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| Venue: | MCG | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Saturday 22nd May, 2021 (1.45 pm). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Won by 23 points. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 45,741 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | E. Betts 2.1, M. H. McKay 2.0, M. Owies 2.0, T. De Koning 1.0, M. Gibbons 1.0, M. Murphy 1.0, M. Pittonet 1.0, J. Silvagni 1.0, S. Walsh 1.0, Z. Williams 1.0, W. Setterfield 0.2, L. Stocker 0.1, E. Curnow 0.1, A. Saad 0.1, M. Cottrell 0.1, Rushed 0.1, | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Lachie Plowman was charged with Engaging in Rough Conduct against Jaeger O'Meara, Hawthorn, during the fourth quarter. In summary, he can accept a two-match sanction with an early plea. The incident was assessed as Careless Conduct, High Impact, High Contact. The incident was classified as a two-match sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a two-match sanction with an early plea. Kyle Hartigan, Hawthorn, has been charged with Striking Sam Walsh, Carlton, during the fourth quarter. In summary, he can accept a three-match sanction with an early plea. Based on the available evidence, the incident was assessed as Intentional Conduct, High Impact, High Contact. The incident was classified as a three-match sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a three-match sanction with an early plea. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | Jamie Broadbent, Dean Margetts, Robert O'Gorman. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 12th | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
No blues today: Carlton bounces back to shut down struggling HawksCarlton has overpowered Hawthorn at a sun-drenched MCG on Saturday - Riley Beveridge / Marni Olsson-Young.
Boy, did Carlton need that. After successive defeats and amid mounting pressure on the club, Saturday's clash with Hawthorn had 'danger game' written all over it. But a scrappy 23-point victory was just the tonic to allay fears that a disappointing start to the year could soon spiral out of control. The Blues weren't necessarily convincing in their 13.8 (86) to 9.9 (63) win at the MCG, squandering territorial dominance and consistently allowing the Hawks passages back into the contest. But the four points mattered more than the dreaded alternative. Sam Walsh provided the class in a game that, in truth, otherwise lacked it. The tireless Carlton midfielder won 30 disposals, laid six tackles and kicked an exceptional goal to comfortably emerge as the contest's best player. A rejuvenated Zac Williams (26 disposals, one goal) returned to half-back and also found form, while Adam Saad (26 disposals, eight marks) provided the ideal one-two punch in a suddenly speedy Blues backline.
The Hawks, to their credit, were never out of the game. Tom Mitchell (44 disposals, eight clearances) was prolific, while James Worpel (24 disposals, seven clearances) also performed strongly. But a side clearly in a redevelopment phase, for all of its fight, ran out of puff in the latter stages as the Blues kept their distant finals dream alive to improve to a 4-5 record on the season. For long periods in the game's early stages, Carlton had the ball camped inside Hawthorn's half. But their control came without potency. The Blues had doubled their opposition's inside-50 count to quarter-time, but had just a 10-point lead to show for it. Even when the scoreboard began to reflect the pattern of the play, with Walsh's long bomb from beyond 50m spurring Carlton to three straight goals at one stage in the second term, Hawthorn instantly hit back. A quickfire double from Luke Breust had the margin to within single digits again, before Dan Howe's flukish snap dribbled through as the half-time siren sounded to whittle the deficit to just three points by the main break.
But just when it seemed as though the Blues had shot themselves in the foot, the Hawks did likewise. Jacob Koschitzke's inexplicable decision to play-on from the goal line, only to be tackled by Nic Newman, gave Carlton life on the eve of three-quarter time. Three consecutive Blues goals before the final change created a buffer too big for the Hawks to drag back. Breust managed to cut the deficit slightly with his third, before Harry McKay finished an uncharacteristically quiet game by sealing the deal with a long-range effort.
