All up, it took about 20 seconds. Diehard Carlton fans can remember it by heart from having it on loop all summer and beyond: The dare, the courage and the near miss, followed by a roar so thunderous the MCG stands shook.
It’s a passage of perfect imperfection that will forever tie Jacob Weitering, Ollie Hollands, Sam Docherty and Blake Acres together in Carlton folklore; a play instantly as iconic as Fraser Brown’s tackle on Dean Wallis in the 1999 preliminary final.
The critical moment: Blake Acres boots the winning goal.Credit: Channel Seven
Nearly eight months on, it is but a distant memory for Carlton coach Michael Voss and his Blues. Despite the obvious interest as Carlton and Melbourne meet for the first time since that epic final, this is not a storyline the Blues, fighting to stay in the eight after three losses from their past four games, want to buy into this week.
But as much as Voss wants to consign it to the past, there are lessons from that match-winning play relevant to his Blues of 2024.
There’s the contest and pressure – the Carlton way under Voss – and execution, the latter one of the key messages of the week judging by the coach’s repeated references to it on Wednesday.
We break down the key moments from a play Blues fans will never forget.
