He and skipper Jonathan Brown clashed when competing for the same mark just 15 metres out from goal. The near-certain major would have reduced Carlton’s lead to under two goals after the Blues had led by as much as 48 points earlier in the match.
“We didn’t see each other until the last second. Browny always goes back with the flight of the ball and I was in a spot where I was licking my lips thinking ‘I’m going to get this’,” said Black.
“Then the big fella came along. He probably thought the same thing. He said he thought he was going to make me a couple of inches shorter by squashing my neck! I managed to just pull out at the last second and we are both fine.”
Carlton spirited the ball away and the chance was lost. But Black said the bigger picture was the team’s lapse half an hour earlier.
“That second quarter was the thing that let us down ... They got a massive lead and it’s always going to be hard to claw back. We fought back all right but weren’t good enough to get there in the end.”
“We got smashed out of the middle of the ground . We couldn’t get the ball . They just kept getting it out and we couldn’t stop the flow. Their good players got the ball and used it very well. It was bang, bang, bang.”
Black was playing his first game for the year after breaking a hand early in February. While still able to do all running work, the player renowned for a huge training ethic said it was still a demanding night.
“Nothing compares to match practice. You can do whatever you want in training, but once you get out on the ground the best match practice is match practice. I pulled up fine and obviously I didn’t have much left energy-wise but it was good to be out there.”
