Carlton 1.2 8 2.5 17 5.6 36 6.8 44 Melbourne 3.3 21 5.6 36 7.11 53 8.13 61
Venue:	MCG.
Date:	Friday June 2, 2023 (7.50 pm).
Result:	Lost by 17 points
Crowd:	49,872
Goalkickers:	H. McKay 3.2, B. Arces 1.0, C, Curnow 1.0, Z. Fisher 1.0, M. Cotterell 0.1, S. Docherty 0.1, J. Motlop 0.1, J. Silvagni 0.1, Rushed 0.2.
Reports:
Umpires:	1 - Chris Donlon, 23 - Robert Findlay, 10 - Robert O'Gorman, 12 - Andrew Stephens.
Injuries:	J. Silvagni (hip)
Ladder:	14th

Game Review

Blues defeated in low-scoring affair

Melbourne defeated Carlton by 17 points at the MCG. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media

Carlton has fallen by 17 points in a low-scoring slog at the MCG. Both teams struggled to maintain hold of the Sherrin, but Melbourne had the better of the forward territory, breaking through despite the best efforts of a Carlton defence led by Jacob Weitering and an impressive Brodie Kemp. Adam Cerra was instrumental in the middle of the ground, while Harry McKay kicked the first three Carlton goals of the game.

Quarter one
It was a scrappy first quarter, as neither side was able to get flow in their ball movement. Melbourne had the first goal on the board, but it was quickly answered by Harry McKay, who had his teammates, family and fans on their feet. Brodie Kemp and Alex Cincotta provided some strong intercepts across half back, but Melbourne did well to pick through and find targets in their forward 50. The Demons got the better of the clearances, totalling 13 to the Blues’ nine, with all three of their goals scored through the source to kick out to a 13-point lead.

Quarter two
The game continued to be a scrap, with both Melbourne and Carlton displaying inefficient ball use. However, the Demons were able to make the better of their opportunities going forward, going at 48 per cent efficiency inside 50 compared to the Blues' 36 per cent. Carlton's fight couldn't be question as they ground away for every possession, with a second goal from McKay looking to generate some momentum. Captain Patrick Cripps did everything in his power in the second quarter, attempting to will his team forward at every contest by brute force. Matthew Kennedy was similarly busy in the first half, but the Blues' final kick inside 50 was lacking, heading into the main break 19 points down. Sub Paddy Dow was activated at the half-time break, as versatile tall Jack Silvagni was subbed out due to a hip injury.

Quarter three
The quarter started off fast, as McKay slotted his third on the run from long range. Weitering’s defence - particularly in one-on-one contests - was crucial on the last line, while Mitch McGovern positioned himself well behind the ball. In the first half of the term, the Demons at one point had three quarters of the forward territory, but Carlton's back-line battled well. Carlton made the most of its limited opportunities in this quarter, with Blake Acres' classy goal quickly followed by Charlie Curnow's fast after quick transition, while Jesse Motlop got more involved pushing higher up the ground. Just as the Blues looked to press, Melbourne answered back immediately, extending the margin back to 17 points.

Quarter four
Carlton did its best to hold its own down back, but Melbourne's defensive structure held firm, seeing the Blues unable to move the ball past the centre square with much freedom. Weitering and Kemp continued their strong intercept marking, while Zac Fisher slotted the first of the term to give his team a sniff. However, as had been the trend of the game, a quick reply from the hosts - this time through Max Gawn - made life difficult for the Blues. McKay fought until the final siren, finishing with nine marks, but the Blues ultimately fell by 17 points at the MCG.

AFL mess needs ‘ceremonial burning’; Dee’s ‘strut’ condemns Blues to new low: 3-2-1 - Catherine Healey from Fox Sports.

Carlton has sunk to a fifth straight loss for the first time under coach Michael Voss after Friday night’s 17-point loss to Melbourne. In an error-riddled game, it was the Demons who came out on top 8.13 (61) to 6.8 (44) at the MCG, as the Blues posted their lowest score under Voss. The win ends Melbourne’s two-game losing streak but has come at a cost with Jake Bowey concussed in a brutal pinball-like marking contest.While the loss ensures Carlton sit with just four wins after 12 games in 2023, there was some good news for Blues fans as Harry McKay finally found some form. After a testing few weeks due to inaccuracy, McKay was Carlton’s only goal scorer to half time and finished with three to his name.

