1. Ratts out of hell? (Gone when the morning comes)
That loss could well come back to haunt not only Carlton, but coach Brett Ratten. Ratten has been under the pump all season to retain his job, and Saturday night's shock result will ramp up calls for him to be dismissed. The Blues were expected to waltz into Metricon Stadium, boost their percentage and head back to Melbourne for a final round showdown against St Kilda to play for a finals berth. Instead they dished up a lacklustre performance against a team they should have easily beaten.

More Talking Points

2. Freo way to go
Carlton's loss all but seals the top eight with one round remaining. Fremantle (48 poits) is a game clear in eighth spot and need to win just one of its last two matches to play finals. It plays North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday and finishes with the relatively easy assignment of Melbourne at Patersons Stadium next week.

3. Suns do the roasting
After copping a roasting for most of the year, Gold Coast has now matched the three wins it achieved in season one. This one was special though, with 20 senior-listed players injured and barely enough troops to pick a team from. The Suns have also now made it back-to-back wins at Metricon Stadium.

4. Selection questions
A number of Suns players were playing for contracts and their futures and it showed. Charlie Dixon was heroic playing ruck and then forward. He crashed packs, tackled hard and did everything asked by coach Guy McKenna. Jacob Gillbee was desperate in his first game of the season, while enigmatic half-back Mav Weller showed grit and dash that had been lacking for much of the season. The Suns may now have a few headaches with list management come season's end.

5. Big stats do lie
If ever a game showed statistics don't tell the full story, it was this one. Carlton dominated every statistical category except the scoreboard. Remarkably it won disposals (365-291), clearances (45-37), contested possessions (145-122), inside 50s (66-43), tackles (57-44) and scoring shots (31-23). But somehow the Blues lost. Forwards Jarrad Waite (2.4) and Levi Casboult (0.5) had nights they would rather forget in front of goal.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs