Is Carlton captain Patrick Cripps playing better than his 2022 Brownlow winning year?

There's definitely a case for it and Thursday's performance at the Adelaide Oval against Port Adelaide was the cherry on top.

PATRICK CRIPPS
Midfield
Carlton
ROUND 12 STATS
22
Disposals
5
Tackles
3
Clearances

After a quiet three-quarters and the game well within the balance, Cripps took the evening by the scruff of the neck when it mattered most.

The Carlton captain dominated with nine disposals, three tackles, two clearances, two inside 50s, and netted two crucial goals in the final quarter, propelling the visitors to kick eight last-quarter majors and secure a commanding 36-point victory.

Blues coach Michael Voss was in awe of Cripps' efforts on the night, saying the club doesn't look for individual brilliance, but sometimes you just have to sit back and watch the show.

"We never, ever say that anyone steps up in big moments, but sometimes they just show themselves. And 'Crippa' as the captain did that," Voss said post-game.

"We're showing a great ability to be able to adapt at the moment. We're coming in at halftime, we're looking at the game, we're seeing what we like, we're seeing what we don't like, and we've been able to change a few things."

Cripps' special performance led the Blues to break an Adelaide Oval hoodoo, which had yielded only one victory in eight outings over a 10-year stretch, with the solitary win against Fremantle in 2024's Gather Round.

Voss added that the club has been looking at the "transformation" of the team and what it has been able to achieve, as "wins like tonight I guess go in that bucket a little bit".

 2024-05-30T09:30:00Z 
 
 
 
Adelaide Oval
PORT   
71
FT
107
   CARL
    #AFLPowerBlues
MATCH CENTRE ▶︎   

"We don't play the venue, we play the opposition," Voss said.

"I guess as part of our transformation as a team over the last two or three years, it feels like there's been a number of records that we've had to try and change.

"It's just that nice little signature moment if you want to call it that, where a record that has been there, or a history that's been there, is not so much a factor anymore."

In a sign that the AFL made the right call in realigning the interpretation of holding the ball, Voss, albeit some decisions went against the Blues, said the adjustments are helping to improve the spectacle of the game and the players' safety.

"There were a couple, and I thought for the better," Voss said.