Goalkickers: Gibbs 4, Walker 2, Betts, Kreuzer, Judd, Thornton, Garlett 1.

Reports: TBD

Umpires: S. McBurney, S. Stewart, M. Vozzo

Injuries: Armfield (left ankle)

Ladder: 4th

Game Review

With recent history when playing the Kangaroos against us and several disappointing losses this season at Etihad Stadium (where the game was scheduled) there was justifiably some trepidation amongst Carlton supporters as Friday night approached. Throw into the mix the fact that North Melbourne is the traditional Friday night specialist and you’ve got the makings of an upset on your hands. The reality of the situation was a 4th versus 10th contest and the expectation of victory was still with the Blues despite any nagging doubts I could muster.

When you win in emphatic style (remember, Essendon, 74 points etc) it’s easy to gloss over potential short-comings of a team unified on the night and who executed their plan well, but in a nod to depth on the list the match committee still made a couple of changes for the clash against the Kangaroos. Out of the side went Ed Curnow, struggling to find his early season form since returning to the team, and Wayde Twomey, who looked composed and capable at the level despite not getting his hands on the pill all that much in his brief two game stint. Back came two veterans, Ryan Houlihan, celebrating his 200th game (ingloriously as the substitute) and the almost forgotten man Brock McLean. McLean’s VFL form had been consistently good and the selectors were clearly hopeful it would translate at the next level up.

With the match starting in a mire of congestion and stoppages all the indicators suggested we were in for a long, tough, grind of a night. The Kangaroos started the better gaining some clearance advantage from the stoppages but were unable to convert that edge into goals or even much in the way of attack. The Blues had much of the possession, predominantly uncontested, but they were unable to find a way through the North defence. After a couple of disappointing misses from gettable shots to get the scoring started, it took a lovely David Ellard pass to the leading Eddie Betts for the first major to be inked for either side. Betts’ finish from the set shot came in the 16th minute and suggested that a high-scoring shoot out was not what either coach hand in mind. The Blues goal triggered a mini-run from the Roos as they piled on three quick goals mostly on the counter attack making the Carlton defence look all too nervous and a touch brittle. A couple more behinds for the Blues from kickable positions set a bad tone and at the first break Carlton trailed by 10 points after having plenty of possession and opportunities.

When the second quarter kicked off it was with a bang. Bryce Gibbs drifted forward and seemed to anchor there (at least for a time) and managed two goals in the first five minutes to re-establish the lead for Carlton. From that point the similarities with the opening quarter were striking. A lot of pressure and tackling, lots of congestion, North scoring with the counter-punch and the Blues getting opportunities in good positions without making them count. Carlton wasn’t able to manage another goal for the term and entered half time with a miserable looking 3.9 against their name. From their 10 set-shots during the first half the Blues managed just the one goal, Betts’ opener. Whilst the Blues butchered their way to half time, the Kangaroos kept accumulating and added a further three goals to increase their lead to 11 points. The deficit could’ve been a lot worse had it not been for the ever-reliable Heath Scotland and solid contributions from Nick Duigan and Jeremy Laidler.

The game took something of a turn during the third quarter with Carlton's numerical advantage inside forward 50 starting to take its toll (aided by some slightly cleaner finishing) despite the Kangaroos continued advantage at the contests. Matthew Kreuzer got the ball rolling with a clever snap over his shoulder and Walker went to work on squaring the set-shot ledger with a nice finish from 50m straight in front. Gibbs’ third came as he ran into the open goal after an exquisite pass from Betts that meant he didn’t have to break stride and put the Blues five points clear. The Carlton defence was coping well with the North talls, particularly Lachie Henderson matched against Drew Petrie, and Chris Yarran was bouncing his way clear with monotonous regularity. Though North appeared as though their knees may have been buckling they hung tough with a late goal that drew the scores level just before three quarter time.

Poised for an “edge of your seat” last quarter the opener was going to be all important. After chances for both sides Walker’s second finally made it count for the Blues with a clinical finish from just inside 50. North responded soon after to even things up again, before Carlton blew the game open with a four goal burst in six minutes. The captain, Chris Judd, did what some have dared suggest he was no longer capable of - he goaled from outside 50 from a set shot and ignited the Blues when it counted. Bret Thornton got in on the act next to build the lead and a lovely snap from Jeff Garlett extended it. Gibbs’ fourth ended the run of goals after he was beautifully picked out by Thornton from the pocket. The Kangaroos got a late one to reduce their deficit to a theoretically possible 19 points, but in the end they simply ran out of steam. Carlton’s extra class through the midfield eventually won out, led by Kade Simpson with Judd a little quieter than usual, his powerful final term aside. The final margin was 18 points in a hard fought slog.

As an interesting aside, 9 members of this Carlton side were playing their first game against North Melbourne in a Carlton Jumper.

Subs: Substitute Ryan Houlihan replaced Dennis Armfield at 3/4 quarter time

Team

Milestones

200 Games: Ryan Houlihan
50 Goals: Bryce Gibbs - and 51st, 52nd and 53rd!
Interesting Fact: It was Carlton's 1,100th 'Away' Game in their 2,329th League game.
Their other games in this total are 135 final and 1,094 home games.

Brownlow Votes

3. Chris Judd, Carlton
2. Eddie Betts, Carlton
1. Marc Murphy, Carlton

Best & Fairest Votes

Chris Judd 46, Eddie Betts 45, Dennis Armfield 32, Mitch Robinson 31, Marc Murphy 29, Bryce Gibbs 24, Robert Warnock 23, Andrew Walker 21, Heath Scotland 12, Kade Simpson 5, Jeremy Laidler 4

Ladder