Carlton returned to the winner's list with an all-too-rare victory over Hawthorn. Coming up against the side which has tormented them in recent years, the Blues prevailed in a scratchy affair at the MCG for their fourth victory of the season. Sam Walsh and Ed Curnow set the tone from the outset with another first-class showing, while the Blues were able to produce a winning score despite dominant forward Harry McKay being well-held before two second-half goals.
Quarter 1:
Eddie Betts opened the Blues’ account in near-perfect conditions at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. Following suit, it took no time for returning Blue Jack Silvagni to make an impact with his first major of the day. The Hawks got one back at the 13-minute mark of the opening to kickstart the day’s back and forth. Carlton punished a costly Hawthorn turnover with an easy goal kicked off by Sam Walsh and finished by Matt Owies in the goal square. Tom De Koning thought he’d join in the first term fun in his first game back in 2021, an impressive mark and subsequent goal making it four for the Blues. Sneaking in their major before the siren, the Hawks closed the lead to 10 points at the first break.
Quarter 2:
Carlton came bursting back on to the scene in the second quarter with a first goal in Navy Blue off the boot of Zac Williams. Perhaps the most impressive goal of the first half came from Sam Walsh at the 14-minute mark, lining up from outside 50 to reinforce the Blues’ first-half ascendency. Quick goals from Matt Owies and Eddie Betts kept the good times rolling, but two quick goals in the last two minutes of the quarter saw the Hawks narrow the margin to just three points. It could've very well been a Hawthorn lead at the main change if not for the exemplary Jacob Weitering, who registered six intercepts in the first half alone.
Quarter 3:
Carlton was eager to start the second half with the momentum after a late second-half surge from Hawthorn. Wasting no time against his old side, Marc Pittonet took matters into his own hands with his first major for the day. A goal from the Hawks kept them right in contention for the majority of the quarter, with both sides working hard to lock down through the centre. Michael Gibbons broke the scoring drought with three minutes remaining to give the Blues the breathing space after what had been a hotly contested quarter. From there, McKay was able to take advantage of a free kick to put the Blues 14 points up for his first of the day. But it was Marc Murphy with an impressive quarter who capped it off on the siren, registering his first goal to open up a 19-point lead at the final change.
Quarter 4:
It was Hawthorn with the early goal at the MCG, chipping away early at Carlton’s final term lead. Sticking fat, the Blues managed to quell an attacking Hawks outfit despite repeat entries in their forward 50. It hadn't been his day, but the Coleman Medal leader made it his moment: after marking on the 50-metre line, Harry McKay wheeled onto his left foot and iced the game with his second of the afternoon. It was a willing final term, but it ended the way of the Blues for just the second time from the past 17 meetings between these two sides.
Moment of the match:
It’s hard to go past a first goal in new colours for a moment of the match, and this week it’s Zac Williams with the reward. The Blues had the ascendency early in the quarter when when a crafty pass from Sam Walsh landed squarely in the hands of Williams: the boyhood Bluebagger didn’t miss a step in sending it towards goal for his first in Navy Blue.
Three things we learned:
1. We say it every week, but Sam Walsh is impossible to ignore. Three years at the senior level and his best just keeps getting better. Walsh finished as one of the Blues' best on Saturday afternoon, largely down to his performance in the first half where he was the most-dominant player on the ground. Finishing with 30 disposals and a classy second-quarter goal, it was another outstanding showing from the young Blue.
2. While the 45,000-strong crowd at the MCG have loved seeing McKay kicking multiple goals every week, the Blues were more than happy to share the load. With McKay curtailed before his last-quarter heroics, the Blues were forced to find different avenues to goal and they duly obliged: the home side registered 10 individual goalkickers.
3. A positional switch in the last fortnight has returned immediate dividends for David Teague's side. Zac Williams returned to half back against Melbourne and produced arguably his best performance for his new club against Hawthorn, registering a game-high 741 metres gained from his 26 disposals. In his place, Sam Docherty has revelled his role higher up the ground in the last fortnight, producing another strong showing with 26 disposals.
