Round 1, 2022

Carlton 1.3 9 5.9 39 7.12 54 14.17 101 Richmond 4.5 29 4.7 31 10.9 69 11.10 76
Venue:	MCG
Date:	Thursday 17th March 2022 (7.25 pm).
Result:	Won by 25 points.
Crowd:	72,179
Goalkickers:	P. Cripps 3.0, C. Durdin 2.1, J. Silvagni 1.2, M. Kennedy 1.2, A. Cerra 1.1, J. Martin 1.1, H. McKay 1.1, S. Docherty 1.1, L. O'Brien 1.0, Z. Fisher 1.0, G. Hewett 1.0, C. Curnow 0.2, T. De Koning 0.2, M. Owies 0.2, M. McGovern 0.1, M. Pittonet 0.1.
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Hayden Gavine, Brett Rosebury, Nathan Williamson.
Injuries:	M. McGovern (back/hip), J. Weitering (ankle).
Substitutes:	Nil.
Ladder:	5th.

Game Review

Blues avalanche seals memorable win

Carlton take home a Round 1 victory against Richmond - by Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media.

Carlton has broken its yellow-and-black drought with a famous 25-point win over Richmond. Staring at a 20-point deficit in the final term, the Blues well and truly flicked the switch, kicking seven consecutive goals and producing a win that was nine years in the making. Patrick Cripps willed his team over the line with a virtuoso performance, while Sam Docherty's showing - and second-quarter goal - was exactly what the Navy Blue faithful who turned up in their droves wanted to see.

Quarter one
Carlton won the territory battle early, with a very early contender for Mark of the Year from Tom De Koning. However, a missed set shot from the ruckman and a running goal from Shai Bolton put Richmond on the board first. While the Blues moved the ball well, the Tigers’ forward 50 entries were quick and efficient. Matt Kennedy got the Blues' first with an impressive over-the-shoulder snap: however, the Tigers quickly responded with a goal of their own. It became a common trend of the opening term, with Richmond countering whatever Carlton could muster. The Blues' backline was busy early, with Mitch McGovern, Oscar McDonald and Sam Docherty all recording regular intercepts and while Richmond’s forward entries were clean, their inaccuracy in front of goal stopped the margin from being blown out. Adam Cerra was influential in creating scoring opportunities for the Blues while George Hewett and Kennedy produced a strong contest through the middle.

Quarter two
It was Patrick Cripps who kicked off for the Blues in the opening minutes of the term after a strong contested grab from McGovern, with an eerily similar moment occurring just moments later when McGovern set up Cripps’ second goal. Corey Durdin was the beneficiary from a very clean kick from Hewett, putting Carlton ahead for the first time in the game with his first goal at the MCG. The Blues controlled the territory for the quarter, topped off by a rare goal from Sam Docherty, who didn’t leave a dry eye in the house as teammates swarmed him from all angles. The Tigers ramped up their physical pressure, but the Blues were able to stop them from penetrating their tight defence.

Quarter three
The Tigers started the second half quickly, kicking two goals in the first six minutes. Harry McKay was able to even up the contest with his first of the night, but a quick reply from Noah Balta gave Richmond the lead again. Docherty continued to play a very strong game across half back, intercepting and clearing the ball from dangerous territory. Richmond had the momentum towards the back-end of the term, kicking two goals in quick succession from the centre bounce. The Blues had issues locking the ball in their half, having it taken out as quickly as it came in.

Quarter four
Bolton kicked the term off in the worst possible fashion for the Blues, who fell 20 points adrift when he snapped truly. However, what occurred from there was nothing short of a Navy Blue avalanche. Corey Durdin kicked the Blues into gear, and what ensued was a seven-goal burst which ripped the game away from the Tigers and handed all four points to the Blues. A long-range goal from Jack Martin gave the Blues the lead, and the home side never looked back from there. It was at the centre bounce where Carlton got the ascendancy, smashing its opposition with the first seven centre clearances of the term. It was party time at the home of football, with the distinctly Navy Blue crowd in full voice among over 72,000 people.

Three things from the game
1. The addition of Mitch McGovern and Oscar McDonald to the backline certainly bolstered the Blues defence. McGovern looked right at home in his defensive post, intercepting at will and generating plenty of offence as he showed consistently throughout pre-season. In a game of fluctuations, Oscar McDonald performed admirably in his first start for the Club, collecting 15 disposals.
2. Adam Cerra, George Hewett, Matthew Kennedy. Patrick Cripps was the clear standout on Thursday night, but it was his mates in the middle which allowed him to do what he does best. All hit the scoreboard - Kennedy in the first term, Cerra and Hewett in the last - and had 33, 30 and 28 disposals respectively. Carlton's on-ball dominance set the scene in the fourth term, and it was in no small part to the four players mentioned here.
3. All summer, Michael Voss has spoken of his desire for a collective effort and not just individuals stepping up. That well and truly occurred on Thursday night, particularly on the scoreboard. The Blues had no less than 11 individual goalkickers (half the team), with seven different players chiming in with final-quarter goals. In cracking the ton, it was the cherry on the cake for a Navy Blue crowd which sang well into the night.

Moment of the match
It had to be Sam Docherty. There wasn't a dry eye in the MCG when the defender slotted a set shot goal in his return to the highest level.

Best: P. Cripps, S. Docherty, M. Kennedy, M. McGovern, A. Cerra, A. Saad, G. Hewett.

Electric Blues blast past Tigers to start Voss era in style

Carlton has ended an 11-game losing streak against Richmond in stunning fashion - By Josh Gabelic (AFL Media).

