presence of Anthony Stevens. But he picked the Roos, he said, because they had No. 18.
Yes, most of us worship at the temple of Carey nowadays.
And here's why.
For a quarter of last night's game, the great man was contained, if not beaten, by Richmond's rough diamond, Paul Bulluss.
Playing close and hard, Bulluss did not allow Carey the space he needed to mark. Even when North's skipper broke free, running into an unguarded goal deep in the quarter, his checkside kick from five metres hit the post.
Then there was the remainder of the game a Carey slaughter of the Tigers. Richmond, which had been slower to settle, managed the first goal of the second quarter to lead by eight points, and North plainly needed a lift. Enter Carey.
From the next centre bounce, Carey marked at centre half- forward and his kick set up John Longmire for a goal. From the next one, he trapped the ball and found John Blakey with a sharp handball for a goal.
A minute later, he took a tumbling mark and kicked accurately.
Suddenly, North had control and John Northey was considering option B, which was a new opponent. Stuart Wigney, who has not played senior football since round 10 because of injury, warmed up on the sidelines. At the 10-minute mark, he walked into the furnace and replaced Bulluss.
In a sense, it seemed harsh on Bulluss, who could scarcely have stopped Carey, given that North had conjured a succession of centre-bounce clearances, leaving him one out with the game's greatest player. Nobody without a loaded weapon could have stopped him.
But Richmond had thought this through. Any side preparing to play North must have at least two options at centre half- back, for that is the reality of confronting Carey. Wigney toiled manfully, and was helped by a couple of easy misses by his opponent in the third quarter.
Carey was almost routinely magnificent, joining with John Longmire in providing the finishing skills that Richmond so obviously lacked last night. In an otherwise tight game, the fact they kicked five goals each took North across the line.
The Kangaroos will be dangerous if that continues.
Carey has been down the past month, although he insists not so far down as the public has been led to believe. ``I was happy with that," he said after the match. ``A few weeks ago, I had 21 or 22 possessions against Hawthorn and a lot of the press said I wasn't that good. You know how you play personally and you don't need to read the press to know. You know how well you're going and that's the most important thing.
" Carey finished with 5.4, and was directly responsible for four other goals. This was not the all-encompassing game that he had conjured against Richmond in round 19. But it was enough.
© 1995 The Age