Cats v Blues player ratings: The players who had ‘terrible’, ‘horror’ nights as the fairytale ends for Carlton

September 4, 2026 — 10:51pmThe fairytale had to end at some stage for the Blues, and it happened at the MCG in front of more than 96,000 fans as the finals-hardened Cats flexed their muscles right when they needed to most.Sam McClure rates every Carlton player’s performance from their elimination final.Bailey Smith celebrates on the siren after the Cats knocked the Blues out of the finals race.Getty ImagesCarlton(2) Lachlan Cowan: Held his own when the defence was under considerable pressure in the second half. 6/10(4) Oliver Hollands: He kicked an important goal but was a bit fumbly under finals pressure. 5/10(5) Adam Cerra: Wasn’t able to display the kind of kicking proficiency that he’s shown previously under Josh Fraser. 5/10(7) Jagga Smith: He was unbelievable early but well-tagged in the end and his impact was reduced. 5/10Jagga Smith was brilliant early until copping the dreaded Oisin Mullin tag.Getty Images(9) Patrick Cripps: The skipper tried hard all night and kicked an incredible goal. 6/10(10) Harry McKay: He presented really strongly and was probably unlucky not to get rewarded with one or two more frees. 6/10(11) Mitch McGovern: He was terrible – he had the sort of night he’d rather forget. 2/10(12) Ben Ainsworth: He looked likely all night but couldn’t finish like he’s been able to do all year previously. 5/10(13) Blake Acres: He missed a sitter early but competed really hard all night. 6/10(14) Oliver Florent: He has been a real leader in the back 50 in the second half of the year and worked hard all night again against the Blues. 7/10(15) Billy Wilson: He has quickly become one of their most important players, finishing with 26 disposals. 7/10(17) Brodie Kemp: He’s had a great year and still hit the scoreboard, but he does go missing from time to time. 5/10Sam Walsh was once again the Blues’ best player in a final.AFL Photos(18) Sam Walsh: The Blues’ best player, he just continued to break lines and run both ways. 8/10(23) Jacob Weitering: He stood up under immense pressure, especially when Harry Dean went off for his concussion test. 8/10(27) Marc Pittonet: He dominated the ruck for large portions of the game but couldn’t use his aerial presence to great effect. 7/10(29) George Hewett: He dug in for the majority of the night and was typically tough. 7/10(33) Lewis Young: He had a horror night, including making inadvertent contact with Dean’s head, which forced him off for a HIA. 1/10Harry Dean was left bloodied after copping some friendly fire.AFL Photos(35) Harry Dean: He copped a loose boot from Young that effectively ruined his night. He still tried hard every minute he was out there. 6/10(36) Cooper Lord: Two goals on the wing in a blockbuster MCG final is a great night. 7/10(39) Talor Byrne: He just couldn’t find a way to have a genuine impact. 3/10(44) Francis Evans: He was the best player on the ground early and finished with two goals. 7/10From our partners