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| Venue: | Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast QLD. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Saturday, August 19, 2023 (2.10pm) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Won by 4 points | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 19,253 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | C. Curnow, 5.1, J. Martin 2.2, J. Motlop 2.2, M. Owies 2.2, H. McKay 1.1, M. Cottrell 1.0, P. Cripps 0.1, P. Dow 0.1, Z. Fishert 0.1, Rushed 0.2. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | 3 - Leigh Fisher, 17 - John Howorth, 33 - Brent Wallace, 36 - Andrew Adair | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
Emotional comeback seals Carlton finals berth
The Blues have delivered a four-point victory over the Suns to secure a finals spot. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton MediaCarlton in September. After overturning a 40-point deficit, the Blues secured a crucial victory, locking in a top-eight berth with a four-point win over the Suns. Carlton was well and truly put through its paces as a determined Gold Coast came out firing, with the Blues conceding seven of the first eight goals. However, led by improved endeavour and a virtuoso performance from Charlie Curnow (five goals), the Blues held on to record a ninth successive win.
Quarter one
It was a shaky start for the Blues, who didn’t register an inside 50 until the seven-minute mark of the term. The Suns slotted the first five goals of the game, leaving the Blues struggling to get their hands on the ball. Against his old side, Adam Saad was busy early with intercept marks as the ball lived in Gold Coast’s 50 (19-8 forward entries). When Carlton did manage to get the ball moving, Ollie Hollands and Zac Fisher were instrumental in impacting contests and running the Sherrin down the wing, but turnovers in the forward half restricted the Blues’ scoring opportunities. A goal finally came through 50-gamer Matt Cottrell in the final minute of the quarter, but an instant reply from the Gold Coast left Carlton trailing by 33 points at the first change.
Quarter two
It was looking like more of the same as the second term kicked off, with the Suns’ David Swallow slotting the first goal from a Blues’ turnover. Charlie Curnow secured a much-needed goal for his side - after a powerful running effort from Cottrell - which gave Carlton a surge of momentum. As Gold Coast attempted to keep things going forward, Nic Newman’s repeat defensive efforts were incredibly impactful, as well as the work of Jacob Weitering - against former teammate Levi Casboult - on the last line of defence. Curnow was busy from there, kicking three consecutive goals and also setting up one for Matt Owies for the third consecutive weeks. The Blues finished the term with five marks inside 50 - a stat which was sitting at zero at quarter time - that allowed them to get a score on the board. Back on the Gold Coast, a classy goal from Jack Martin made it six unanswered goals for Carlton, as the Blues reduced the deficit to just two points at the main break.
Quarter three
It was a significantly quieter quarter, with both sides making calculated moves with the ball and trying to pick through traffic. An early goal from Jesse Motlop kicked the term off, but there wouldn’t be another from either side until the 10-minute mark. Weitering started to take some clean intercepts and Newman’s aggressive tackling kept the Blues in possession. Carlton spent more time in its forward 50, but was unable to capitalise with seven behinds. The Blues did well to cut things off and lock the play inside their forward half, taking seven intercept marks for the term. However, after having all the territory, a late goal from Swallow saw Gold Coast take a one-point lead into the final quarter.
Quarter four
The term started with Ed Curnow being subbed in for David Cuningham, as the Blues looked for some additional physicality through the middle. Gold Coast came into the term energised, slotting the first two goals to put Carlton on the back foot. A quick major from Motlop swung momentum back, before Martin’s strong mark and finish edged Carlton closer. Another Curnow contested mark resulted in a goal, and his work didn’t stop there, setting up a major the returning Harry McKay to give the Blues the lead. Matthew Owies extended the gap but a Brandon Ellis goal made for some nervy final moments, with Weitering continuing to lead the way in defence. However, in the final stages, there was only going to be one man to decide the game, as Curnow moved behind the ball to take a towering mark and seal Carlton’s first finals berth in a decade.
Three things we’ve learned
1. It should be known by now, but Charlie Curnow can turn a game on its head like few others. Kicking four goals in the second term was the catalyst for the Blues’ reassertion into the contest, as the reigning Coleman Medallist finished the game with five goals, nine score involvements and one huge game-saving mark.
2. Jacob Weitering continues to impress week on week. In what was a slow start for Carlton, Weitering was enormous in getting the game back on the team’s terms, intercepting consistently on the last line in a game full of momentum swings.
