Round 2, 2025

Carlton 2.1 13 6.4 40 8.8 56 8.12 60 Hawthorn 2.3 15 5.5 35 9.7 61 12.8 80
Venue:	MCG
Date:	Thursday, 20th March 2025 (7.30 pm).
Result:	Lost by 20 points.
Crowd:	62,735
Goalkickers:	Z. Williams 2.0, J. Silvagni 1.3, J. Motlop 1.3, G. Hewett 1.1, B. Kemp 1.0, M. Cottrell 1.0, A. Cerra 1.0, T. De Koning 0.1, P. Cripps 0.1, Rushed 0.3.
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Curtis Deboy, Hayden Meyer, Brendan Hosking, Simon Meredith.
Injuries:	Nil.
Ladder:	14th.

Game Review

Blues overrun by Hawks

Carlton has fallen by 21 points to Hawthorn at the MCG. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has fallen by 21 points to Hawthorn at the MCG. In a spirited affair on a wet Thursday night in Melbourne, the deficit was under a kick at every break up until the last term, when Hawthorn kicked away in the 12.8 (80) to 8.12 (60) result. George Hewett (27 disposals, 11 tackles) and Adam Cerra (28 disposals, 550 metres gained) didn’t stop fighting on a night where the Blues showcased their endeavour from the outset, but were outrun in the final half hour. The Blues’ endeavour was evident from the outset, with three tackles inside forward 50 leading to Hewett kicking the team’s opening goal of the game. Patrick Cripps led from the front from the outset, with the captain contributing six disposals and three disposals in his opening 10-minute spell on the ground. It set the tone for the pattern of the opening term: Carlton’s contest (+6 clearances, +8 contested possessions) versus Hawthorn’s uncontested game (+13 marks, +16 uncontested). After Hawthorn had the early territory, the Blues got their game going in the second half of the term on the back of a Matthew Cottrell goal, with Jacob Weitering and Nick Haynes standing up well. There was a two-point deficit at the first change as showers started to fall, with Hawthorn getting the jump when play resumed with a pair of goals inside the opening 70 seconds of play. Defensive efforts from Mitch McGovern and Haynes helped turned the tide into goals, with Brodie Kemp and Jack Silvagni - who played up forward following Harry McKay’s late exclusion - both hitting the scoreboard. The Blues’ response came on the back of their pressure, kicking four consecutive goals in the second quarter - at one point it looked like five, if not for Jesse Motlop’s soccer getting called back on the score review for nicking the inside of the post. Hawthorn's Blake Hardwick responded almost immediately after, bringing the Blues’ half-time lead back to five points.

The first half was very much a tussle, with two sides giving each other their best shot and responding in kind. It was the kind of conditions which the Blues’ midfield relished, with Tom De Koning and his midfield charges all bringing their combative best. Once the second half resumed, Hawthorn continued the trend of bursting out of the blocks, as the Hawks took their chances in front of goal while the Blues spurned some half chances. Hawthorn kicked five consecutive goals while the Blues registered five consecutive behinds, until an opportunistic Zac Williams snap got the Blues back in it. Motlop added to it immediately afterwards, and once again there was less than a kick in it on the back of a heavily contested term, with 57 tackles shared between the two sides. However, with an extra game under their belt to start the season, Hawthorn finished the game full of run which Carlton couldn’t overcome. The Blues could only muster four behinds in the final term, unable to take their moments in a second half which could’ve gone much differently if not for 2.8 in the second half. The Blues will recharge next Friday night when it goes again against the Western Bulldogs under the roof of Marvel Stadium.

Best: G. Hewett, A. Cerra, P. Cripps, J. Weitering, M. Cottrell, T. De Koning.

Hawks battle past Blues to soar to 3-0 start

The Hawks have held off a challenge from the Blues for a strong win. - By Josh Gabelich at the MCG.

Make that three from three. After recovering from a 0-5 start to 2024 before roaring back to September, Hawthorn has maintained its perfect start to 2025 to be 3-0 for the first time since it won the premiership in 2014. On a night when Tom De Koning showed exactly why he is one of the most coveted signatures in the game this year, the brilliance of the in-form free agent wasn't enough to stall the momentum of Hawthorn at the MCG. Carlton's star ruckman helped Michael Voss' side respond after the shock round one loss to Richmond seven days earlier, but a blue-collar performance from the 'Hollywood Hawks' showed the growing maturity of Sam Mitchell's side in the 20-point win on Thursday night. The Blues produced an improved effort after enduring seven days of forensic analysis, but they couldn't sustain the performance after half-time, kicking only two second-half goals in the 12.8 (80) to 8.12 (60) loss. De Koning was the most dominant player on the ground, amassing 41 hitouts against Lloyd Meek, to go with 18 disposals, seven clearances and six score involvements, but Hawthorn had more winners across the ground. Carlton regained two-time Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow in round two, but lost his partner in attack Harry McKay to illness before the bounce. Instead, it was Mabior Chol who was the most threatening target at the MCG, finishing with three goals, while Nick Watson was a constant threat all night, adding two more goals. Led by dual Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps and George Hewett, the Blues won the midfield battle, but reigning Peter Crimmins medallist Jai Newcombe helped dragged Hawthorn over the line, amassing 32 disposals, 11 tackles and nine clearances. The big-name recruits in defence – Josh Battle and Tom Barrass – continue to deliver after moving clubs last October, while Josh Ward and Changkuoth Jiath grabbed their chances after starting 2025 outside the best 23. The alarm bells were ringing early when Chol marked and goaled inside 60 seconds, but Carlton settled, took a collective breath and responded. Chol had three shots by quarter-time but only converted one of them. It was that kind of quarter. Both sides wasted opportunities, after a downpour for the two hours before the bounce, which cleared just before the first siren, but made conditions difficult to master. Hawthorn made a move early in the second quarter, kicking two in two minutes to start the second quarter through Blake Hardwick then Watson. But just when the game was starting to slip, Brodie Kemp and Zac Williams kicked back-to-back goals in quick succession as the rain returned to the MCG. Connor Macdonald hobbled off in the arms of Hawthorn doctor Liam West and was swiftly substituted out of the game with another ankle injury after suffering one on the pre-season camp in January.

