Round 16, 2020

Carlton 0.4 4 4.4 28 6.9 45 8.9 57 Sydney Swans 3.0 18 7.2 44 8.3 51 8.4 52
Venue:	Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast QLD.
Date:	Tuesday 8th September, 2020 (8.10 pm).
Result:	Won by 5 points.
Crowd:	1,577 COVID-19 restricted
Goalkickers:	H. McKay 2.2, Z. Fisher 1.1, S. Walsh 1.1, L. Casboult 1.1, J. Newnes 1.1, P. Cripps 1.0, M. Cottrell 1.0, M.Murphy 0.2, rushed 0.1.
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Chris Donlon, Cameron Dore, Simon Meredith.
Injuries:	J. Martin (calf).
Ladder:	11th.

Game Review

The Blues overcome a 39-point deficit to snatch the four points. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media
Carlton overturned a start which saw it concede the first seven goals of the game to storm home with a crunch win over Sydney. Matt Cottrell was the hero, with the rookie taking a strong grab and kicking a clutch goal to give the Blues a stunning victory at Metricon Stadium.

Q1 breakdown: It was all Sydney early, with the Swans making the Blues pay for their missed opportunities going forward. Keeping the ball in the forward half was difficult for Carlton, with Sydney capitalising on missed kicks and fumbles. While both teams registered the same amount of scoring shots, the Swans kicked four goals to none to take an early advantage.

Q2 breakdown: Carlton had the forward territory early, but the second quarter followed a similar trend to the first with Sydney capitalising on Carlton mistakes. Kade Simpson was working overtime in the defensive 50 as the Swans made the most of their forward entries, kicking out to a game-high 39-point lead. Some relief came for Carlton with a snap on goal from the foot of Zac Fisher, followed quickly by a goal from the impressive Walsh. Will Setterfield helped the Blues dominate the clearances in the middle (7-1 for the quarter), before skipper Patrick Cripps and Harry McKay quickly added a third and fourth to give the Blues some life.

Q3 breakdown: Liam Jones kept playing a strong role in defence while Cripps and Setterfield continued slugging it out in the midfield. Sam Petrevski-Seton was crucial across half-back, clearing the ball from Carlton’s defensive half with clever ball use and clean handling. The Blues started to make use of the corridor, which allowed them quicker repeat inside 50 entries and a goal to Levi Casboult. The Blues’ defence stood up, with Simpson acting as the loose man to maximum effect. Jack Newnes closed the gap with a late goal for the Blues, leaving them trailing by just one straight kick.

Q4 breakdown: McKay started the quarter off with a bang, kicking his second goal in the first minute to even the scores. Tom De Koning’s ruck work helped the Blues with at the centre bounce, while Lachie Plowman had some crucial moments behind the ball. As the rain came down, the scoring dried up — but then, enter Matthew Cottrell. An unexpected pack mark from the unlikely hero saw Cottrell give the Blues the lead, with his second career goal ultimately winning the game.

Young Blues star Sam Walsh led the way through the middle of the ground with a game-high 25 disposals and produced several big moments in the fourth quarter that drew praise from those watching on. “Sam Walsh has had a stretch great of performances. Works so bloody hard. Always creates space for himself. Best-on-ground tonight,” The Advertiser’s Matt Turner wrote. “Sam Walsh is a star. Can’t see how anyone would leave him out of the best 22 under 22. Second half of the season has been as good as any other 2nd year player,” AFLW star Stephanie Chiocci wrote.

Three things from the game:
1. Sam Walsh continues to rise. The youngster has been among Carlton’s best in most games this season across all areas of the ground, and he was yet again the clear standout on Tuesday night: he had more disposals and metres gained than anyone on the ground while kicking a second-quarter goal.
2. Carlton’s midfield continues to hold them in good stead, with the combo of Cripps, Setterfield and Curnow allowing the Blues to set up plays on their terms.
It was a good night for Carlton's defenders, especially when the game was on the line.
3. Sam Petrevski-Seton played his best game for the season in a performance which oozed class, while Lachie Plowman negated the dangerous Tom Papley and producing a number of key moments with scores level.

Moment of the match: Matt Cottrell. Watch it. That's all.

Best: S. Walsh, P. Cripps, S. Petrevski-Seton, J. Weitering, W. Setterfield, T. De Koning, L. Plowman.

Team

B:	15 Sam Docherty (c)	14 Liam Jones	20 Lachie Plowman
HB:	31 Tom Williamson	23 Jacob Weitering	6 Kade Simpson
C:	46 Matthew Cottrell	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	3 Marc Murphy
HF:	21 Jack Martin	10 Harry McKay	32 Jack Newnes
F:	41 Levi Casboult	11 Mitch McGovern	25 Zac Fisher
Ruck:	12 Tom De Koning	43 Will Setterfield	18 Sam Walsh
Interchange:	5 Sam Petrevski-Seton	28 David Cuningham	35 Ed Curnow
	44 Matt Owies
Coach:	David Teague
Emg:	2 Paddy Dow, 7 Matthew Kennedy, 27 Marc Pittonet, 29 Cameron Polson

In: David Cuningham, Tom De Koning, Lachie Plowman, Matt Owies
Out: Eddie Betts (managed), Marc Pittonet (managed), Paddy Dow (omitted), Cameron Polson (omitted)

Milestones

Debut: Matt Owies

AFLCA Votes

10 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
8 - Sam Petrevski-Seton (CARL)
4 - Oliver Florent (SYD)
3 - Lachie Plowman (CARL)
3 - Jake Lloyd (SYD)
1 - Tom McCartin (SYD)
1 - Kade Simpson (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

3. Sam Walsh
2. Patrick Cripps
1. Oliver Florent (Sydney)

Best and Fairest Votes

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Round 15 | Round 17