3. The difference a year makes. The last fortnight has shown the Blues’ ability to close out tight games, with fans well and truly on edge in wins over Melbourne and Gold Coast. With a finals spot now solidified, Carlton’s ability to impact finals - rather than simply make it - will be defined by its temperament in tight moments.
Best: C. Curnow, J. Weitering, G. Hewett, N. Newman, Z. Fisher, B. Acres, A. Saad.
It just had to be: The Gold Coast game, 2023 edition
The scene of prior heartbreak turned into one of jubilation in 2023 for Carlton. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.It just had to be on the Gold Coast. Gold Coast, 2012 edition. The scene where, 11 months after Carlton’s best season in a decade, a shock loss in the penultimate game of the season was the full stop on not only the Blues’ campaign, but also the tenure of former-captain-turned-coach, Brett Ratten.
Gold Coast, 2018 edition. The scene of a brief moment of reprieve in a dire season five years ago, where Carlton ventured north, overcame a slow start and recorded their second of just two wins that campaign, with a number of long-suffering Blues who played yesterday - Dow, Cripps, McKay, Marchbank, Weitering, Curnow and Curnow - featuring on that wet Saturday night. Gold Coast, 2019 edition. The scene of the bouncing ball from Jack Bowes’ boot over the head of Mitch McGovern, breaking Blue hearts and confining the team to a 0-4 start.
Gold Coast, 2020 edition. The scene of the home of the hub, where the Blues enjoyed victories over the Western Bulldogs and Sydney in the company of only each other plus a few socially distanced in the stands, with plenty under lockdown back at home in Victoria.
Gold Coast, 2022 edition. It was even the scene of the team’s first blemish under Michael Voss four rounds in, where Patrick Cripps went down in the first quarter. Back then, the perception of ‘no Cripps, no Carlton’ was shared by many.
Both at the ground and in Navy Blue homes all over the country, you could excuse them for thinking Round 23, 2023 may have been a case of history repeating. The location was the same, and the script was coming to fruition all to see.
The bloody Gold Coast, 2023 edition. The scene where Carlton got overwhelmed out of the blocks, falling behind by 40 points and not really able to fire a shot, with everything to play for - again - in the last game of the season. There was even the sub-plot of Cripps coming from the ground in the first quarter (“we’ve been here before”), with his influence largely quelled for the rest of the game. No Cripps, no Carlton? Not this time.
On Saturday afternoon, this wasn’t a team that was worried with who was or wasn’t out there. Nor was it one that was suffocated by pressure: rather, it rose to it. Sure, it wasn’t always pretty, but it got the job done — a job which had been sitting idly on the to-do list for a decade. And despite the red seats, the plethora of Navy Blue in the stands very much came with the team. There aren’t any official figures of how much of the 19,000-strong at Heritage Bank Stadium ventured to the home of the Suns in support of the Blues — but let’s just say it’s safe to can call it the majority. There’s a connection between this Carlton group and the fans, and it’s been strengthening by the year. They’ve seen a lot of these players develop from draft day; they’ve endured the hurt when it hasn’t been easy; they’ve watched them stay. So when Charlie Curnow started his run when the Blues needed him most, he beckoned to the Carlton faithful crowded behind the goals almost immediately.
Get us going. That they did. Stronger together, as Michael Voss would put it.
After years of trips north ultimately being associated with disappointment, if not heartbreak, the way the Blues overturned a 40-point deficit into the most improbable of five-point wins - thus sealing a spot in September after years of toiling - will go a long way to alleviating those emotions, the hope that blue skies up north now doesn’t just refer to the weather. Time will tell, but hopefully from a Carlton perspective, gone are the days of associating trips to Carrara as ‘the bloody Gold Coast’, but rather ‘that bloody Gold Coast game’ which occurred on Saturday 19 August 2023. The job’s not done, of course. If Michael Voss has his way, the Gold Coast game will be just a footnote - a chapter - in Carlton’s ever-developing, ever-fluctuating story.
But for a man that has been all about keeping the bigger picture front of mind, even he was happy to take a second to delve into what the win meant for the thousands of Carlton fans invested in the game, the season, the team, the Club. “That was a big moment,” Voss said. “Since I started, that goal has been clear, about what our direction needed to look like. We’ve had to work through a lot of things as a team and we’ve had an extreme amount of adversity: there’s a great story in behind that. We’ve taken a lot out of it, and we hope we can use it moving forward. “We’re playing finals footy. It hasn’t been said for a while at this club. “I’m pleased that I’m saying it.” Whatever happens from here, it’s a day that will live long in the Navy Blue memory. The bloody Gold Coast game.