After wasting his first couple of chances, Jack Silvagni put Carlton in front for the first time after calmly slotting a set shot from 40m out. Hawthorn had 19 players on the ground for seconds after the Adam Cerra goal, before Harry Morrison quickly scurried off the ground. It summed up a period in the second quarter where the Hawks looked sloppy. Jesse Motlop made it five in a row just before half-time, or so he thought. The ARC found the Sherrin lightly clipped the post. Moments later, Hawthorn went coast-to-coast before Hardwick turned what was supposed to be a 15-point deficit into a one-kick game at the main break. Voss demanded a response and got one. Nothing came easy in the conditions. Fifteen minutes after nailing a shot from the opposite pocket, Gunston converted from a similar angle, making it five goals in a row. Enter De Koning: the Blues' No.1 ruckman played a critical role in keeping Carlton in the contest, dominating Meek at stoppage to be involved in the two response goals. But it wasn't enough. De Koning was caught off the ground for 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, as the clock ticked down on another loss. The Blues have now dropped nine of their past 11 and depart the MCG 0-2 after entering this ground a week ago as a premiership contender. Hawthorn has started 3-0 only twice this century. Both times it went all the way.

Best: T. De Koning, P. Cripps, G. Hewett, A. Cerra, S. Walsh.

Blues pleased with fight

Carlton coach Michael Voss said his players produced the effort he demanded after the loss to Richmond, but couldn't execute their opportunities when it mattered. On the back of Tom De Koning's dominance around stoppage, the Blues won the clearance count (+12), contested ball (+5) and matched Hawthorn's pressure, but managed only eight goals from 54 inside 50s. "They turned up the intensity a bit and asked some questions, but jeez I'm still happy with our fight," Voss said. "There is a fair bit of determination with the group throughout the night. Moments… take contested marks, maybe there was an inside 50 they didn't quite hit or a goal we don't quite finish. Often these games come down to moments. Clearly they were able to execute for a bit longer at the right times. that was probably somewhat the difference. "The focus has been on how we want to play and how consistently we can apply that. We found a better way forward, there is no doubt, after tonight. They are a great oppo to play against. They are very classy. I felt a lot of our system was standing up." Carlton lost Coleman medallist Harry McKay before the game after the star forward woke up ill and didn't recover in time to play. After starting the season 0-2, the Blues now face Footscray next Friday night at Marvel Stadium. - By Josh Gabelich at the MCG.

Team

B:	1 Jack Silvagni	23 Jacob Weitering	11 Mitch McGovern
HB:	42 Adam Saad	2 Lachlan Cowan	4 Ollie Hollands
C:	13 Blake Acres	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	21 Lucas Camporeale
HF:	8 Lachie Fogarty	33 Lewis Young	46 Matt Cottrell
F:	17 Brodie Kemp	30 Charlie Curnow	15 Sam Docherty
Ruck:	12 Tom De Koning	18 Sam Walsh	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	26 Nick Haynes	5 Adam Cerra	3 Jesse Motlop
	6 Zac Williams
Substitute:	36 Cooper Lord
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	10 Harry McKay	44 Francis Evans	43 Ashton Moir

Substitute: Cooper Lord replaced Lucas Camporeale during the last quarter.

In: C. Curnow, L. Young
Out: F. Evans (omitted), H. McKay (illness)

Free Kicks

Carlton 24
Hawthorn 29

Front Runners

Oliver Hollands 15.8km
Sam Docherty 14.3km

Milestones

50 Games (Carlton): Blake Acres
50 Goals (AFL): Zac Williams

AFLCA Votes

9 - Jai Newcombe (HAW)
9 - Josh Battle (HAW)
6 - Tom De Koning (CARL)
2 - Massimo D'Ambrosio (HAW)
2 - Blake Hardwick (HAW)
1 - George Hewett (CARL)
1 - Mabior Chol (HAW)

Brownlow Votes

Best and Fairest Votes

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Round 1 | Round 3