Game Review

A miserable season continued when North Melbourne belted the Blues by 64 points in this one-sided Saturday evening match at Docklands. In trouble from the start, Carlton trailed by 25 points at quarter time, before lifting supporters’ spirits with a resurgent second term that cut the deficit to ten points at the long break. Although still in touch midway through the third quarter, the Blues then collapsed in a heap, and an avalanche of Shinboner goals was only ended by the final siren.

Carlton rang the changes again before this match, dropping Liam Jones, Blaine Johnson and Bradley Walsh, and losing Nick Holman to suspension. Troy Menzel, Andrew Carrazzo, Cameron Wood and Clem Smith were chosen as replacements, with Smith designated as the Blues’ substitute. Adding a bit of prickle to the match, former Blue Jarrad Waite played his 200th career game, and Carlton fans heckled him from the opening bounce.

North’s 400-game veteran Brent Harvey, and full-forward Drew Petrie created early headaches for Carlton, kicking two goals each as the Kangaroos bounced out and scored the first five majors of the game. Right on the quarter-time siren, Blaine Boekhorst was awarded a free-kick outside of the 50-metre arc and steered through Carlton’s first major, but the signs were ominous.

After showing some encouraging intensity early on, Levi Casboult plucked a big mark after six minutes of play in the second quarter, and kicked truly from 25 metres. With Lachie Henderson and Andrejs Everitt also getting their hands on the ball, the Blues began imposing themselves on the contest for the first time. Late in the quarter, Zach Tuohy charged through the centre square and bombed a trademark goal to cut North’s lead to only four points, but Petrie got one back for North Melbourne right on half-time. The Blues were clapped from the field with enthusiasm and flickers of hope from the small crowd, but it didn’t take long for that optimism to be shattered.

North came out strong in the third quarter, locking the ball in their forward half and dominating the clearances through their star ruckman Goldstein. Carlton captain Marc Murphy – under sustained pressure as part of North’s game plan – continued to lead by example, but lacked support as the Shinboners exerted their authority and broke away to restore their five-goal advantage at three-quarter time. Any hopes of another Carlton revival in the final term were quickly shattered when North slammed on the first five majors. Bluebaggers began streaming toward the exits as their team tailed off, and the few remaining were grateful for the final siren.

On yet another black day for Carlton, the team had not one clear winner – although Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, Pat Cripps and Matthew Kreuzer battled hard, and Ed Curnow kept Brent Harvey to only a handful of possessions after he was switched on to North’s playmaker late in the second term.

Somewhat unbelievably, Carlton remained 16th on the ladder after this defeat - the Blues' fifth heavy loss in succession. Gold Coast were 17th after fighting out a draw with the West Coast Eagles, and Brisbane sat last, amid a season possibly even worse than the Blues.

Team

B:	15 Sam Docherty	40 Michael Jamison (VC)	42 Zach Tuohy
HB:	13 Chris Yarran	43 Simon White	35 Ed Curnow
C:	12 Blaine Boekhorst	44 Andrew Carrazzo	23 Lachie Henderson
HF:	22 Jason Tutt	33 Andrejs Everitt	28 Tom Bell
F:	17 Sam Rowe	41 Levi Casboult	2 Troy Menzel
Ruck:	8 Matthew Kreuzer	9 Patrick Cripps	3 Marc Murphy (C)
Interchange:	6 Kade Simpson	7 Dylan Buckley	36 Cameron Wood
Substitute:	25 Clem Smith
Emergencies:	18 Kristian Jaksch	34 Bradley Walsh	37 Tom Fields
Coach:	John Barker

Changes

In : Andrew Carrazzo, Troy Menzel, Cameron Wood Clem Smith.
Out : Nick Holman, Liam Jones, Blaine Johnson, Bradley Walsh.

Subs : Clem Smith replaced Jason Tutt late in the third quarter.

Milestones

100 Games (Carlton) : Lachie Henderson

Brownlow Votes

3. Jack Ziebel, North Melbourne
2. Shaun Higgins, North Melbourne
1. Todd Goldstein, North Melbourne

Best & Fairest Votes

Patrick Cripps 4, Marc Murphy 4, Ed Curnow 2, Matthew Kreuzer 1