"I f**king love you", "My glorious king" - Fans blown away as midfielder’s late heroics inspires Carlton Blues to huge victory over Port Adelaide

Fans reacted as a highlight performance from Carlton’s Patrick Cripps bolted the Blues to a dominant 36-point victory over the Port Adelaide Power on Thursday.

Cripps scored two goals in two minutes during the final term, securing a significant lead as well as an eventual 107-71 victory for the Blues. This incredible turn of events was unexpected, especially as Cripps had been under the radar for the first three quarters. So the surprise was palpable when he hit Port Adelaide with a sudden surge of late goals.

Other Carlton players also produced spectacular performances. Blues midfielder Sam Walsh produced 33 disposals, nine inside-50s and 13 tackles, while Nic Newman put up 29 touches. The iconic trio of Mckay, Curnow and Zac Williams scored three goals each, which proved too much for Port.

This win propelled the Blues from eighth to fourth place in the AFL ladder, while Port will stay in third spot, having eight wins and four losses so far, like the Blues. Fans took to Twitter to praise Cripp’s performance and celebrate the team’s victory.

"Patrick Cripps my glorious king," tweeted one.

"Patrick Cripps, I f**king love you," chimed in another.

Similar reactions followed:

“regardless how this game ends, this is one of the great quarters by a player you will ever see. Patrick Cripps is the best player in the league as i have stated over and over,” said @baggersforlife

Another added:

“Anyone that tries to tell me sam walsh is our best player is lying. It is quite obviously still patrick cripps.”

“I love this club sm im naming my first born after Patrick Cripps,” commented @mnaakive

---

Port’s backline exposed as Carlton Blues overwhelm their defenses

Port’s backline was vulnerable for much of the game. In the final quarter, it was fully exploited as the Blues swarmed the Power with nine scoring shots from just 15 inside 50s.

The current state of Port Adelaide is worth questioning. Their top four status looks shaky after failing against another top team, as their defense failed yet again. That was obvious in the fourth quarter, as the Blues booted three goals from their first three forward 50 entries.

Questions about their defense have been raised since they dropped to 10th in points against and 15th in conceding points from turnovers between rounds 6-11.

This weakness was well hidden early in the season since Port were the lowest in one-on-one contests. But as the season has dragged on, the cracks in their form have become more evident.

The last six weeks have been especially revealing as they’ve wound up having the most one-on-one contests and are losing the third-most in the league. Their backline tends to get separated during contests, weakening the defense.