GEELONG will meet Collingwood in the NAB Cup grand final after overcoming an exuberant, hard-tackling Carlton by 17 points in Saturday night's error-ridden semi-final at Docklands.
The Cats, pre-season premiers over Adelaide in 2006, were pushed by the Blues almost every step of the way but found some important late momentum to win 2.9.12 (84) to 0.9.13 (67).
Though Carlton fielded an inexperienced side missing captain Chris Judd, full-forward Brendan Fevola, midfielders Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs and key position player Jarrad Waite, Collingwood will almost certainly offer fierce resistance on paper and in play come Friday night's encounter.
The Magpies have enjoyed some success against the Cats in the last two years, coming within a kick of the eventual premiers in 2007's preliminary final and emerging as the only side to beat them – by a whopping 86 points – in last year's home and away rounds.
But Carlton showed no fear of this challenge, even when Geelong shot out to a 29-point lead midway through the third quarter, eroding that deficit to 11 at the final change.
A super-goal to half-forward Paul Chapman proved the deciding factor in the final term.
Geelong was without Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood in the middle, but Cameron Ling (28 disposals), Joel Corey (25) James Kelly (24) and Chapman (26) were the mainstays as Gary Ablett (21) spent time forward often troubled by young opponent Aaron Joseph.
Cameron Mooney, Corey Enright, Mark Blake, Andrew Mackie and Ryan Gamble were also among the absentees, but forwards Tom Hawkins and Steve Johnson played their first games of the year.
Hawkins started at full-forward against Michael Jamison while Johnson was substituted on in the third quarter.
Both kicked a goal but Hawkins, who sustained a foot injury towards the end of last season, sat out the last quarter-and-a-half.
Ever-improving defender Harry Taylor had a terrific evening with 29 touches but often had his hands full with Cameron Cloke, who kicked two goals and created a number of others.
Shaun Grigg (27 possessions), Richard Hadley (23) and Nick Stevens (22), opposed to Ling, stood their ground for Carlton in the middle while recruits Chris Johnson and Greg Bentley were also effective.
But ruck trio Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson and Sam Jacobs were regularly out-positioned by an imposing Brad Ottens.
Geelong got off to a good start with Ablett goaling in the opening minute and Max Rooke getting another opportunity shortly after.
Carlton was quick to respond through Hampson and then flooded, which forced the Cats into congested situations to rack up 72 handballs to 22 for the term.
Goals dried up although Tom Lonergan managed to slot one late and the quarter-time siren had the Cats clear by 13 points.
There was more scoring in the second although both sides were wasteful. Hawkins was the first to convert from a booming kick before rookie-listed defender Jeremy Laidler impressed with a standing-start super-goal.
Still, Cloke found a response before the main break to keep the margin to 15 points.
It was Rooke that kick-started the Cats' surge in the third term and, even though Chris Yarran found the Blues' fourth, Steve Johnson and Kelly hammered through replies.
But the Blues lifted their intensity and found forward targets. Goals to Grigg, Cloke and Simon Wiggins had their side within two kicks with a quarter to play.
Within a minute Chapman got the first goal of the deciding stanza, but it took another 10 for the next and it went the way of Eddie Betts.
A Geelong set-play in its attacking arc saw Ottens feed off a handpass to Chapman, who booted for nine with eight minutes to play.
Carlton had a handful of late chances to close the gap but had to settle for the outcome, which includes a NAB Challenge match against Fremantle in Bunbury, Western Australia next weekend.
Geelong 0.3.3 1.4.7 1.7.9 2.9.12 (84)
Carlton 0.1.2 0.3.7 0.7.7 0.9.13 (67)
GOALS
Geelong: Nine-point goals: Laidler, Chapman Goals: Lonergan 2, Ablett, Simpson, Hawkins, Rooke, S. Johnson, Kelly, Chapman
Carlton: Nine-point goals: Nil Goals: Cloke 2, Betts 2, Hampson, Browne, Yarran, Wiggins, Grigg
BEST
Geelong: Taylor, Chapman, Hunt, Ling, Kelly, D. Johnson, Ottens
Carlton: Johnson, Grigg, Hadley, Cloke, Bentley
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Carlton: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McLaren, Donlon, Jennings
Crowd: 15,305 at Docklands
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
