Goalkickers: M. McGovern 2.1, B. Ainsworth 2.0, O. Hollands 1.1, F. Evans 1.1, Z. Williams 1.0, H. McKay 1.0, E. Hollands 1.0, O. Florent 1.0, A. Cerra 1.0, M. Carroll 1.0, P. Cripps 0.2, Rushed 0.9.

Reports: Nil.

Umpires: John Howorth, Nathan Toner, Jacob Mollison, Brent Wallace.

Injuries: P. Cripps (hand).

Ladder: 16th

Game Review

Blues battle hard in Gather Round defeat
A recap of the Gather Round opener against Adelaide. -

Carlton has gone down by 28 points in the Gather Round opener against Adelaide. In hostile territory and played at times in inclement weather, the Blues once again produced moments of great football but couldn’t sustain it for four quarters in the 12.14 (86) to 17.12 (114) defeat. In what was Adam Cerra and Mitch McGovern’s 150th AFL games, Sam Walsh and Patrick Cripps led from the front all night, but the Blues couldn’t contain the Crows’ attacking threats with an undermanned backline. Carlton made a hot start with a seven-goal opening term in an incredibly open first term of football, with both the milestone men (Cerra one goal, McGovern two goals) hitting the scoreboard. With a different midfield mix this week, the Blues’ on-ball brigade got to work as Patrick Cripps (12 disposals, six clearances) and Sam Walsh (15 disposals) led the charge. Five of the Blues’ seven goals in the opening term came from clearances, but they were left to rue some costly moments late in the term, letting the Crows back into the game. The home side continued that momentum in the second term, surging to a 24-point lead with five goals inside the opening eight minutes of the second term before the Blues could even register an inside 50. Working hard on the wing as he has done all season, Matthew Carroll pushed forward for a pivotal settling goal, while Nic Newman held up well in defensive 50.

The Blues were up against it in the second term with the Crows dominating possession, having the top seven disposal winners on the ground in the second term. Trailing by 24 points at the main break, Carlton’s comeback mission was made more difficult as the heavens well and truly opened up at Adelaide Oval, making the third quarter an old-fashioned slog. Playing a forward-midfield role on his return to the side, Zac Williams converted from long range to generate some energy, while Lewis Young - against Crows gun Riley Thilthorpe for most of the night - and Nick Haynes were under heavy fire in driving rain. But two goals either side of three-quarter time gave the Blues plenty to do, with a 36-point deficit to make up. To their credit, the Blues continued to fight as they had done all night, and when Ollie Hollands backed up goals from Francis Evans and Harry McKay, the margin was back to 18 points. In their search to try and win the game, the Blues committed numbers forward and were ultimately stung going the other way, falling by 28 points in Gather Round. Cripps (29 disposals, 16 contested possessions), Walsh (28 disposals, eight tackles) and Marc Pittonet (10 clearances) led the charge from a clearance perspective, while Young fought hard all night on the last line of defence, recording 14 one percenters. The Blues will look to respond next Friday night, hosting Collingwood at the MCG for the Peter Mac Cup.

“closer to where we need to be”, says Voss
The full transcript from Michael Voss' post-match press conference. - By Carlton Media

No dropping standards, but better signs.
Carlton AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss credited the effort and application of his side in the Gather Round opener, but lamented a 10-minute lapse in the second term plus costly moments at crucial stages in a 28-point defeat to Adelaide. This is what he had to say.

On how decisive the second-quarter lapse was:
“The game asks questions for the entirety of the game - I was saying this in the [pre-match] presser. It’s no guarantees how you finish the game versus your first halves: every game presents a new opportunity to put your game style to work. “For a large portion of that game, particularly in the second half, we were able to dominate field position. We probably didn’t get the score ticking over as much as what we’d like, and then they kicked a goal a little bit against the run of play. “In the last quarter, I thought we played it out strong. We gave them a goal against the run of play, that gets them a little bit further in front and relieves the pressure when we’re pressing. “We set the game up okay, but in the second quarter, that 10 minutes - we didn’t touch the ball a hell of a lot, we were losing territory from stoppage and when they went in, they scored. We couldn’t turn it off for that period of time. It’ll be something to go back to look at, because that was really where the game was lost in the end.”