Voss, Blues out to impact
Michael Voss breaks down the game that secured Carlton a finals spot. - By Carlton MediaThe ride isn't over.
After a bumpy start to proceedings in Round 23 where Carlton conceded the first five goals of the game, the Blues banded together to clinch a nail-biting four-point victory for the second consecutive week. AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss was proud of the way his team were able to put the foot down and then hang tough in the dying minutes, despite his obvious disappointment at how the opening of the game panned out. Here's what he had to say.
On securing a finals spot:
"It’s nice to lock it away. The danger is after last week's game was thinking the job was done: clearly there was some chance that wouldn’t happen. "Recognising that there were a few things that had to go against us for that to happen but to take control of it and have destiny in your own hands about where you want to go next is pretty important. It was a serious challenge today, a really big challenge: we had to find that bit extra."
On Gold Coast's performance:
"There were moments there where it felt like we didn’t deserve to win. starting at quarter time so far back, that’s hard to peg back at any time, and it's certainly extremely hard when you’re away from home and playing on someone else’s home ground. "Their last few weeks, Gold Coast has been very impressive, so we knew what we were walking into. We got the full version of it early and we were able to change the momentum after quarter time. Even in the last quarter, there were a few moments where I thought ‘that’s it, bit too hard’. "Every challenge, we kept coming at it and stuck it out and we were able to win in the end."
On the first quarter:
"If you know Gold Coast’s game, you know they’re going to bring a strong contest. That’s such a strong area of their game. "In the last two weeks against some quality midfields, they’ve done really well. We couldn’t get any ascendency out of there and we had a few things break down and some of our connection through midfield and turning it over in really high-quality areas for the opposition, which made it really hard for us to get any traction. "We tidied it up a bit in the contest, we went to work on our ball movement and gave ourselves an opportunity to have it in our front half for a bit longer."
On Charlie Curnow's performance:
"A brilliant performance, an absolutely brilliant performance. I’d like to sit here and say everyone does their role, but also, you need to take your moments: he’s taken his moments. Any little window he's getting, he’s been able to impact significantly. "I think even if I had decided for him to go or not, he’d go down back, which I was thankful he did. "He brings an enormous amount of energy: not just to the crowd, he brings the players along as well. I think what I’ve been really pleased with is Charlie has been in such wonderful form, but we’ve had our weight of numbers for a while now. We’ve been really sticking at it, being stronger together and as a result of that, that is what moves the needle. "When you get those opportunities like Charlie had, he’s been good enough to find those moments in close games, but it’s through the weight of numbers that we find ourselves able to work through that."
On training 'clutch' moments:
"It’s amazing how you get the confidence through rehearsal: we’ve been working through a lot through the last little while to really nail those moments. "We had a moment in the fourth quarter with Collingwood, we stared that down and it was real growth for us. We had some moments with St Kilda at half time and we had to absorb a lot and find our way against Melbourne in the last four minutes. We didn’t get it right, we weren’t fantastic but we found a way, so we gave it a little bit more work. "We might have to stop saving the game though! We use it a little bit too much so we might try something different at training this week."
On the upcoming weeks:
"The big thing for us, throughout all of this, is it’s going to be amazing when we can sit back and reflect on it. But right now, we’re in the moment. "This wasn’t about making finals, it was about impacting them: we feel like the job isn’t done. We’ve got more in us, we want to go to the line hard because we’ve got that momentum in us and lots of questions asked about us, as you would expect in a really high-level competition. We’ve been able to work our way through some of those. "We weren’t perfect today, we were imperfect a lot, but we were able to work our way through it."
On the feeling at the final siren:
"That was a big moment for the Club. Since I’ve started, that goal has been clear about what the direction would look like. "We’ve had to work through a lot of things as a team, and we’ve had an extreme amount of adversity: it’s a great story behind that. We’ve taken a lot out of it and we can use that moving forward. "That was just a great moment for the Club to be able to have that confirmation. It hasn’t been said for a while at this Club, I’m proud to be saying it. "We're playing finals footy."
Finals-bound Blues snatch victory after almighty scare from Suns
Carlton made it nine wins in a row and secured its first finals berth in 10 years after a nail-biting four-point win over Gold Coast - Ben Somerford.It's official, Carlton will play finals footy for the first time in a decade. The Blues did it the hard way, rallying back from 40 points down to steal a stunning come from behind four-point win over a spirited Gold Coast at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Led by Charlie Curnow with five goals and the game-saving mark in his defensive goal square, the Blues held on despite a late Suns charge to secure the 13.13 (91) to 13.9 (87) victory. Carlton trailed by 40 points in the second term, but rallied back with seven consecutive goals either side of half-time.
