Game Review

Blues overcome slow start for gritty win
Carlton has held on in the dying stages against Richmond to record a seventh straight victory. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media

Carlton has held on in the dying stages to record a seventh straight victory. Overcoming a slow start and then a late grandstand finish, the Blues gritted their teeth in wet conditions and emerged with a narrow two-point win at the MCG. The game looked to be sealed when the excellent George Hewett (26 disposals) kicked his second goal, but a frenetic final few minutes saw the Blues ahead 10.14 (74) to 10.12 (72) when the final siren went. On a night where Richmond was always going to be up for the occasion, Brodie Kemp struck the opening goal of the night, with excellent courage from Lachie Cowan to kickstart the move. But from there, the opening quarter belonged to the Tigers. Ill discipline cost the Blues, with a free kick on the quarter-time siren giving Richmond its fifth goal of the term. It meant the Blues trailed by three goals at the opening change, as tempers flared between the two old foes. The Blues needed a lift in the second term, and it was the captain who delivered. A Patrick Cripps intercept and goal got the ball rolling for Carlton, who started to look increasingly dangerous around the ground. Kemp was lively up forward as he kicked his second to put the Blues in front.

The shift in intensity came from further up the ground, with George Hewett and Adam Cerra very lively to get the Blues right back in the contest. Billy Wilson, Jack Ison and Talor Byrne all had bright moments going forward as the Blues kicked five straight goals, but a late major to Noah Balta closed the gap to eight points at the main break. Carlton was dealt a blow early with Lewis Young (concussion) playing no further part in the game, having kept Lynch to three disposals in first half. In his absence, Mitch McGovern was swung back, given the Blues one less marking option forward of the ball. Harry McKay injected himself into the game with a strong mark and goal as the heavens opened and the rain fell, before George Hewett produced another telling moment with a goal from a stoppage. Ollie Florent provided plenty of run in his 200th game in a scrappy third term, as the Blues took a 14-point lead into the final change. Carlton had a number of chances to create more breathing room, but recorded six consecutive behinds either side of three-quarter time to keep Richmond in the contest. A goal from a forward stoppage to the Tigers brought the margin back to eight points, as Wade Derksen stood tall on the last line against Lynch. It was up to Hewett to once again step up, producing a goal from a free kick to open up a handy buffer and - seemingly - seal the result for the Blues. However, a free kick for a deliberate rushed behind followed by another infringement had the Tigers within two points with a minute still to play. The Blues were able to see the game out through repeat stoppages, ensuring a seventh consecutive win in another nailbiter against the Tigers. Carlton returns to the MCG next week in the same time slot, hosting Hawthorn at 7:35pm on Saturday night.

Blues survive wild Tigers challenge to make it seven straight
Wet conditions didn't dampen the contest between traditional rivals as it came down to the wire at the MCG on Saturday night. - By Gemma Bastiani'.

Carlton has won seven consecutive games for the first time since 2023, and things are looking up at Princes Park. With two wins over Richmond for the year by a combined seven points, the Blues were made to work for the 10.14 (74) to 10.12 (72) victory at a chilly MCG on Saturday evening. A late surge from the Tigers threatened to end Josh Fraser's perfect record in the head coaching chair, spurred on by the energy of youth. Taj Hotton nabbed his first goal of the season, Mykelti Lefau kicked truly from a contentious deliberate rushed behind free kick, and Seth Campbell got it within a kick with less than a minute on the clock. But the Blues were able to frantically lock things down and create four repeat stoppages in that final 60 seconds to secure the win. George Hewett (26 disposals, nine tackles, two goals) was immense for Carlton, showing off his two-way running through the middle of the ground, and roving a contest up forward beautifully to nail an important goal, while Jagga Smith's (29 disposals, five tackles) star continues to rise. Too often did Richmond's defensive structure break down, creating opportunities for Carlton to move the ball around the arc and generate marks in dangerous positions. Losing their direct opponents and getting drawn into no man's land, the Tigers allowed Carlton to take 17 marks inside 50 for the game. On his return from a larynx fracture, Tom Lynch failed to convert, with one behind and two kicks out on the full for the evening, while Noah Balta (2.2) ultimately broke even.

