It will be interesting to see the Brownlow Medal votes for this clash, because there are a string of players who could lay claim to best-on-ground status.
Josh Kennedy could get the nod for a magnificent 10-goal haul – six of them coming in the game-breaking third term – while Matt Rosa’s shut down role on Chris Judd was near perfect and Matt Priddis was his incomparable self in the midfield contests.
Then there was Mark LeCras, who was polished with his four goals up forward and some clean ball use when running through the midfield, as well as Will Schofield, Jeremy McGovern and Brad Sheppard down back.
But the nod for the way he impacted the game, particularly when it was in the balance in the first 40 minutes, goes to Nic Naitanui.
The athletic big man gave West Coast a decisive advantage at the stoppages and ensured the midfield assumed control.
Critics will suggest he had only 10 possessions and a mark, but raw statistics don’t tell the true tale.
How many times did Big Nic lock the ball into a contest when Carlton looked poised to break clear, putting his big paw on the footy and then moments later it would spill out to the advantage of a team mate?
There would be no statistic either for the third quarter effort when he ghosted across a pack and created a clear path for Kennedy to take an uncontested mark to kick one of his six goals in the quarter.
He also won 32 hit outs and was responsible for giving Priddis, Rosa, Andrew Gaff and Chris Masten the opportunity to sweep the ball forward and present goal-scoring opportunities.
His name might not be on the voting slip come Brownlow Medal night, but his was the ultimate team game.
Naitanui plays to his strengths and they were obvious as he dominated the aerial battle.
Again he did not take a lot of towering marks, but he impacts every contest, knocks the ball on from congestion and makes life far more comfortable for those players looking to run and carry. His impact was significant.
