AFL 2023: Snappin massacre of Shai Bolton will haunt him after Richmond-Carlton draw

Bolton shot in front of the net late in the fourth quarter and decided to snap around his body despite lining up right in front of the net.

His butt gave the Tigers a one-goal lead in the last crazy minutes of the match. Richmond Rollercoaster Draw with Carlton Thursday night at MCG.

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As the final siren sounded, the players were speechless, and Bolton’s miss became more and more painful as the dust in the thrilling duel began to settle.

Bolton produced another night of highlights, including a very real early Mark of the Year contender, but the biggest topic of discussion after the game was the brain fart.

Hardwicke said in his post-match press conference that he was disappointed that his team “missed a soda” in front of the net and didn’t move forward cleanly.

He said of Bolton’s decision to ignore the traditional shot on goal: “We want the player to take responsibility for how he shoots on goal.

“For a player of my style, of course, throw a punt. But these days the players practice it, but they have to comply. Such is the reality. You live or die by the sword, don’t you? He practices them a lot. He should probably get better at it. He was probably in a hurry for me and could have taken more time to catch his breath and relax during the punch.”

The journalist also asked him: “Can’t you do this anymore?”

Hardwick replied, “I wouldn’t say I can’t. We would like players to make an informed decision. As a coach we offer guidance, but in reality they are playing the game. Good afternoon Jake. The thing is, they have to make decisions.”

The murky commentators were especially grouchy after seeing Bolton decide to kick his body when the match was on the line.

Luckily for Bolton, Tom Lynch got up when it mattered with a solo magic that took the Tigers from 8.10 (58) to 8.10 (58) 20 seconds into the game.

For the first time in 51 years, the teams played a draw.

The result left the football world in awe after Richmond found something extra in the tank to come back seven points down in the final minutes of death.

Both teams led the rollercoaster battle at various times, with Richmond leading by five points in the last term.

The Tigers were down 14 points by halftime to take the lead with three unanswered goals at the end of the third term.

In the end, the contest was reduced to one pleasant swing of Lynch’s boot.

“They can’t believe it,” Channel 7 correspondent James Braishaw said.

Brian Taylor said in a comment: “This is insane.”

Richmond forward Jack Ryvoldt looked downright depressed as he spoke to Fox Footy immediately after the game.

“Now everyone is a little flat, like shark shit,” he said.

“We felt like we were playing the game on our own terms… but we probably didn’t use much of our power tonight.”

Ryvoldt now holds the record for most draws by an AFL player in the history of the game, with eight draws in the 34-year-old’s entire career.

Carlton fans must have dreamed of a head-turning season-opening win when Sam Docherty hit the bomb from outside the 50-meter arc, putting them ahead early in the fourth quarter.

However, among the crowd of 88,084 people – the second largest audience of the first round – there were few viewers who would say that four points did not deserve to be shared.

Originally published as ‘Can’t Do It’: Violent murder moment will haunt the Tigers’ cannon