Carlton coach smacks down ugly Patrick Cripps claims as AFL goal umpire caught in furore

Carlton coach Michael Voss insists his team is not over-reliant on star midfielder Patrick Cripps and that the Blues' current form dip isn't anything to be overly concerned about. Voss's men led Port Adelaide by 31 points in the second quarter on Friday night - only to slip to a 14-point defeat at Marvel Stadium.

Carlton faded badly off a five-day break, going down 11.13 (79) to 9.11 (65) as questions were raised about their midfield and title credentials as they attempt to cling to their AFL top-four finals hopes. The Blues have lost three of their past four matches as the likes of Cripps, Sam Walsh and George Hewett again lost the midfield battle. Cripps registered just 25 disposals and made five tackles, all below his season average as he failed to take control of the game like many are accustomed to him doing.

But Voss isn't overly worried about his star man or the trajectory of his team, saying it will only make them a better team in the long run as they look forward to the finals. "It's not a concern. It's a challenge though," Voss said.

"I'll back the men in that are in there though. They're competitive and they're always looking to get better and the one thing I know they don't like is losing. They don't like losing a contest, let alone four points. But we've got to acknowledge we got beaten in there today. Don't say that often.

"And it's not me putting that on them. It's just that that's the fact and that's the story of the game. And so we have to accept the story for what it is and we have to get better."

Voss also scoffed at suggestions Carlton were back to the "bad old days" where they relied on Cripps to single-handedly lift them to wins. "I don't think that just because Patrick Cripps is in good form that that should count against the others," he said.

"He's a great player and he's got his standing in this game for a very good reason. He's the captain of our football club. He's had an outstanding season. But we know that to be the team we need to be it takes a tribe and we've got to build four, five, six people through that midfield like we do through the defence and like we do up forward.

"So it's not all about Charlie (Curnow). It's not all about 'Weiters' (Jacob Weitering). It's not all about 'Crippa'. So we're gonna build it off some better fundamentals than that." Cripps also picked up a shoulder knock in the loss to Port Adelaide but Voss says it is nothing to worry about and that he should be fit for next weekend's crucial clash with Collingwood.

AFL goal umpire incident sparks controversy

Port Adelaide’s 14-point victory over Carlton wasn't without some serious controversy as a goal umpire stopped the ball from crossing the line late in the fourth quarter. Power forward Darcy Byrne-Jones threw his boot at a loose ball in the goal square with the ball cannoning into the goal umpire before crossing the line.

RELATED:

• Essendon legend James Hird on cusp of AFL coaching return

• Nick Daicos' post-match act with Hawthorn rival comes to light

• Jeremy Finlayson's wife Kellie goes public with sad development

However, the ARC ruled that without the umpire's intervention, it would have gone through for a goal, awarding Byrne-Jones the six points after a lengthy score review. “I reckon that’s the right call, but it’s probably a game-ending call,” Channel 7 commentator James Brayshaw said at the time.

But Fox Footy expert Dermott Brereton didn't agree, saying: "That’s bulls***. The ball didn’t cross the line". The AFL world was also divided over the decision which proved to be a massive goal with the game on the line. But many were more angered by the umpire's positioning in general.

with AAP