Finding chemistry up forward is something the Tigers are still working to re-establish, with Lynch and Balta often crowding one-another's space. In reality, neither team got full value out of its forward forays, with several of Carlton's set shot opportunities unable to convert for majors, meaning it struggled to put Richmond away despite superior control in the match. The Tigers had a hard time establishing moments of calm throughout the game, instead flicking the ball around and not always able to execute their skills to claim marks around the ground. At times that speed worked. A spirited start for Richmond led to just its third opening-quarter win of the season and it was off the back of that quick transition that the Tigers created chances for the likes of Campbell (17 disposals, six tackles, two goals) and Rhyan Mansell (10 disposals, two goals), while some push and shove handed Jasper Alger a goal on the bell of quarter-time. But Carlton's newfound composure meant it could control large patches of the game.

Sheeting rain took hold as play resumed after the main break, forcing play into a chaos phase, but Ben McKay was still able to take a strong mark and kick truly for his sole major of the night before things dried up. A concussion to Lewis Young in the second term forced Mitch McGovern into defence for the remainder of the game, while Will Hayward slid from his wing role into a permanent attacking position. Meanwhile, Jack Ross suffered his second concussion of the season following a clumsy tackle attempt on Blue Lachie Cowan in the second quarter.

Tension
As the first quarter built, so did the tension between the sides, with it ultimately boiling over on the eve of the break. As the sides were taking their positions for a boundary stoppage on Richmond's forward flank, Blue Sam Walsh bumped young Tiger Jasper Alger, with the latter falling to the ground as a result. The 19-year-old was awarded a free kick for the contact, and kicked truly as the siren went, so Richmond's goal celebrations quickly turned into a melee as Carlton players took exception. It was some time before the teams could be split into their respective huddles, and the niggling tension remained for the rest of the evening.

A bull at a gate
Jack Ross has been rightly praised for his efforts this year, as a steady senior head among a team stacked with youth, but an unfortunate attempt to tackle in the second term took him out of the game. Flying through to the boundary line directly in front of the benches to tackle Lachie Cowan, Ross mistimed the attempt, instead collecting Cowan's shoulder and jaw with his head. Ross ultimately failed his head injury assessment and was ruled out of the game for the second half. It compounds things for the Tigers, after Kaleb Smith was concussed in the VFL earlier in the day.

Not Vlaustin's finest patch <br. As Richmond was in control to start the second term, having kicked the last four goals of the first, veteran Nick Vlaustin had a two-minute period he would rather forget, giving up two goals to the Blues. First, it was a poor kick-in which was intercepted by Patrick Cripps and converted for the major. Then, after competing with Mitch McGovern for a contested mark – which McGovern brought down – Vlaustin gathered the ball on the deck and handed it to the umpire rather than his opponent. That decision made a sure thing of McGovern's kick, narrowing the Tigers' lead even further.

Best: G. Hewett, J. Smith, P. Cripps, F. Evans, A Cerra

Blues winning where they may not have before.
Josh Fraser also seeing the upside of the result. - By Gemma Bastiani.

Interim Carlton coach Josh Fraser's winning streak has now stretched to seven games, even if Saturday's win wasn't pretty. "It's nice to walk away with the result. There's a lot of lessons out of that game for us, and I think it continues to highlight the work we've got in front of us," Fraser said. The grim determination from Carlton late in the piece was a different look to the side that has so often given up early leads to ultimately lose in recent years. Instead, its scenario training worked to hold on. "I think we were able to find a way to get repeat stoppages. We found a way to get first possession. It's not pretty that time of the game when there's a small margin, but we seem to be embracing those moments a bit better maybe than what we have in the past. Certainly, training them more," Fraser said. The Blues lost key defender Lewis Young to concussion in the second quarter, with Young included in the side in the absence of youngster Harry Dean who cut his hand during the week. Carlton expects Dean to be available for next week's clash with Hawthorn, but in the meantime Fraser would "like him to stay away from sharp objects".

Haynes' take on controversial late ump call, young Blue set to return.
A moment involving Nick Haynes was a major talking point in Carlton's thrilling win over Richmond. - By AAP

