The coach told the players the loss should create a hunger to get better in 2025 after the listless Blues were outplayed at the start of the game when the Lions kicked 60 points before Carlton scored, with the eventual margin flattering the visitors.
Speaking after returning to Melbourne, a stern-faced Walsh refused to use injuries or the decision to make six changes as an excuse, saying the start was not what is required in finals.
“Hopefully, that can fuel our hunger for next year,” Walsh said. “We got beaten in a whole lot of contests all around the ground. I feel like we just didn’t match their intensity.”
The team will have that reality to ponder over an off-season that will likely see star forward Charlie Curnow head for surgery on his ankle to prepare him for pre-season after he battled the injury for a month before his season ended in round 22.
Walsh said he, personally, was not carrying any concerns going into the game, saying his body was fine despite appearing restricted in the final month after suffering a corkie against North Melbourne. He had 28 disposals and four clearances against the Lions.
The star on-baller, who won the Gary Ayres medal for best finals player in 2023, said the club lost momentum midway through the season with a brand of football that relies on pressure and winning contests fluctuating.
“That game summed up a bit of our year; too inconsistent [and] not hard enough to play against at times,” Walsh said.
“We wanted to double down on our brand [this season]. It is an opportunity that we missed, but if we don’t learn these lessons then the same things keep happening.”
Speaking immediately after the game on Saturday, Carlton defender Sam Docherty also blamed inconsistency, while offering a balanced view of the vicissitudes of the Blues’ year.
No one has ridden a bigger rollercoaster this season than Docherty, who he suffered his third ACL rupture in opening round against the same opponent, at the same venue. That Docherty got back to play for in the elimination was a near-miracle in itself, let alone when you consider the bigger setbacks he has endured in his life, including a serious battle with testicular cancer.
“My life’s taught me many things, but one of the main things it’s taught me is don’t worry about the s— that doesn’t matter,” Docherty said after the Blues’ season ended.
He wasn’t saying the loss didn’t matter. It mattered a lot; it was all over his face. But one thing he wasn’t worried about was his knee buckling under him again in a big game.
“It’s been a bizarre year,” he said. “I’m proud to be able to get out there and play. I cherish every game of footy that I can get out there for. I’ve had a lot of them taken off me, and weirdly a strange preparation is a little bit in my DNA.
“Having done this a few times has taught me that if I’m making myself anxious about what could happen, I’m spending a lot of energy on things that don’t matter. I wasn’t going out there to be best on ground. I was going out there to play my part.”
Which he did, and he did well, gathering 16 disposals and keeping his head when teammates all around were losing theirs in the first half.
But, after going hell for leather to get back to play at the business end of the season, Docherty said he – and his club – had to go “back to the drawing board”.
“I think tonight sort of typifies our season. Overall, [we were] very inconsistent in our performance throughout the season, and tonight, inconsistent in what we were trying to do and what we were trying to implement.
“We’ve got full belief in the group we’ve got and what we’re trying to do. We know it stacks up in big games. It has this year; it has last year. But the last couple of years has shown us the gap we need to close. We’re pretty aware of what we need to do.
“It’s our ability to consistently implement our habits and our behaviours for games of footy; blocks of footy; seasons of footy. That’s the difference between the best and the guys who are sitting behind them.”
Docherty said the Lions dismantled Carlton’s strengths, particularly at stoppages.
“They comprehensively beat us in the area that we really pride ourselves on; they were extremely good in the contest, and you’ve got to give credit to them.
“They won territory out of the centre bounce really well, they won contests in their forward half and in our back half, something we’re extremely good at as a footy team, and we weren’t able to get it done tonight.
“It’s a bit frustrating to get beaten at something we pride ourselves on as a group.”
Docherty also admitted that his limited preparation, along with so many other players, had an impact on his team.
“I didn’t play for the whole year, but there were a number of guys who were in and out, we didn’t really get any continuity in our group.
“As much as it was a weird week, there was a sad sense of familiarity about it. Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way that I’d love it to in my head, but I’m happy enough to come out here and play AFL footy.
“[It’s] back to the drawing board. I’ll get prepped and ready for pre-season now. I put the foot to the floor for six months to be able to get out here and play again and have an impact.”
For now, he will rest. But it won’t be for long.
“I can’t undersell the amount of time and effort – and the hours – [I’ve put in]; what I’ve put myself through this year. I need a good rest and a good mental refresh.
“Usually, [recovery from] an ACL is 12 months, so technically I’ve probably got a six-month rehab to do again.”
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