On Patrick Cripps being on the bench to start the second term:
“The way forward is sharing the load. We don’t ask any player to play 100 per cent of game time. I can’t believe those sorts of things are still questioned: it’s a midfield group that gets the job done. “The skipper started great, he had a very good night which was fantastic to see. There were players that returned to form today, some of our very important players. That’s really important. “But we’ve also got to be better than a team that has to have him in there for 100 per cent of the time.”

On whether the midfield mix “looked better” this week:
“It’s a bit hard to draw that conclusion. What we were able to do was get a few more players through there, sharing the load a fair bit more. “We’ll continue to see what that looks like: if we’re afforded the opportunity to be able to do that, we’ll continue in that direction.”

On Mitch McGovern’s form up forward, and potential changes at either end:
“We’ve got ‘Weiters’ and ‘Deany’ that are due to return. That puts a question on our defence, but I’m really pleased with how ‘Kempy’ is competing down there [up forward]. “I thought Harry competed really hard, sometimes against three players, he could’ve maybe been a bit luckier in some contests… I think he could’ve been rewarded a little bit more. He showed up in those contests and was really strong in the air on a really hard night. “Little signs from Haynes in his return, Derksen showed signs of improvement from last week to this week. We’ve got to continue to look at little bits of improvement in our footy team right now, both structure and personnel.”

On Sam Walsh’s influence after quarter time:
“They put a bit more work into him and we tried to do a few little things in terms of where he started to try and disrupt their structure. “He still had quite a solid night, but when you come out of the gates like that, there aren’t too many having 15 disposals in the first quarter and bursting out of stoppage like he was. “Again, more guys playing better tonight to get themselves in form helps us.”

On Zac Williams having midfield minutes:
“It was what he did at the end of last year where he spent a bit of midfield time and went forward. We felt our high backs had a pretty good day last week, they were in reasonable form and earnt their spot. “It gave us a chance to look a bit different, and we’ll keep exploring that - we’re not set on it, we’ll continue to see if we can give more players exposure to get a bit more speed and transition as the game gets faster.”

On Patrick Cripps’ sore hand:
“I couldn’t tell you with absolute certainty, but I think he’s fine.

On whether 1-4 is an accurate reflection of the team currently:
“I don’t think so. It’s been well spoken about with the couple of games that we let go. That puts a little bit of tension, but what you want to see is are you progressively getting closer to where you want to be in terms of how you’re playing? “I don’t want to be sitting here lowering any standard, because we didn’t win the game. What I can’t question is the effort and spirit they’re bringing to wanting to get better, turning up every day to get better, working on their game. “Today, simple indicators like having 86 tackles and the communication we’ve been trying to work on, all those little things and marginal improvements that we want to get better at is closer to where we want to be. It’s not finished, but it’s closer to where we need to be.”

On whether he thinks a complete performance is closer than previous weeks:
“You walk up every single week hoping it happens, but yes I do. Absolutely yes I do. “Today, I felt like it was fundamentals like coughing the ball up when we didn’t need to, too high free kicks, giving away frees through the second quarter, and we couldn’t stop them scoring when they went inside 50. “We’ve got to be a bit better in those moments: when you lose territory, you have to defend tighter for longer. We weren’t able to do that, and their scoreboard kept ticking.”

On George Hewett’s potential return to the team:
“George has a role to play for us. He’s a special human being. They’re never nice moments as coaches to have those conversations: he’s a much-loved player. “We always take the individual into account, but we also keep team-first and what’s in the best interests of the team. “We got a shift today and we’ll keep exploring that. That doesn’t mean that George doesn’t turn up in the next couple of weeks for us.”

On Adam Saad being left out of the side in recent weeks:
“I don’t think he’s been playing as well as what he’d like to, I think even he’d say that. We’re looking for a little bit more. “Unfortunately he doesn’t play this week, because Gather Round means all the other competitions don’t play. He’s working away at his game and he understands where he’s at. Right now, there are a couple of others that have earned their spot ahead of him. “I’m sure he’ll brace that challenge like George will, like Blake Acres will and whoever else finds themselves in that position. “It’ll be an important challenge for all those guys to keep driving the team to be better. If you’ve got a healthy squad, it puts pressure on the players above to be doing well.”

On whether Jacob Weitering is in line to return for the Collingwood game:
“I think so, yeah. He’s got training tomorrow, but he’s going through all the protocols and he’s got no problems. I’d expect him to return.”

