Carlton coach Michael Voss has explained why he started Tom De Koning as the sub in a decision that left Blues fans fuming.
De Koning missed the final month of the season with a foot injury, but returned in time for the elimination final against Brisbane.
The young ruck, who has enjoyed a breakout season, was one of six inclusions for the blockbuster clash.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
But eyebrows were raised an hour before the match when he was confirmed as the sub.
De Koning could only watch on as the Lions piled on goal after goal to kill off the game midway through the second quarter.
Voss pulled the trigger on his sub midway through the second quarter when his was trailing 47-0.
But to the surprise of many, midfielder Matt Kennedy was the player to make way for De Koning.
Kennedy had played every game for the Blues this year in a variety of roles and was riding high after welcoming his first child into the world on Friday.
He looked shattered on the bench and fans were shocked by the move to not only sub the midfielder, but also start De Koning as the sub.
“What an absolute disgrace by Voss, Hansen and co. Not only naming TDK sub, but then subbing one of the more flexible players in our side in Kennedy. And this hasn’t been the first time selection has been an issue. Heads need to roll,” one fan said.
“Matt Kennedy doesn’t deserve that junk call… This has gotta be the worst high performance into list committee into match day coaching effort of the year,” another fan said.
“Hope Kennedy gets on the next flight out of Brisbane to be with his newborn. What an embarrassing way to treat someone who’s given their all for the club this year. Played every game and done every possible role. Maddening,” the same fan added.
“Why has he been subbed?? There are plenty of people on the field worse than him and he’s given up the day with his newborn to be there. I don’t get it,” another said.
“Matt Kennedy deserves so much better then this, reliable all year and gets tactically subbed over players like Cerra who aren’t even match fit. I don’t even know what to say,” another said.
“Hey Vossy, how about you start your press conference with a HUGE apology to Matt Kennedy – cos that tactical sub was unforgivable,” another said.
De Koning breathed new life into the Blues as they finally got going after half-time.
But despite kicking four goals in a row, they never really closed the gap and their season came to a disappointing end.
Voss wasn’t asked directly why Kennedy was sacrificed for De Koning, but explained why the latter was the starting sub.
“Tried to manage Tom’s minutes a bit and we didn’t want to activate him when we did but we were left with no choice by the way the scoreboard was looking,” Voss said.
“I would love his availability. There is no question on that.
“If we had our way, we’d love to start them all at the same time but we had to manage an unusual set of circumstances. There were a couple in that category and Tom was probably one or two runs short to put in 100 minutes.
“The option was either not play him or play him in that scenario, which we chose. I’m pleased we did as it turns out because we needed a bit of presence down the line and forward of the ball, we could not win many contests.”