Goalkickers: H. McKay 4.2, C. Curnow 3.4, J. Martin 2.2, M. Owies 2.0, P. Cripps 1.2, J. Carroll 1.0, A. Cerra 1.0, J. Newnes 1.0, S. Walsh 1.0, J. Weitering 1.0, M. Kennedy 0.1, Rushed 0.1.

Reports: Stocker has been charged with rough conduct during a contest in the third quarter, which has been graded as careless with medium impact and high contact - 1 week suspension. Young has been charged with front on contact during a contest in the fourth quarter, that was graded as careless and high impact, with contact to the body - challenged and cleared of the charge.

Umpires: Eleni Glouftsis, Robert O'Gorman, Nathan Toner.

Injuries: L. Stocker (left shoulder).

Ladder: 6th.

Game Review

Blues back in business

Carlton has taken home a 50-point victory over North Melbourne. - By Rose Zarucky.

Carlton has recorded an emphatic win over North Melbourne, taking home a 50-point victory at Marvel Stadium. After an even first half, the Blues were able to reverse the trend of recent weeks and shine in the second half. With a nine-goal-to-three second half, they ran away with their fifth win of the season.

Quarter one
It was a perfect start for the Blues, with Jack Carroll kicking the opening goal of the game inside the first few minutes with his maiden kick in football. Sam Docherty and Jacob Weitering were productive down back in their attempts to hold off North Melbourne, which was peppering the goals but couldn’t convert early. Once the Blues found their own rhythm, they were able to produce some quality play in their front half. Matt Owies was busy with his tackle pressure and also hit the scoreboard after some strong work from fellow small forward, Corey Durdin. Sam Walsh was typically prolific through the middle, while efficient work from Lochie O’Brien resulted in a late goal from Jack Martin.

Quarter two
North Melbourne entered the quarter hungry, kicking three goals in the first four minutes on the back of some centre-square dominance: an area Carlton usually excels in. The Blues were unable to pin the ball in their forward half, but were able to rely on a leaping mark from Harry McKay to get the team on the board. Patrick Cripps continued to use his body in the contest, as well as providing a clever ruck tap that saw Walsh record his first goal of the season. The Blues were able to steady the ship to an extent, with some accurate kicking in their defensive half as well as an added intensity around the contest. Jack Martin showed off his marking prowess while Charlie Curnow added a much-needed goal to the tally. North Melbourne ramped up their game in the closing minutes, but Carlton still took an eight-point lead into the main change.

Quarter three
Carlton bounced back into form, kicking two goals from centre-bounce clearances off the boots of Jack Newnes and Curnow. Martin continued his busy work in the forward half, adding a goal himself as contributing to a number of other Carlton scores. Lewis Young was in fine form with his intercept ability, as the floodgates opened for the Blues at the other end. Carlton used their efficiency in rebound 50s to keep the ball moving as the game got incredibly physical, which the Blues relished. Carroll continued his impressive debut performance, gathering seven disposals in the term with a hand in four goals. Then, four years in the making, a 100-metre penalty saw Jacob Weitering kick his first goal since 2018, with the celebration befitting the occasion.

Quarter four
The Blues had the best of the territory in the final term, but were unable to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal. A goal from Cripps was the icing on the cake of the skipper’s performance, while McKay (four contested marks) continued to dominate in the air on the way to his fourth goal of the game. With the contest all but over on the scoreboard, the last few minutes saw end-to-end action, as Adam Saad once again played a starring role in defence with 12 intercepts.

Three things from the game.
1. When the Blues struggled to get going, Jack Martin was a powerful force in the forward line for his side, particularly in the early going. It wasn’t just the two goals he recorded, but also the eight score involvements he also contributed for his side. He set the tone with his effort, and had his teammates rise to the occasion in the second half.
2. Lewis Young is developing nicely in the backline for the Blues. Taking a number of intercept marks deep in defence, Young continued to build into his role in Carlton's defence, as he has done since his Carlton debut back in Round 3. The clash with North Melbourne provided his best performance so far for the Club.
3. A first goal in 1,491 days was the result for Jacob Weitering, and the typically stoic defender embraced the occasion. After two consecutive 50-metre penalties, the general kicked truly: both he and his teammates relished the moment, with teammates coming from everywhere for the co-vice captain's first major since 2018.