The second half turned into an arm-wrestle, with the Blues again fighting back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to get over the line for their ninth win on the trot. The Blues booted four successive goals to re-claim the lead, including Curnow's fifth before he assisted the returning Harry McKay, only for Brandon Ellis to respond making it a one-kick game in the final few minutes with Gold Coast pressing. Noah Anderson missed a 45m shot from a stoppage with 35 seconds left before Sean Lemmens' long inside 50 bomb from the Suns' final surge was plucked by Curnow at the top of the goal square, enabling him to wind down the clock.
The result confirms Carlton's finals spot with one round to play, while keeping its top-four hopes alive too, moving within two points of fourth-placed Melbourne who plays Hawthorn on Sunday. The win extends Carlton's winning run to nine games, with that streak initiated by their round 14 victory over the Suns, where they similarly dominated the second term with nine goals to none. Curnow was the difference this time, leading the rally with four second-quarter goals. The Coleman Medal leader's five-goal haul took his season tally to 75, 10 clear of second-placed Adelaide forward Taylor Walker who has two games to play.
In-form Nic Newman had 31 disposals, while George Hewett was important in the coalface against Gold Coast's tough onballers with 23 disposals, including 15 contested possessions plus 10 tackles. Gold Coast was brilliantly led by reformed half-forward David Swallow who kicked a career-best four goals, along with the tireless Sam Flanders (36 disposals), Touk Miller (29 disposals and a goal) and Jarrod Witts (38 hitouts). Carlton appeared in holiday mode early on the Gold Coast as the Suns piled on six goals to one in the first term. Flanders had 13 disposals by quarter-time, while Swallow and Alex Sexton, who was back in the Suns' side for the first time since round 14, booted two goals each with the Suns producing some sizzling football on the rebound.
Jack Lukosius' goal at the six-minute mark of the second term opened up a 40-point lead, before Curnow turned it on, kicking the next three majors for the game, out-marking Charlie Ballard for his third. Carlton soon had all the momentum with the frustrated Suns were short on answers and discipline, with Lukosius giving away a 100m penalty and being reported, before Curnow booted his fourth as the Blues put together seven in a row to close within two points at half-time. The Blues claimed the lead for the first time two minutes after the restart from Jesse Motlop's snap, but were wasteful in the third with 1.7, allowing the Suns to remain in the contest and re-claim the lead at the final change after Swallow's third goal. Gold Coast actually kicked five of the next six goals after Motlop's major, leading by 13 points with 13 minutes remaining after Mabior Chol's goal.
But Carlton rallied again, with ex-Sun Jack Martin managing his second, before Curnow marked and played on in trademark style to goal from 50m out to cut the margin to one point. Curnow's dart set up McKay to put the Blues ahead before Matt Owies converted a set shot to open up an 11-point lead. Gold Coast, however, wouldn’t surrender, with Bailey Humphrey finding Ellis to cut the margin to five points, but Anderson spurned his late chance, while Curnow intercepted from Lemmens' hopeful final push.
McKay quiet on return as Blues work on forward synergy.
Curnow had booted 19 goals in four games since McKay went out of the side injured, creating questions about the duo's dynamic up forward. Thus the latter's return on Saturday was of interest, with the 2021 Coleman medalist struggling for impact, managing his only goal in the last quarter from Curnow's assist. McKay did appear rusty, having 10 disposals and five marks, finishing with 1.1. Curnow, on the other hand, was scintillating especially in the second term, forcing Gold Coast to switch Sam Collins from McKay to him after his fourth on Charlie Ballard. The Blues' small forwards thrived too, with two goals each for Motlop, Owies and Martin, so Carlton coach Michael Voss will be happy enough for now.
Cripps concern for injury-hit Blues
Despite its sensational form, Carlton has had its fair share of injury troubles lately, with McKay returning from a knee injury in this game, while Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra, Matthew Kennedy and Mitch McGovern are all still sidelined. Patrick Cripps spent time in the rooms in the first quarter although he re-emerged without any apparent new strapping and played on, albeit with minimal impact. The Brownlow medalist finished with 14 touches, with only half of those contested. With a finals campaign now locked in, Voss has the luxury of potentially resting a few troops in round 24 against Greater Western Sydney.
Best: C.Curnow, G. Hewett, N. Newman, Z. Fisher, B. Acres, S. Docherty, J. Weitering.