New Coach, new boom recruit, new era – and a new result. The last time Carlton defeated Richmond in this traditional round one fixture – shuffled back by 24 hours this season – Michael Voss was in the latter stages of his time coaching Brisbane. But in his first game of his second senior-coaching chance – nearly nine years between opportunities – the Voss era couldn’t have started much better on Thursday night, with the Blues blowing away the Tigers by 25 points at the MCG, 14.17 (101) to 11.10 (76). Richmond burst out of the blocks and should have led by more than its 20-point margin at quarter-time. But Carlton dug in, matching almost every challenge across the middle two quarters before kicking seven straight goals in the final quarter to end an 11-game losing streak against the Tigers and winning in round one for the time since 2012.

Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps dominated on St Patrick's Day, flexing his muscles to remind the AFL that he's still one of the most destructive midfielders in the game at the peak of his powers. The West Australian singlehandedly pulled the Blues back into the game in the second quarter, kicking two goals in quick succession at the city end and dictated terms around the ball before slotting a crucial goal in the final quarter to help put the Tigers to the sword. Cripps had amassed 30 or more touches just twice in the past two seasons, but with Sam Walsh missing after suffering an ankle syndesmosis injury last month, the captain produced a vintage performance, finishing with 30 disposals, eight clearances, 12 contested possessions, 679 metres gained and those three crucial goals. And it wasn’t just the monster midfielder who inflicted the pain. New recruits Adam Cerra (30 disposals) and George Hewett (28 disposals) both made a sizeable impact in their first appearances, but Matthew Kennedy was arguably as influential as anyone on the ground, produced the most impressive performance of his career with 33 disposals, eight clearances, 514 metres gained and a goal. One of the highlights of the night came in the second term when former Carlton skipper Sam Docherty (25 disposals) booted a goal in his first game since undergoing chemotherapy late last year for a recurrence of testicular cancer.

Richmond superstar Dustin Martin has often dined out on the Blues but he was held to just 21 disposals and a goal in a relatively quiet outing. The absence of Dion Prestia (hamstring) after half-time was glaring as Carlton's ascendancy in the middle became clear. Electric half-forward Shai Bolton was lively throughout with three goals but there was too little support in the middle of the ground.

Doc's comeback complete.
To think that just over six months ago Sam Docherty discovered a recurrence of testicular cancer, it is hard to believe how impressive the former skipper was on Thursday night. The 28-year-old dominated the opening quarter and then caused the MCG to erupt in the second quarter when he slotted a goal. Docherty provided the Blues with drive and penetration off half-back, gathering 26 disposals and 475 metres gained to show why Voss was so determined to bring him straight into the seniors after one VFL practice match. Two bouts of cancer, two knee reconstructions, but still fighting.

Blue recruits pay the bills early
Carlton paid a premium to lure young star Adam Cerra from Fremantle last October – pick No.6 and a future third-round pick – and they got a premium performance first-up from the 22-year-old who was taken at pick No.5 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft. The Victorian showed his class, ending with 30 disposals, six tackles and 508 metres gained. New teammate George Hewett didn’t attract anywhere near as much attention as Cerra during the Trade Period, moving from the harbour city to Princes Park as a free agent 12 months after the Blues tried to land him. However, the former Swan played a crucial role in Carlton's engine room, collecting 28 disposals of his own to make a great start to his time in navy blue.

Best: P. Cripps, M. Kennedy, S. Docherty, A. Cerra, G. Hewett, A. Saad.

Team

B:	42 Adam Saad	39 Oscar McDonald	23 Jacob Weitering
HB:	6 Zac Williams	11 Mitch McGovern	24 Nic Newman
C:	43 Will Setterfield	5 Adam Cerra	4 Lochie O'Brien
HF:	44 Matthew Owies	30 Charlie Curnow	25 Zac Fisher
F:	12 Tom De Koning	10 Harry McKay	19 Corey Durdin
Ruck:	27 Marc Pittonet	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	1 Jack Silvagni	7 Matthew Kennedy	15 Sam Docherty
	21 Jack Martin
Medical Substitute:	31 Tom Williamson
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	16 Jack Carroll	8 Lachie Fogarty	33 Lewis Young

Note: the medical substitute was not activated.

Interesting Facts

1. Carton broke an 11 game losing streak against Richmond.
2. This was Carlton's first Round 1 win since Round 1, 2012.
3. Charlie Curnow was held goal-less this match, he would kick at least one goal in his next 66 matches until he was held goal-less in Round 21, 2024 vs Collingwood.

Milestones

Debut (Carlton): Adam Cerra, George Hewett
Debut (Coach): Michael Voss
First Goal (Carlton): Adam Cerra, George Hewett
Last Game: Tom Williamson

AFLCA Votes

10 - Patrick Cripps
8 - Matt Kennedy
6 - Adam Cerra
4 - George Hewett
1 - Sam Docherty
1 - Marc Pittonet

Brownlow Votes

Best and Fairest Votes

Cripps, Patrick 16, Kennedy, Matthew 14, Hewett, George 12, Docherty, Sam 12, Cerra, Adam 12, Saad, Adam 8, McGovern, Mitch 8, Durdin, Corey 8, Weitering, Jacob 7, Pittonet, Marc 7, McDonald, Oscar 7, Owies, Matt 5, Fisher, Zac 5, Williams, Zachary 4, Silvagni, Jack 4, Setterfield, Will 4, Newman, Nic 4, McKay, Harry 4, Martin, Jack 4, De Koning, Tom 4

Video

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Season 2022 | Round 2