Kosi has his dreaded Riewoldt moment
Jacob Koschitzke's cousin, Justin, played in the 2010 Grand Final replay when Nick Riewoldt was infamously chased down on the goal line by Heath Shaw. On Saturday, Koschitzke had his own moment to forget. Having marked strongly on the goal line from Luke Breust's errant shot, the young key forward went to immediately play on and kick the most routine of goals. The only problem was that Carlton defender Nic Newman was right behind him, realising the state of play and driving Koschitzke into the turf. The simplest of shots would have put Hawthorn in front. Instead, Carlton kicked the next three goals to open a 19-point lead by three-quarter time.
Spring-heeled youngster gives Blues plenty of pep.
Carlton and Hawthorn showcased the future of their ruck divisions on Saturday, with the Hawks' 211cm debutant Ned Reeves coming up against the Blues' talented 21-year-old big man Tom De Koning. It was the Carlton kid who perhaps shaded the battle, with De Koning demonstrating his elite athleticism and high-marking ability in an exciting performance. The 203cm ruck-forward marked strongly, competed well in the ruck and drifted forward to provide an option in attack. De Koning finished with one goal from 14 disposals and 13 hitouts, with Reeves ending the match with 13 disposals and 21 hitouts.
Best: E. Curnow, S. Walsh, Z. Williams, S.Docherty, P. Cripps, J. Weitering.
Team
| B: | 13 Liam Stocker | 20 Lachie Plowman | 23 Jacob Weitering |
| HB: | 3 Marc Murphy | 14 Liam Jones | 42 Adam Saad |
| C: | 46 Matthew Cottrell | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 15 Sam Docherty (c) |
| HF: | 6 Zac Williams | 1 Jack Silvagni | 8 Lachie Fogarty |
| F: | 19 Eddie Betts | 10 Harry McKay | 44 Matt Owies |
| Ruck: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 18 Sam Walsh | 35 Ed Curnow |
| Interchange: | 12 Tom De Koning | 24 Nic Newman | 40 Michael Gibbons |
| 43 Will Setterfield | |||
| Medical Substitute | 36 Josh Honey | ||
| Coach: | David Teague | ||
| Emergencies: | 7 Matthew Kennedy | 32 Jack Newnes | 41 Levi Casboult |
Medical Sub.: Josh Honey unused.
In; Tom De Koning, Jack Silvagni, Josh Honey, Josh Honey
Out: David Cunningham (knee), Levi Casboult (omitted), Luke Parks (omitted)
Interesting Fact
This would be Carlton's first win over Hawthorn at the MCG since Round 17, 2000, this was the day that star Blue Sam Walsh was born on the 2nd July, 2000.Milestones
100 Games (Carlton): Lachie Plowman50 Goals: Jack Silvagni
First Goal (Carlton): Zac Williams
AFLCA Votes
9 - Sam Walsh (CARL)8 - Sam Docherty (CARL)
4 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
3 - Zac Williams (CARL)
3 - Tom Mitchell (HAW)
2 - Kyle Hartigan (HAW)
1 - Blake Hardwick (HAW)
Brownlow Votes
3 - Sam Walsh (CAR)2 - Tom Mitchell (HAW)
1 - Jacob Weitering (CAR)
Best & Fairest Votes
Sam Walsh 11, Jacob Weitering 8, Liam Stocker 8, Lachie Plowman 7, Patrick Cripps 7, Zac Williams 7, Ed Curnow 6, Adam Saad 6, Marc Pittonet 6, Nic Newman 5, Eddie Betts 4, Lachie Forgarty 4, Matt Owies 4, Will Setterfield 4, Michael Gibbons 4, Marc Murphy 3, Matthew Cottrell ,Liam Jones 3, Jack Silvagni 3, Tom De Koning 2, Sam Docherty 1
Round 9 | Round 11