Carlton defender Nick Haynes has accepted blame for a controversial umpiring decision paid against him late in the Blues' thrilling two-point win over Richmond. With Carlton leading by 14 points with less than two minutes remaining, Haynes was pinged for a deliberate rushed behind that ended up in a Tigers goal. Richmond quickly kicked another goal, before winning the next centre clearance, to almost steal victory in the dying seconds. After the free pick was paid, Haynes indicated the ARC (AFL review centre) should have looked at the incident. Replays appeared to show the 34-year-old taking the ball across the goal line in the first instance, before it was brought back into play. Haynes then casually took the ball back over the line for a behind, but the umpire awarded a deliberate free kick against him. "I think if I took it over the first time I would have been sweet," Haynes explained to AAP. "I think that hesitation just not taking it over put a bit of less pressure on me, so therefore they paid it. "It could have gone either way, but I think I should have rushed it over that first time and then we wouldn't even be talking about it, so probably my fault." Carlton escaped with a narrow win against Richmond for the second time this season, giving interim coach Josh Fraser a perfect 7-0 record since he took over following Michael Voss exiting the club. "It's not pretty that time of the game when there's a small margin, but we seem to be embracing those moments a bit better maybe than what we have in the past," Fraser said of the final frantic minutes against the Tigers. "Certainly, training them more." Already without Jacob Weitering and Harry Dean, Carlton's defensive stocks were dealt another blow when Lewis Young was ruled out with concussion in the third term. Forward Mitch McGovern was forced to go back into defence to help Haynes and Wade Dersken in the last quarter. Fraser expects Dean to be available for next Saturday night's clash with Hawthorn after an unexplained cut to his hand ruled the Telstra Rising Star contender out of facing the Tigers. "I'd like him to stay away from sharp objects for a little while," Fraser grinned. "He's become pretty important to us. "He's great character ... he looks like a Carlton footballer when he plays."

The Carlton kids are alright
In Josh Fraser's reign at Carlton, yes, the club has won seven consecutive games for the first time since 2023 after downing Richmond on Saturday night, but it has done so off the back of and injection of youthful exuberance. What Fraser has done by giving the likes of Jack Ison, Talor Byrne, Billy Wilson and Wade Derksen more opportunity at the top level - along with the continued development of Jagga Smith and Harry Dean - is add a sense of grit and tenacity across the field that allows fans to ride the bumps and invest in the development. It is an energy that has changed the face of Carlton, leaving their second-half blues in the rearview mirror, and a bright horizon ahead. - Gemma Bastiani

In: Ollie Hollands, Lewis Young
Out: Blake Acres (omitted), Harry Dean (hand)

Milestones

200 Games (AFL): Oliver Florent

Interesting Facts

1. First time Carlton has worn its white clash jumper against Richmond.
2. Richmond wore its "stealth jumper" a predominately black guernsey with very little yellow.
3. This is the first time that Carlton has won seven games in a row since 2023.
4. This is the first time Richmond and Carlton have met in Round 17 since 1988. The Tigers were on an eight game losing streak to the Blues at Princes Park and led by 23 points at half-time only to collapse by 40 points.
5. Fred "Pompey" Elliott coached Carlton from Round 14, 1909. The Blues then won 7 games in a row, losing the Grand Final by just 2 points to South Melbourne. Fred was the interim coach when Jack Worrall was sacked as coach on completion of Round 13.
117 years later, interim coach Josh Fraser has now equalled Elliott's achievement.
6. Carlton is the only team in VFL/AFL history to lose 7 games in a row and then win the next 7 in the same season.

Free Kicks

Carlton 19
Richmond 19

Umpires

Jordyn Pearson, Brett Rosebury, Tom Bryce, Joel Clamp

Reports

Lachie Cowan (CARL) engaging in a melee/wresle (first offence), offered a fixed financial sanction of $1,000 with an early plea.
Oliver Florent (CARL) engaging in a melee/wresle (first offence), offered a fixed financial sanction of $1,000 with an early plea.
Jasper Alger (RICH), instigator of a melee/wresle (first offence), offered a fixed financial sanction of $1,000 with an early plea.
Rhyan Mansell (RICH) engaging in a melee/wresle (first offence), offered a fixed financial sanction of $1,000 with an early plea.
Seth Campbell (RICH) engaging in a melee/wresle (first offence), offered a fixed financial sanction of $1,000 with an early plea.

Front Runners

1. Oliver Hollands 17.1km
2. Seth Campbell (Rich) 14.9km
3. Nic Newman 14.2km
4. Patrick Retschko (Rich) 13.9km
5. Tom Brown (Rich) 13.7km

Disposal Efficiency

1. Lachlan Cowan 86%
2. Oliver Hollands 85%
2. Mitch McGovern 85%
3. Talor Byrne 83%

AFLCA Votes

10 - George Hewett (CARL)
8 - Jagga Smith (CARL)
5 - Tim Taranto (RICH)
3 - Seth Campbell (RICH)
2 - Adam Cerra (CARL)
1 - Francis Evans (CARL)
1 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

3 George Hewett
2 Patrick Cripps
1 Jagga Smith

Best and Fairest Votes

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