1st Quarter
There were no late changes for either side, with James Harmes (Melbourne) and Paddy Dow (Carlton) the starting subs. Dow, who’s been in tremendous form at VFL level averaging 31.7 disposals, was named for his first AFL game of the season and first since Round 22, 2022. It was Bayley Fritsch cutting the Blues defence apart early, after missing his first set shot before setting up Christian Petracca for the opener. But down the other end, the joy was clear as Harry McKay shrugged his goal kicking woes to get Carlton’s first. McKay, who has managed just 2.7 in his past three weeks and only 14 goals from his 41 shots this year, spoke openly on his struggles with letting people down – including his mum who “wears it on her face”. But against the Demons, it was pure ecstasy in the stands as McKay snapped truly in the opening minutes, with his parents even doing a little fist bump in celebration. “Rarely has a guy kicking goal 189 got so much joy for goal 189,” commentator Brian Taylor said. Some late brilliance from Kysaiah Pickett ensured it was Melbourne with the advantage at the first change, 21-8.

2nd Quarter
Both sides wasted early opportunities in front of goal before a dubious free kick to Charlie Spargo broke the deadlock. Despite the controlling umpire allowing play to continue, the high contact free was paid against Blues’ defender Adam Saad who could not believe the call. “The umpire from a good 100 metres away – the farthest away of the field umpires picked that one out,” commentator James Braysaw lamented. “Gee there wasn’t a heap in it.” “That’s just a glancing touch!” Taylor added. McKay added his second goal for the night but it was Melbourne who took a 36-17 lead into the main change. “It hasn’t been a super match, the first half to be perfectly honest,” Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon said. "It was a bit embarrassing the way both teams used the footy going forward.”

3rd Quarter
Jack Silvagni didn’t suit up for the second half and was subbed out at half time with a hip injury. But McKay kept the scoreboard ticking over with a big goal from outside 50. When Blake Acres and then Charlie Curnow added his first for the night, Carlton had closed to within 11 points. But Bayley Fritsch had the quick reply when he got out the back, creating a two-on-one for the Dees just 15m out from goal. Melbourne’s night was soured by a shock head knock to Jake Bowey when he got sandwiched in a marking contest and copped multiple knocks from multiple players. Blue Matt Kennedy landed on top of Bowey who was out before he hit the MCG turf. Bowey was able to get to his feet assisted to leave the field, but was subbed out of the contest. By the final change, it was Melbourne still in front 53-36.

4th Quarter
The Demons had all the territory in the final term but couldn’t make it count as Zac Fisher brought Carlton back to within 11 points. It took an absolute roost from Melbourne skipper Max Gawn to break an almost 10-minute goal drought and end Carlton’s comeback. Gawn wheeled around from outside 50 and set sail, with the footy only just crossing the goal line.

THE 3-2-1...

3. ‘STRUTTING’ SKIPPER’S COLOSSAL MOMENT SEALS GRITTY WIN
This wouldn’t have been a popular Name A Game order back in the day. But amid turnover city on Friday night, Max Gawn produced a significant moment of class to seal a relieving win for his Demons. Melbourne had been severely struggling for connection between their midfield and forward line all night, annihilating Carlton in the inside 50 count but failing to kick away on the scoreboard. Enter Gawn, who decided to take matters into his own hands when the game needed to be won, despite being well down on his usual high output. From a set-shot 60m out on a tight angle, the Demons skipper ran around on an arc and unloaded a 55m bomb. He struck it sweetly – a rarity during proceedings on Friday night – and nailed what would ultimately be the match-winning goal. “Turn it up, Maxy. He almost missed his boot earlier in the day from 45m out,” four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge told Channel 7. “And the strut back to the middle too.” Tigers legend Matthew Richardson added: “If you can’t strut after that, you never can.” This was far from Melbourne’s prettiest win of the season, but it was much-needed. And ultimately the Demons’ weight of numbers eventually broke the Blues. The Demons had more disposals (+51), inside 50s (+20), contested possessions (+26), clearances (+9) and scoring shots (+7) to runaway 17-point winners.

2. GLIMPSES, BUT BLUES’ ALARMING SEASON-LOW LEADS TO ANOTHER LOSS
That’s seven losses from eight games for Carlton, with Friday night’s frustrating loss to Melbourne coming despite several promising signs. On a night where both teams weren’t at their best skill-wise, the Blues were clearly more efficient by foot according to the stats, going at 67 per cent. And Carlton had more intent to move the ball at speed when appropriate opportunities presented. This was particularly evident in the first quarter, while the Blues in the third quarter also found ways to break the Demons’ forward half dominance. “Carlton look most dangerous when they get a bit imaginative with the ball,” Melbourne champion Garry Lyon told Fox Footy. “If they were going long and slow down the line, it was too predictable. But there were moments where they had the Melbourne defence on the back foot.” Lions legend Jonathan Brown added: “They need to start handball chain effectively. This is what the good teams do … they need to clear the congestion by handball to put the kicker into time and space. Then there was the return to form of Harry McKay, who put a week of intense scrutiny behind him to be Carlton’s best and most damaging goalkicker on the night. With Coleman Medal leader Charlie Curnow well held by Steven May, McKay made the most of a mismatch against Adam Tomlinson and regained confidence. He kicked Carlton’s first three goals of the game – including a tight snap in the first quarter to get his confidence up early – much to the delight of his teammates and his parents. “He is the most confident player on the ground at the moment,” Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd told 3AW. But for all the good work the Blues did, they again struggled to convert forward entries into scores, booting just 6.8 from 39 inside 50s - their lowest inside 50 count of the season. And uncharacteristically, the Blues were thumped at the coalface – a rarity under coach Michael Voss in the past 18 months, despite the team’s inconsistent output on the field. They lost the contested possession count by -26, their equal-worst performance of the season. The Blues were brave, but the reality is this side is now staring down the barrel of another season outside of the top eight. And it’s a place you don’t want to be when you have a culture of impatience.