Finals locked in: Blues OFFICIALLY September-bound after ninth straight win in epic thriller. - Jono Baruch
Carlton has locked in its first finals appearance in over a decade, holding off a fast-finishing Gold Coast Suns in a sea-sawing thriller at Heritage Bank Stadium. Charlie Curnow kicked five goals, set up a couple more and took the game-saving mark as the Blues overcame a 33-point quarter time deficit to record their ninth win a row, 13.13 (91) to 13.9 (87). It was Carlton’s biggest comeback from a quarter-time deficit since Round 1, 2013. After getting caught napping in the opening quarter, Carlton flicked a switch in the second quarter, with Curnow booting four goals for the term to get the Blues into the game. Curnow did it at both ends for the Blues, taking a big mark in defence in the dying seconds to save the game and ensure the Blues held on to secure their first finals berth since 2013.
1st Quarter.
The Suns took the early advantage against a Blues team that was slow out of the blocks, kicking the opening three goals of the game and dominating possession as the ball lived in the Gold Coast attacking half. Alex Sexton kicked two of the three opening Suns goals as the Suns showed their intent for the contest. The Suns kicked the opening five goals of the game as they continued to outwork and outrun Carlton all over the ground. “This is extraordinary,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy. The Blues got a late goal through Matthew Cottrell to finally open their account before Suns veteran David Swallow put an exclamation point on a dominant opening quarter with a goal after the quarter-time siren, going into the first break with a 33-point lead.
2nd Quarter.
The Suns started the second quarter much like their first, taking advantage of the space being afforded to them with Jack Lukosius converting the Suns’ seventh goal to stretch the lead beyond 40 points. Charlie Curnow kicked back-to-back goals for the Blues as they tried to get a footing into the contest. “Some of those mistakes are just creeping in for the Suns, some unforced errors,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy. The Coleman Medal leader kicked four second-quarter goals to help trim the margin back to two points at the main break. “They brought the pressure, we didn’t lift with them. It was an unacceptable quarter so we have to regroup at half-time,” Suns co-captain Touk Miller told Fox Footy.
3rd Quarter.
Carlton hit the front at the start of the second half through Jesse Motlop, who got on the end of some crafty groundwork from ruckman Tom De Koning and snapped truly to give Carlton the lead for the first time in the day. The Suns finally kicked a much-needed goal through Ben Ainsworth – their first major since the sixth-minute mark of the second quarter – to level the scores again after enjoying some rare territory and halting the Blues’ momentum. The Blues had several chances to stretch their lead but couldn't convert their chances. The Suns kicked a late goal through David Swallow to take a one-point lead into the final change.
4th Quarter,
The Suns got the perfect start to the final quarter, with skipper Miller streaming into an open goal and extending the Suns’ lead to seven points. “They’ve got some energy back into this game,” Brown said. Swallow kicked his career-high fourth goal after marking uncontested in the goalsquare to extend the lead. Curnow kicked his fifth goal to draw the Blues back within a point after Mabior Chol kicked the Suns clear again. But the Blues kept coming and hit the front when Curnow found Harry McKay out the back to kick his first goal of the day on his return from knee surgery. The Suns hit back through Brandon Ellis to trim the margin to under a goal in the dying minutes and threatened to steal the game late as they continued their relentless attack. But it was Curnow at both ends to deny the Suns, taking a big mark on the last line of defence to ensure the Blues held on for a four-point victory.
The 3-2-1
3. CURNOW ‘SPARKS’ – THEN SAVES – BLUES
Thank god for Charlie Curnow. The Blues conceded their worst opening quarter since they were jumped by the Crows in Gather Round. The Suns made the Blues pay for their lack of run and pressure that had become a trademark of their eight-game winning streak. “A week is a long time in football,” Jonathan Brown said. “Last week was as close as you’re going to get to a final and a grand final level with pressure. Well today … the Gold Coast Suns have been very good, but the Blues are well and truly off with their energy.” Carlton needed a spark — and it came through its superstar forward. Curnow sprang to life in the second quarter, kicking four goals to help trim the deficit back to two points and get his side rolling. “He looked a bit off in the first quarter like the rest of his teammates, but he was the spark,” Brown said “Four goals in a quarter is a tremendous effort and his teammates jumped onto the back of it.” Alastair Lynch added: “Some great contested marks, worked hard to get into some space, allowed some space as well and that ball use … the delivery setting up (Matt) Owies was first class.” Curnow was central to everything the Blues did, finishing with five goals of his own and setting up his teammates for two goals with some precise passes. Curnow then saved the day on the last line of defence. Thrown behind the ball late, he took the game-saving mark and secured the Blues’ ninth straight win and first appearance in September since 2013. “He can‘t contain his excitement and he’s going to be playing finals for the first time — and I’ve just got a feeling, Charlie Curnow is probably made for finals,” St Kilda Hall Famer Leigh Montagna said.
