Round 6, 2021

Carlton 3.5 23 5.7 37 9.11 65 12.13 85 Brisbane Lions 2.3 15 9.9 63 13.12 90 15.13 103
Venue:	Marvel Stadium, Docklands.
Date:	Saturday 24th April, 2021 (4.35 pm).
Result:	Lost by 18 points.
Crowd:	29,576
Goalkickers:	H. McKay 6.2, M. McGovern 2.1, M. Murphy 2.0, S. Walsh 1.1, E. Curnow 1.0, E. Betts 0.4, P. Cripps 0.2, L. Fogarty 0.1, M. Gibbons 0.1, Rushed 0.1
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Brett Rosebury, Mathew Nicholls, Andrew Heffernan.
Injuries:	Nil.
Ladder:	13th

Game Review

Wounded Lions outwork patchy Blues despite Harry's haul
A six-goal haul from Harry McKay wasn't enough to get the Blues over the line as the Lions' forward line fired - Ben Sutton / Marni Olsson-Young.

Brisbane has pushed past a plethora of injury scares and a six-goal haul from Carlton's Harry McKay to beat the Blues by 18 points for their second AFL win on the bounce. The Lions lost Darcy Gardiner to concussion in the first term while Lachie Neale (ankle), Mitch Robinson (eye), Dan McStay (head knock) and Harris Andrews (head knock) all had treatment throughout Saturday evening's clash at Marvel Stadium. Carlton was left to rue a costly second quarter in an 18-point loss to Brisbane. The Blues won the first, third and final terms on the scoreboard, but a seven-goal-to-two second term for the Lions was the catalyst for the Blues' defeat. Sam Walsh and Harry McKay were the Blues' two best performers on the day, but a late rally wasn't enough for Carlton at Marvel Stadium. Sam Walsh (33 touches) was again brilliant for the Blues while McKay thrashed Brisbane vice-captain Harris Andrews. Carlton got off to a bright start, drawing first blood when Patrick Cripps slipped a handball to Mitch McGovern, who prodded home from just inside 50. Brisbane managed to remain within touching distance at quarter-time despite their wastefulness while Neale went down holding his ankle late in the quarter after getting it caught underneath his body.The Brownlow Medallist looked proppy early in the second quarter but was able to run off the injury and play out the game. Neale could also be cited for making contact with umpire Matthew Nicholls when he touched the official on the arm to get his attention after having his eyebrow split open in the second quarter. After quarter-time, Brisbane exploded and looked set to leave a listless Carlton in their wake.

Quarter one: It was just the start Carlton was after at Marvel Stadium, with the ball spending the lion’s share of the opening 10 minutes of play in Carlton’s forward 50. There was no reward for effort for Lachie Fogarty, with the youngster unlucky not to record the first of the day when what would have been an outstanding team goal shaved the inside of the post. It was Mitch McGovern who was first to get the Blues on the board, taking advantage of the Patrick Cripps assist. From there, the Lions nabbed their first for today, before Harry McKay dribbled through the Blues’ second for the afternoon. Another goal from Brisbane and a second for McKay gave Carlton the eight-point lead at the first break, with Carlton's on-ball combination of Cripps (eight disposals), Sam Walsh (11 disposals) and Zac Williams (eight disposals) having their fair share of the football.

Quarter two: Brisbane came out in the second quarter intent on starting with the momentum, with three quick goals quickly eclipsing the Blues’ first-quarter efforts. The Lions' strong start only continued, with the first half of the quarter awash with unanswered goals. Walsh did his best to wrangle back control with a major, sparking an evening of the inside 50 count for the remainder of the quarter. A late goal from Marc Murphy did little to quell Brisbane’s attack, with a 26-point half-time deficit the challenge in front of the Blues with a half left to play. Deven Robertson steered through his first AFL goal on the run to put the Lions in front, while Hipwood kicked three for the quarter. Carlton's second term could best be summed up by a bizarre moment when Liam Stocker sprayed an attempted pass from the back pocket off the side of his boot through the big sticks for a rushed behind. Despite their dominance, Brisbane led by just 26 points at the major break, keeping the door open for the Blues and McKay almost busted it down.

Quarter three: Carlton’s third quarter kicked off on a far brighter note than its second, with a crafty kick from Michael Gibbons to the hands of Harry McKay giving him his third major of the afternoon. Mere seconds later the Sherrin once again ended up in the No.10’s hands and McKay had his fourth, narrowing the deficit to 14 points. The Lions steadied the ship with their own major, but a fumble in front of the Blues goal proved costly when Ed Curnow took advantage of the loose ball to slot his own. McKay nabbed another goal to cut the margin to just seven points midway through the quarter, but two quick opportunistic goals to the Lions saw them take back the ascendancy, finishing the quarter with a 25-point lead. The key forward, with heavy strapping around his thigh, took two big contested marks and booted three goals to spark the Blues at the start of the third term with Carlton cutting the deficit to seven points. But the Blues were unable to maintain the rage, with Cripps and Eddie Betts both wasteful in front of goal, while Brisbane's late surge nudged the three-quarter time margin back out to 25 points. From there, the Lions kept Carlton at arm's length.

