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| Venue: | MCG | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Thursday 25 March, 2021 (7.20 pm). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Lost by 21 points. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 51,723 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | H. McKay 4.0, M. Gibbons 3.1, J. Martin 3.0, M. Pittonet 1.1, Z. Fisher 1.0, L. Fogarty 1.0, M. Murphy 0.1, J. Newnes 0.1, J. Weitering 0.1, Rushed 0.2. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | Curtis Deboy, David Harris, Andrew Stephens. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 15th | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
We fall to Collingwood by 21-points.A dominant performance from the Pies saw the Blues fall by 21-points at the MCG. Harry McKay kicked four goals while Michael Gibbons and Jack Martin kicked three.
Quarter one:Zac Williams was busy early in his first minutes as a Blue, controlling the ball through the middle and setting up scoring opportunities in the forward 50. Jack Martin slotted an early goal in his return to the side while Marc Pittonet provided a strong contest against Brodie Grundy. Collingwood was clean in getting the ball inside its forward 50, with its conversion in front of goal causing headaches for the home side. Michael Gibbons delivered a clever snap on goal to keep it tight, while Lachie Fogarty’s pressure was consistent across the field. Adam Saad provided speed and class across half back, leading the disposal count for Carlton in the first term, but it was the Pies who well and truly held the ascendancy on the scoreboard with a three-goal lead.
Quarter two: Collingwood started the quarter quickly with two goals in the first minute, before Marc Pittonet kicked his first AFL goal to get the Blues going in the second term. Martin provided an option for the Blues in the middle and up forward, taking his tally to three goals for the game, before Gibbons once again bobbed up with a Goal of the Year contender to get back into the game. Collingwood dominated the contested possession count, but Carlton was able to hang on through the boot of McKay. Jacob Weitering and Sam Docherty did everything in their power to lock down the defensive 50, but a Collingwood run-on in the final moments left Carlton with plenty to do in the second half. Carlton appeared to need a miracle to stem the momentum when it fell 30 points down early in the second term. But, fortunately, Gibbons provided just that. Twice. Having produced a lovely dummy and check-side in the opening term, his dribbled effort from the point post in the second quarter helped reduce the deficit to just eight points.
Quarter three: The Pies had the territory early in the quarter, with the Blues defence under heavy fire early. Walsh was clever in the contest and Cripps and Williams’ pressure through the middle was handy as the Blues looked to get back in the game. A barometer of the Blues' life in pressure in the second term, Fogarty kicked his first goal in the Navy Blue followed by a snap from Zac Fisher shortly after. In his 50th game for the Club, McKay attempted to will the Blues back in the game off his own boot, kicking two quick goals to take his tally to four for the match and get the Blues back in the game. It was a single-digit ball game at the final change, with the Blues trailing by nine points in front of a vocal MCG crowd. The two sides continued to exchange blows throughout a tense, cagey third term. Inspired by McKay's efforts, Carlton kicked three consecutive goals to once again draw to within eight. But, inspired by Darcy Moore's defensive feats, Collingwood again kept its opponents at arm's length.
Quarter four: Carlton started the quarter as they ended it, with a lot of ball in their forward half and asking the question of Collingwood's back line. However, it was the Pies that managed to take advantage of the Blues inability to hit the scoreboard early and answered with two goals of their own, putting the Blues on the back foot. It was ultimately a case of what might have been for the Blues as - despite a third goal for Gibbons - a snap from Brody Mihocek sealed the deal for the Pies, rendering the Blues to a 21-point defeat.
Moment of the match: A career goal seven years in the making. Marc Pittonet slotted his first goal not only as a Blue, but the maiden goal of his career in general. Goalless across his opening five seasons at Hawthorn and Carlton, Pittonet opened his account early in the second quarter after an interception and true set shot. One of Carlton's best on the night, Lachie Fogarty followed suit in the third term with his first in his new colours.
Gibbons sparks the Blues revival: Carlton had been on its haunches in the game's opening stages, before Michael Gibbons lit the fuse for a mini-revival twice through some individual brilliance. His opening goal of the game saw the Blues forward smartly dummy around Darcy Moore's lunging smother attempt, before check-siding through from a tight angle. Then, when the Blues fell 30 points down in the second term, Gibbons produced an even more miraculous snap from the point post. Receiving the ball on ground level, the diminutive forward dribbled through his effort from the tightest of angles. Each of his goals came at the perfect moment for Carlton, helping to galvanise the team when it needed it most.
McKay, Moore deliver an old-fashioned battle: It was reminiscent of the '90s, with both the full-forward and full-back among the best for their respective sides. Harry McKay kicked four goals from 10 disposals and six marks and competed as Carlton's most dangerous attacking threat throughout the night, while Darcy Moore enjoyed 22 disposals and 18 intercepts from six marks to consistently repel a series of other Blues attacks. There was hardly anything to split the two, as a pair of the game's brightest key-position stars lit up the MCG encounter through their tireless tussle. If the neutral has their way, hopefully this won't be the last time these two battle it out like this in front of a huge crowd in a blockbuster encounter.
Best: L. Fogarty, S. Walsh, H. McKay, A. Saad, J. Martin, J. Weitering.
Team
| B: | 14 Liam Jones | 20 Lachie Plowman | 23 Jacob Weitering |
| HB: | 42 Adam Saad | 31 Tom Williamson | 15 Sam Docherty (c) |
| C: | 43 Will Setterfield | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 32 Jack Newnes |
| HF: | 8 Lachie Fogarty | 41 Levi Casoboult | 25 Zac Fisher |
| F: | 3 Marc Murphy | 10 Harry McKay | 21 Jack Martin |
| Ruck: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 18 Sam Walsh | 6 Zac Williams |
| Interchange: | 2 Paddy Dow | 5 Sam Petrevski-Seton | 35 Ed Curnow |
| 40 Michael Gibbons | |||
| Medical Substitute | 39 Oscar McDonald (unused) | ||
| Coach: | David Teague | ||
| Emergencies: | 4 Lochie O'Brien | 7 Matthew Kennedy | 19 Eddie Betts |
In; Zac Williams, Jack Martin
Out: Jack Silvagni (shoulder), Lochie O'Brien (omitted)
Milestones
Debut (Carlton): Zac Williams50 Games: Harry McKay
First Goal: Marc Pittonet
First Goal (Carlton): Lachie Fogarty
AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Votes
9 - Taylor Adams (COLL)8 - Darcy Moore (COLL)
7 - Jack Crisp (COLL)
2 - Brodie Grundy (COLL)
2 - Jordan De Goey (COLL)
2 - Scott Pendlebury (COLL)
Brownlow Votes
3 - Jack Crisp (COL)2 - Darcy Moore (COL)
1 - Taylor Adams (COL)
Best & Fairest Votes
Lachie Fogarty 9, Harry McKay 7, Sam Walsh 6, Jacob Weitering 6, Jack Martin 6, Sam Docherty 5, Zac Williams 5, Michael Gibbons 3, Adam Saad 2, Jack Newnes 2, Ed Curnow 2, Zac Fisher 1, Liam Jones 1Round 1 | Round 3