1. ‘EMBARRASSING’: FIRST HALF WORTHY OF A ‘CEREMONIAL BURNING’
This was a battle between two finals contenders. But as Melbourne and Carlton sloppily kicked the ball to each other during the second quarter, you would’ve excused footy fans for having flashbacks to the infamous Round 8 clash between St Kilda and North Melbourne. The second term of Friday night’s clash turned into a comedy of errors as both the Demons and Blues struggled for fluency and connection in general play. The constant turnovers frustrated fans at the ground – and Fox Footy’s commentators. “I think we’ll have a ceremonial burning of the first half after this (ad) break,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown told Fox Footy. One passage of play personified the struggles both teams had in the second term. Blues ruckman Tom De Koning had the ball on the wing but kicked it straight to Demon Jake Bowey unopposed in defence. The Demons then moved the ball slowly up the field, only for Angus Brayshaw to miss three teammates with his kick and hit Blues defender Lewis Young on the chest. But slow ball movement led to a long kick from Blues superstar Patrick Cripps down the line, which ended up with Brayshaw, who kicked long to no one as the ball went out of bounds. “Let’s be honest, we don’t sugarcoat anything, it hasn’t been a super first half,” five-time All-Australian Garry Lyon told Fox Footy. “Conditions at the MCG appear to be absolutely magnificent for this time of the year and it was a bit embarrassing the way both of these teams used the ball going forward. “We don’t want to dwell on the negative – we’d much rather celebrate the positive – but it is what it is right now. Carlton are under all sorts of pressure coming into tonight and have managed two goals in a half and the Demons, for a team that have got top four aspirations and hopefully a premiership down the track, they were so messy with the footy, it became a bit of a joke at various stages.” The Demons kicked 2.3 from 16 inside 50s, while the Blues managed 1.3 from 11 entries. Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley said it was a clear sign of two teams lacking confidence with ball in-hand. “If we thought that this was happening off the back of exceptional defence, it would be a different story. But it’s not,” Buckley told Fox Footy. “There’s space there, there’s opportunities there. But for whatever reason, the players on both sides feel rushed, they can’t see the options in front of them and they’re missing the next simple option. “That’s why we’re seeing messy football and why both teams are out of form.”

Team

B:	23 Jacob Weitering	33 Lewis Young	11 Mitch McGovern
HB:	39 Alex Cincotta	17 Brodie Kemp	42 Adam Saad
C:	18 Sam Walsh	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	3 Jesse Motlop	30 Charlie Curnow	46 Matthew Cottrell
F:	44 Matt Owies	1 Jack Silvagni	10 Harry McKay
Ruck:	12 Tom De Koning	15 Sam Docherty	5 Adam Cerra
Interchange:	4 Lochie O'Brien	7 Matthew Kennedy	25 Zac Fisher
37 Jordan Boyd
Substitute:	2 Paddy Dow
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	8 Lachie Fogarty	20 Lachie Plowman	35 Ed Curnow

In: Alex Cincotta Paddy Dow Zac Fisher Lochie O'Brien Jack Silvagni Lewis Young
Out: Ed Curnow Corey Durdin George Hewett Ollie Hollands Nic Newman Marc Pittonet

Substitute: Paddy Dow (replaced Jack Silvagni at half-time).

Milestones

Last Game: Lochie O'Brien

Interesting Facts

1. This lost equaled Carlton worst losing sequence against Melbourne that stands at 8 between Round 2, 1954 and Round 12, 1958

AFLCA Votes

10 - Christian Petracca (MELB)
8 - Steven May (MELB)
5 - Jake Lever (MELB)
4 - Ed Langdon (MELB)
2 - Harry McKay (CARL)
1 - Jacob Weitering (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

3 - Christian Petracca (MELB)
2 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
1 - Max Gawn (MELB)

Best and Fairest Votes

Video

---

Round 11 | Round 13