Quarter four: Carlton kicked its fourth quarter with a false start, as a Sam Walsh kick for goal minutes into the term - which would've brought the Blues within 18 points - was met with a goal review and subsequent behind. From there the Lions were able to capitalise on the pause in play, notching a goal shortly after to all but ice the contest. Murphy and McGovern gave the Blues same late hope with their second respective goals from identical positions, as Liam Jones did everything in his power to repel Brisbane's forward entries. Despite a late McKay snap (his sixth for the day), a Brisbane major was enough to ice the contest, resigning the Blues to a three-goal defeat.

Three things from the match:
1. Harry McKay loves it under the roof. Confidence is key for the high-flying McKay, who once again proved impactful up forward for his side. McKay finished the afternoon with six goals, with three of these coming in an inspired third-quarter showing. From his 22 goals from six games, 13 of those have come at Marvel Stadium from just two games.
2. Sam Walsh's performances cannot be undersold. Whether it's his solid work through the midfield or his ability to push forward fro a wing when the moment calls for it, you always know what you're going to get from the 20-year-old leader. Walsh finished with 33 disposals (more than anyone on the ground), six clearances and a second-quarter goal.
3. It was a quiet second quarter which once again came to bite the Blues at Marvel Stadium. Carlton led all key statistical indicators across the first, third and final terms, but a second quarter which saw the Blues concede seven goals and record only two themselves was ultimately their undoing.

When Harry dominated Harris
Carlton spearhead Harry McKay continued his breakout season with another massive outing at Marvel Stadium. McKay dominated his match-up with All-Australian Harris Andrews to finish with six majors, although it could have been more had he kicked straight. It continues his love affair under the roof at Marvel Stadium after he managed seven at the venue against Fremantle in round three. McKay now has 22 goals from six games and is a legitimate chance for the Coleman Medal.

Eddie's radar surprisingly off
Carlton veteran Eddie Betts is normally lethal in front of goal and he'll be wondering how he finished Saturday night's clash without a major. With the margin hovering around 20 points midway through the third quarter, Betts had a simple set shot from 20m out that he pushed wide. Less than two minutes later he found himself in space in the pocket for what would normally be a regulation checkside finish from the master, but he again failed to hit the target. Betts finished with 0.4, which was his worst outing in front of goal since he kicked 0.4 against Brisbane in 2010.

Lachie in hot water?
Reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale will have a nervous wait for Sunday's Match Review findings after he touched the umpire in the second quarter. Neale copped a knock at the bottom of a pack and had blood streaming from his face when he appeared to reach out and touch umpire Matthew Nicholls. While there was no malice in the contact, Tom Hawkins was suspended for one match for a similar incident in 2018. Neale had a strong match after suffering an early ankle injury that left him hobbled for much of the first quarter.

Best: S. Walsh, H. McKay, E. Curnow, J. Weitering, S. Docherty.

Team

B:	13 Liam Stocker	20 Lachie Plowman	14 Liam Jones
HB:	28 David Cuningham	23 Jacob Weitering	42 Adam Saad
C:	3 Marc Murphy	18 Sam Walsh	15 Sam Docherty (c)
HF:	46 Matthew Cottrell	41 Levi Casboult	8 Lachie Fogarty
F:	19 Eddie Betts	10 Harry McKay	11 Mitch McGovern
Ruck:	27 Marc Pittonet	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	6 Zac Wiliams
Interchange:	5 Sam Petrevski-Seton	32 Jack Newnes	35 Ed Curnow
	40 Michael Gibbons
Medical Substitute	7 Matthew Kennedy
Coach:	David Teague
Emergencies:	2 Paddy Dow	43 Will Setterfield	44 Matt Owies

In; David Cuningham, Liam Stocker.
Out: Tom Williamson (omitted), P. Dow (omitted).

Milestones

100 Goals (AFL): Mitch McGovern
100th Loss: Levi Casboult played in his 100th loss as a Blues in his 147th game (68% loss ratio).
Indigenous Games Record: Eddie Betts 203rd game passes the games record previously held by the great Andrew Walker's record of 202 games in Navy Blue.

Interesting Fact

For Liam Stocker it was one year and 326 days between this game and the last game he had played with the Blues, that being Round 11, 2019 vs Essendon.

AFLCA Votes

10 - Hugh McCluggage (BL)
8 - Harry McKay (CARL)
6 - Dayne Zorko (BL)
4 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
1 - Brandon Starcevich (BL)
1 - Ed Curnow (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

3 - Sam Walsh (CAR)
2 - Hugh McCluggage (BL)
1 - Harry McKay (CAR)

Best & Fairest Votes

Harry McKay 13, Sam Walsh 11, Jacob Weitering 9, Lachie Plowman 9, David Cuningham 8, Sam Docherty 7, Ed Curnow 6, Patrick Cripps 5, Marc Murphy 5, Eddie Betts 4, Mitch McGovern 4, Marc Pittonet 3, Matthew Cottrell 3, Liam Stocker 3, Lachie Forgarty 2, Zac Williams 2, Liam Jones 2, Adam Saad 1

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Round 5 | Round 7