Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has slammed Carlton coach Michael Voss’s decision to use Patrick Cripps in the ruck in the Blues’ gritty win over North Melbourne on Sunday. Heading into the clash against the Kangaroos the Blues were on a two-game slide but Carlton superstar Cripps flexed his Brownlow credentials with another dominant performance.
The Blues’ skipper took on a heavy workload, finishing with 29 disposals, nine clearances, nine score involvements and seven tackles in the 19-point win. Cripps was involved heavily in the ruck after Carlton star Tom De Koning hobbled off with a sore left foot, which was stepped on during the first quarter, and he spent an extended period of the match in the change room. While the No.1 ruckman was sidelined, Cripps was involved in a tough battle with Tristan Xerri.
But despite doing a good job rucking, Cornes hammered the Blues’ decision to let their star and captain get involved in the tough stuff. “I never want to see the Brownlow favourite and the Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps in the ruck again,” Cornes said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night.
“Why does this happen? Get any old battler to do your ruck contest, not your star midfielder to go up against one of the more combative ruckmen in football, Tristan Xerri. Just don’t allow Patrick Cripps to do that. On a lot of occasions, Harry McKay is standing right there. Harry McKay is right there. Why is Patrick Cripps, the star midfielder, who if he goes down they can’t win the premiership rucking? I don’t understand it. Get (Matthew) Kennedy to do it.”
Tom De Koning out for remainder of AFL season
Following the match it was revealed De Koning will require surgery on his fractured foot and will miss the rest of the AFL home-and-away season in a huge blow to the Blues’ bid for a top-two spot. De Koning also underwent treatment in hospital for a collapsed lung after he was one of several Blues injured in Sunday’s bruising 19-point win.
Sam Walsh (back), Blake Acres (foot) and Sam Durdin (calf) will be further assessed, while McKay was cleared of concussion after a head knock. De Koning experienced shortness of breath in the Blues’ change room after Sunday’s game and was sent to hospital for assessment.
The 25-year-old received treatment for the collapsed lung on Sunday night and scans on his injured left foot on Monday revealed a fracture and he won’t play again until at least September. He will be reassessed during the pre-finals bye week as the Blues seek to end a 29-year premiership drought.
“As tough as the news is for Tom, first and foremost we are pleased he is feeling okay and recovering, following his treatment in hospital overnight,” Carlton football manager Brad Lloyd said in a statement. “Tom reported symptoms of being unwell within half an hour of the game finishing, so the priority for us was immediately ensuring he got the treatment he needed and he is now recovering with the appropriate care around him.
“Tom will undergo surgery this week to correct his foot injury, which we expect will sideline him for the remainder of the home-and-away season, and we will continue to monitor his recovery over that period of time.