Moment of the match
It came early in the match, but debutant Jack Carroll sealing his first goal with his first kick in AFL was a sight to see. Capping off his debut with an impressive first-up performance across the midfield and forward line, it all started with Carroll’s first kick of the game. On top of that, Carroll contributed heavily to his team’s performance, involved in eight score involvements and four clearances from his 19 disposals.

Best: P. Cripps, H. McKay, S. Docherty, S. Walsh, A. Saad, L. Young, J. Martin.

Carlton now has another gear, and it's dangerous

Carlton came into its match against North Melbourne with a woeful recent record, having won just one of its past seven games against the Kangaroos. The Blues got off to a fast start on Saturday night, but the Roos closed the gap to just eight points at the main break. The Carlton of old would have been vulnerable to falling in a heap, but Michael Voss' Blues attacked the second half with determination, speed and a ruthlessness we haven't really seen pre-2022, galloping away to a 50-point win. – Sarah Black.

Roos' blues continue as Carlton romps to big win
The Blues improved to 5-2 to begin the season with a strong win over the Kangaroos - By Sarah Black.

A sharp Carlton outfit has cruised to a 50-point win over North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.vThe Blues kicked five consecutive goals (and seven in total) in the third term as North unravelled, best typified by Nick Larkey's bizarre decision to tunnel opponent Lewis Young in the 17.12 (114) to 10.4 (64) result. The Roo will likely come under MRO scrutiny for the action, the ensuing tussle resulting in a 100m penalty, an 11th career goal to key back Jacob Weitering, a new jumper for Larkey and a 45-point lead for the Blues. Debutant Jack Carroll had got the Blues off to a flying start, kicking the opening goal of the match with his first kick. Carlton's pace and ability to link by hand and foot troubled North Melbourne, particularly as play began to open up in the first quarter, and the Blues jumped to a 17-point lead at quarter-time. Pleasingly for the 17th-placed Kangaroos, bullocking Cam Zurhaar sprang to life with two of the Roos' quick three goals to open the second term. Every time the Blues looked like breaking clear – particularly through Harry McKay's contested marking – the Roos would fight back, matching them in inside 50s and around the ground and kicking five goals to three in the second. But that was the highlight for North, which fell away badly in the second half.

Patrick Cripps (35 disposals, 10 clearances) was outstanding through the middle of the ground, McKay (four goals) looked a foot taller than his opponents at times, while Adam Saad (25 disposals) and Sam Docherty (33) were superb off half-back. Bailey Scott (23 disposals) and Jy Simpkin (22) found their fair share of the ball, Larkey booted three and Paul Curtis showed some promising signs in attack. Both sides made late changes, with debutant Miller Bergman replacing Aidan Corr (health and safety protocols), while Zac Williams (Achilles) was replaced by Lachie Plowman. Bergman's night finished early with a right shoulder injury.

Third-quarter Blues banished
The premiership quarter has haunted Carlton this year, averaging nearly five goals against over its six matches in 2022. But the Blues managed to flip the script against North Melbourne, piling on seven majors to power away from the Roos in a fast-paced, devastating burst.

More than a game
The human side of football is often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of results and analysis, but it was on show in during the pre-game warm-up. Carlton defender Sam Docherty and North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington – who have both undergone multiple bouts of testicular cancer – shared a touching pre-match embrace.

Midfield magic
The centre clearances was where most of the damage was done in the game, with Carlton winning that particular stat 22-8. The Blues topped the overall clearance count by 11, despite North Melbourne dominating hitouts 56-30. Matt Kennedy had a game-high 11 clearances, while Cripps wasn’t far behind with 10.

Best: P. Cripps, A. Saad, S. Walsh, H. McKay, S. Docherty, J. Martin.

Team

In: Matthew Kennedy, Lochie O'Brien, Jack Silvagni, Liam Stocker, Jack Carroll, Lachie Plowman.
Out: Marc Pittonet (knee), Luke Parks (foot), George Hewett (calf), Zac Williams (achilles), Jordan Boyd, Will Setterfield (ill).

Medi-Sub: Matthew Cottrell replaced Liam Stocker at three quarter time.

Milestones

Debut: Jack Carroll
First Goal and with his first kick if you don't mind: Jack Carroll

AFLCA Votes

10 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
4 - Sam Docherty (CARL)
4 - Adam Saad (CARL)
3 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
3 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)
3 - Harry McKay (CARL)
2 - Lewis Young (CARL)
1 - Todd Goldstein (NMFC)