Crows snap losing streak to pile more pain on Blues'
The Crows have opened Gather Round with a strong win over the Blues - By Riley Beveridge

There's nothing better than 'Rash' in the rain. Travellers were welcomed to South Australia for this year's Gather Round with rain. Then more rain. And then some torrential rain. Then just more rain. Luckily, one man didn't really seem to mind. Josh Rachele. Adelaide has relished the chance to make a statement in its Gather Round openers and Rachele wasn't about to let Thursday night's downpour ruin his chance of doing just that. When things were going wrong for the Crows, Rachele was the one to inspire. And when they needed to put the foot down, it was Rachele they turned to again. His four first-half goals from midfield, combined with the 26 disposals and six clearances that complemented that attacking brilliance, were decisive in Adelaide overcoming Carlton's early blitz on its way to a 17.12 (114) to 12.14 (86) win that helped to stop the rot that has threatened the start of its season. Rachele had willing contributors alongside him. Sam Berry (29 disposals, four clearances) and Jordan Dawson (26 disposals, one goal) did the brunt work through the middle, while Wayne Milera (25 disposals, eight intercepts) was the team's primary mover across half-back. But it was the Crows superstar that led the way. While he danced in the rain, the Blues slowly became more downtrodden. The 28-point defeat was their fourth in five matches to begin the campaign, and will undoubtedly heap more scrutiny on under-pressure coach Michael Voss in the coming days.

It had, initially, been following the season's script. Adelaide, notoriously slow starters, up against Carlton, infamously slow finishers. It meant that when the Blues kicked three of the game's first four goals, both sets of supporters would have been left with an unenviable feeling of 'here we go again'. But, for the first time of the night, enter Rachele. Twice in a matter of minutes, he somehow managed to snap truly while wedged deep inside the forward pocket, helping to weather an early Blues storm where the visitors had burst out of the blocks to kick seven first-quarter goals and earn a decent buffer. Carlton looked hot, with Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, seven clearances) and Sam Walsh (29 disposals, eight tackles) doing the bulk of their damage to quarter-time. But even they couldn't thwart Rachele's influence. A third goal, converted on the run from outside 50m, was delivered right on the stroke of quarter-time. It reduced the deficit to just seven points at the first change, when in reality it could have been much larger. And when Rachele opened the second quarter with yet another opportunistic finish, his fourth in 40 minutes, suddenly the Adelaide Oval crowd was sensing the makings of a special night. Adelaide, too, was sensing its moment to strike. Still trailing at that stage, Rachele's heroics then inspired another four goals in the next seven minutes to kickstart a charge that changed the complexion of the game. Ben Keays had three of them, hoping to mirror his teammate's burst, as the Crows opened a 24-point half-time lead.

Carlton, already in dire straits given the nature of its season to date, needed everything to go right if it was to respond. But when the next storm arrived, bringing with it yet another lashing of rain across the longer break, the weather instead started to reflect the gloomy feeling that continues to linger over the Blues. While the conditions hardly favoured a comeback, Adelaide still made more of them. The Crows kicked two of the three goals in the third term, no longer even needing to rely on Rachele to ensure the points were sealed. In wet weather, with a 30-point lead heading into the last, it made the final term rather inconsequential. Even if the hosts were made to sweat through a mini-Carlton comeback – spurred by three unanswered goals to begin the fourth quarter – the margin never dipped beneath 17 points. Adelaide had done enough and, by that point, its main man had already made his mark.

Where's Cripps?
All eyes were on Carlton's midfield after George Hewett's axing and, for the first 40 minutes or so, the Blues responded. Led by captain Patrick Cripps, who had 12 touches, six clearances and five tackles in the first quarter alone, the visitors led the clearance count by eight and the centre clearance tally by five at the first change. But then, for the first six minutes of the second quarter, Cripps was benched. In his absence, Carlton handed Adelaide all the momentum out of the centre. The Crows kicked three quick goals with the opposition's skipper out of action, leading to a run of five straight majors, to suddenly open a commanding lead and completely swing the ledger.

Best: S. Walsh, P. Cripps, E. Hollands, N. Newman, O. Florent.

