‘That was as hard as I have ever gone at them’: Teague spray spurs Blues

Carlton coach David Teague revealed he had delivered the fiercest half-time spray of his young coaching career and then questioned how his players would respond, after the Blues posted a 23-point win over Hawthorn on Saturday.

The Blues had led by 23 points midway through the second term only to have that advantage cut to three points at half-time when Teague, who replaced Brendon Bolton through the 2019 season, pulled out the laptop and went through the defensive lapses which had angered him.

Blues coach David Teague put the heat on players during round 10 and they responded, he says to their credit, with a win. Credit:Getty Images

“That was as hard as I went, that I have ever gone at them. I wasn’t too sure how it would go but, to their credit, in the second half, when the ball went in their [defensive 50], we were strong,” he said.

“We didn’t get scored against, we protected the scoreboard and that allowed us, when we got our turn, to hit the scoreboard at the other end.”

Teague said it had been a “team message”. However, when asked about the performance of high-priced recruit Zac Williams, Teague admitted Williams had been one of the players whom he had been disappointed with.

He turned to edited clips at half-time where four Blues had failed to defend an opponent “with serious intent”.

“Until we do that, we are not going to be a great side,” Teague said.

Williams, having returned to the half back-line over the past fortnight, was a key contributor after half-time on a day emerging midfield maestro Sam Walsh led the Blues with 30 touches. Co-captains Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty, the latter now used on a wing, were also important, while key defenders Liam Jones and Jacob Weitering held up well.

Key forward Harry McKay is managing a sore shoulder but Teague said his lone goal – from 55m late in the final term – showed his fight and willingness to contribute on a day he had been shadowed by Kyle Hartigan.

“We gave up some easy goals after probably owning the majority of the first half. What I did love was that we won that game, and at the start of the third, when we didn’t win the ball, we were getting beat but we hung tough. I think their [Hawthorn] scoring efficiency from the first half to the second half was down around 20 per cent,” Teague said.

“We found a way to protect the scoreboard. When we got our little window at the end of the third, we capitalised. That was probably the difference in the game and probably the difference in some of our games throughout the year.

“When those periods have come at us, they have been able to score but at the start of the third we hung tough. It was good to see because I put the heat on a few of them at half-time because we weren’t getting the job done.”

The win was the Blues’ fourth of the season, and only their second against the Hawks since 2005, and has them still in finals contention heading into a trip to Sydney to face the Swans.

The Hawks will closely monitor midfielder Jaeger O’Meara after he was involved in a heavy hit from Lachie Plowman late in the final term and left the field.

Coach Alastair Clarkson lamented his team’s ball use and hurried play but said debutant Ned Reeves had shown promise in the ruck and around the ground.

He said forward Justin Koschitzke would learn from a brain fade when he marked in the goal square but played on and was tackled, the loss leaving the Hawks with only two wins and with a rebuild in sharper focus.

Clarkson said the Hawks had to “accept and absorb the struggles” which lay ahead but reminded the faithful he had been here before.

“This is the third I have been through it [rebuild] since I have been at the footy club … we were down and out as a club at the end of 2004 and found a way to get ourselves back into contention and we did so again after the 2008 victory. By the start of 2010, we were down and out again,” he said.

“We injected a lot of young players into the side at that point of time and they ended up being three-time premiership players, a lot of those guys.”

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