2. CHEEKY CALLS FOR ‘HEADCOUNT’ AFTER ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ SUNS OPENING BLITZ
The Gold Coast Suns jumped the Blues with their best first quarter of the season. The space the Carlton players were affording the Suns in their front half, and lack of pressure on the Suns’ ball-carriers had Lions greats Jonathan Brown and Alistair Lynch jokingly calling for a “headcount” in commentary. “They (Carlton) are all over the shop behind the football,” Brown said. “I cannot believe how many Gold Coast Suns players are running around on their own. “They just want it more … Gold Coast decided to fight fire with fire … there was a lot to like about the ball movement of the Suns.” The Suns jumped out to a 40-point lead six minutes into the second quarter as they made the “flat” Blues pay for lack of pressure. “This is extraordinary,” Lynch said. “We’ve seen the Suns play well at times but they aren’t efficient going inside 50. But at the moment, they are outworking and outrunning the Carlton Football Club.” Speaking at half time, Suns co-captain Touk Miller lauded his side’s ability to move the ball that enabled their fast start. “We’ve got to be really sharp on turnover with the ball coming out of their defensive half, so we’ve just got to maximise that and squeeze the ground,” he said on Fox Footy.
1. MCKAY’S QUIET RETURN ADDS INTRIGUE TO BLUES SELECTION CRUNCH
Harry’ McKay’s ahead-of-schedule return to the senior side was a welcome sight for Michael Voss, despite his low return on the stat sheet. Returning with his twin tower Charlie Curnow, who enjoyed a day out, McKay took a long time to work into the game, only registering his first disposal halfway through the second quarter despite a power of running work. McKay finished with just 10 disposals, four score involvements and 1.1 — his goal coming in the final quarter after being set up from a laser like pass from Curnow over the back. While he will be better for the run leading into the finals, McKay’s quiet display adds intrigue to a looming selection crunch coming at Carlton. Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra and Matthew Kennedy are all expected to return for next week’s clash with the Giants or week one of the finals. Carlton are also sweating on the fitness of Jack Silvagni after he sustained a knee injury in his return game in the VFL earlier in the day.
Team
| B: | 23 Jacob Weitering | 17 Brodie Kemp | 42 Adam Saad |
| HB: | 25 Zac Fisher | 24 Nic Newman | 22 Caleb Marchbank |
| C: | 14 Ollie Hollands | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 13 Blake Acres |
| HF: | 44 Matt Owies | 21 Jack Martin | 46 Matt Cottrell |
| F: | 12 Tom De Koning | 30 Charlie Curnow | 10 Harry McKay |
| Ruck: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 29 George Hewett | 15 Sam Docherty |
| Interchange: | 2 Paddy Dow | 3 Jesse Motlop | 28 David Cuningham |
| 39 Alex Cincotta | |||
| Substitute: | 35 Ed Curnow | ||
| Coach: | Michael Voss | ||
| Emergencies: | 1 Jack Silvagni | 36 Josh Honey | 37 Jordan Boyd |
In: Harry McKay
Out: Lachie Fogarty (injured)
Substitute: Ed Curnow (replaced David Cuningham at 3/4 time).
Interesting Facts
1. Shorts; Despite being the visiting team, the Blues wore their traditional navy blue shorts while Gold Coast wore red.2. Adam Saad equaled his career-high 10 rebounds in this game, this was the 4th time he has achieved this number.
3. Paddy Dow equalled his career-high of 24 disposals, 15 kicks, and 6 marks in this game.
4. Ed Curnow for the third game in a row, replaced a player playing a milestone game.
Milestones
50th Game : Matt Cottrell & David CuninghamLast Game: Ed Curnow
Winning streaks: Our 9th win in a row; our first such run since 2000 when we won 13
AFLCA Votes
10 - Charlie Curnow CARL
7 - David Swallow GCFC
5 - Jacob Weitering CARL
5 - Sam Flanders GCFC
2 - Nic Newman CARL
1 - Touk Miller GCFC
Brownlow Votes
3 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)2 - Sam Docherty (CARL)
1 - Matt Rowell (GCFC)
Best and Fairest Votes
Video
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