Voss defends Cripps call.
Patrick Cripps' stint on the bench to begin the second quarter proved costly, but Blues coach Michael Voss has defended the decision. - By Riley Beveridge

Carlton coach Michael Voss has defended the decision to start captain Patrick Cripps on the bench to begin the second quarter, while reiterating that George Hewett still has a role to play for the Blues this season. Cripps enjoyed a dominant first quarter to spearhead Carlton's seven-goal opening term, winning 12 disposals, six clearances and five tackles for the term. However, he spent the first six minutes of the second quarter on the bench, with Adelaide kicking three goals in that time to swing the momentum of the match. The Crows ultimately went on to kick five straight goals as part of a second-quarter surge that set the foundations for their 28-point win in the Gather Round opener, with Voss saying it was part of Cripps' usual rotations. "The way forward is to share the load. We don't ask any player to play 100 per cent game time," Voss said. "I can't believe those sorts of things are still questioned. There's a midfield group that gets the job done. "The skipper started great and had a very good night, which was fantastic to see. There were some players that returned to form tonight, some of our very important players returned to form tonight. That's really important. "But we've also got to be better as a team that just doesn't have him in there for 100 per cent of the time." Carlton dropped reigning best-and-fairest winner Hewett for the Adelaide clash, opting for a more dynamic midfield that featured Cripps alongside Sam Walsh, Zac Williams, Jagga Smith and Adam Cerra. The Blues ended the match +5 for clearances, +3 for centre clearances and +4 for inside 50s, though Voss stopped short of saying the engine room looked better in light of Hewett's absence. "It's a bit hard to draw that conclusion for now," Voss said. "What we were probably able to do was just get a few more players through there. Again, it's sharing the load a fair bit more. We'll continue to see what that looks like. If we're afforded the opportunity to be able to do that, we'll continue in that direction." Voss also reiterated that Hewett is still expected to feature prominently for Carlton this season, suggesting the rugged inside midfielder would return to the team within the next few weeks. "George has got a role to play for us," Voss said. "He's a special human being. They're never nice moments for coaches to have, those conversations. He's a much-loved player. We take always the individual into account, but we also keep the team first and what's in the best interests of the team. "We got a shift today. We'll keep exploring that. But that doesn't mean he doesn't turn up in the next couple of weeks for us."

The Blues should persist with midfield as experimentation continues
Carlton's call to drop George Hewett was rough on the reigning best and fairest, but something had to give. The Blues desperately need more dynamism around the ball and could hardly carry two contested beasts in Hewett and captain Patrick Cripps for much longer. Sam Walsh benefited from 26 centre bounce involvements on Thursday night, his most since Opening Round, while Adam Cerra, Zac Williams and Jagga Smith were also sprinkled into the rotation. But, even still, coach Michael Voss needs to find more. Is it worth throwing Ben Ainsworth in there for a period of time? Or maybe Ollie Florent? Or Elijah Hollands? There's no doubt speed through the midfield will be a priority for Carlton at this year's trade and draft period. But, for now, any experiment is worth trying. - Riley Beveridge

Team

In: Nick Haynes, Zac Williams, Hudson O'Keeffe.
Out: Jacob Weitering (concussion), George Hewett (Omitted), Will Hayward (Suspension)

Milestones

150 Games (AFL): Mitch McGovern, Adam Cerra
First Goal (Carlton) Oliver Florent

Interesting Facts

1. Carlton's 33 points from stoppages in the first quarter was the most ever conceded by the Crows under coach Matthew Nicks.
2. This loss squared the ledger for Gather Round, four matches for two wins and two losses.
3. Both of Carlton's Gather Round losses have been to the Adelaide Crows. Whilst both of their wins have been over Western Australian teams, being Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles.

Free Kicks

Carlton 23
Adelaide Crows 27

Front Runners

1.- Oliver Hollands 16.8km
2.- I. Rankine (Adelaide) 15.6km
2.- R. Thilthorpe (Adelaide) 15.6km
3.- Oliver Florent 15.3km
3.- B. Cook (Adelaide) 15.3km

AFLCA Votes

10 - Joshua Rachele (ADEL)
7 - Sam Berry (ADEL)
5 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
4 - Wayne Milera (ADEL)
2 - Marc Pittonet (CARL)
1 - Josh Worrell (ADEL)
1 - Alex Neal-Bullen (ADEL)

Brownlow Votes

Best and Fairest Votes

Video