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| Venue: | MCG | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Saturday 27th April 2024 (4.35pm). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Lost by 13 points. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 87,775 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | C. Curnow 3.2, H. McKay 2.2, E. Hollands 2.0, P. Cripps 2.0, B. Acres 2.0, J. Carroll 1.1, M. Kennedy 1.0, M. Cottrell 1.0, J. Boyd 1.0, T. De Koning 0.3, C. Durdin 0.2, J. Weitering 0.1, S. Walsh 0.1, M. Owies 0.1, Rushed 0.2. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Geelong's Ollie Henry has been fined $3750 for striking Carlton's Zac Williams in the third quarter, the incident was rated as intentional contact, low impact and body contact. Harry McKay was fined $1250 with making contact with an umpire, it was rated as careless contact (first offence). |
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| Umpires: | Mathew Nicholls, John Howorth, Robert Findlay, Martin Rodger. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 6th | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
Carlton falls short in high-scoring clash
All the details from the Round 7 clash at the MCG.-By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.Carlton has fallen by 13 points in a high-scoring clash with Geelong. Continuing their trend of back-and-forth action in recent weeks, the Blues challenged the Cats all day, but were unable to get within more than an arm’s length in the 18.10 (118) to 15.15 (105) loss. Jacob Weitering was brilliant opposed to Tom Hawkins, while Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, two goals), Marc Pittonet (11 clearances) and Sam Walsh (31 disposals) again having big afternoons in the middle.
Quarter one
In front of a big crowd, it was no surprise that it was a willing contest from the outset at the home of football. In their second game for the season at the MCG, the Blues were doing plenty right against the Cats, particularly out of the middle, dominating clearances 13-5 in the first term. A key reason for that was once again Marc Pittonet, with the ruckman starting brilliantly with nine first-quarter disposals and four clearances in his own right. What the Blues failed to do was convert inside 50, generating 10 scoring shots in the opening term but only managing two goals. One of those was from defender Jordan Boyd, who broke through for his first AFL goal with a sidestep and long-range finish. Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh got to work with 10 disposals, but the Cats’ transition game was worrying the Blues, as the home side converted the majority of their chances in front of goal to take a 12-point lead into the first change.
Quarter two
After the Blues made a strong start to the second term, with Harry McKay and Elijah Hollands kicking back-to-back goals, the Cats responded. Dominating the contested mark count, Jeremy Cameron loomed as the danger man in what turned out to be an up-and-down second quarter with the two teams trading momentum. The Blues were performing well from clearances, but found themselves handing the Cats opportunities at times, with the home side recording three goals from forward-half intercepts in the first half alone. Jacob Weitering had a typically accomplished showing against Tom Hawkins, having seven disposals in the second term alone while keeping the star forward to just four for the half. However, at a crucial time, the Blues conceded two late goals, turning into a 19-point deficit at the main break.
Quarter three
The third quarter has been a favourite of the Blues in recent weeks, and in particular, Charlie Curnow has been the star man. That trend continued against the undefeated Cats, with the Carlton co-vice captain stamping himself on proceedings. With two goals and a direct assist, Curnow took his tally to 23 goals for the season — 14 of those have come in third terms. He wasn’t alone, with Carlton’s pressure lifting and individuals rising to the occasion: Elijah Hollands surged forward for his second of the evening while captain Patrick Cripps was at his physical best with 11 third-quarter disposals. However, as had been the trend of the day, every time the Blues got within striking distance of the Cats, their opponents responded with a transition goal to open an 11-point gap.
Quarter four
A late inclusion into the starting line-up, debutant Jaxon Binns was subbed into the game at three-quarter time for Matthew Owies. He found himself being inserted into a willing contest, with the opening opportunities always going to be crucial: unfortunately for the Blues, a trio of set shots went begging, which the Cats were then able to punish at the other end. Weitering continued his outstanding afternoon opposed to Hawkins, recording 19 disposals while keeping the forward to just eight for the day, but Cameron, Ollie Henry and Zac Tuohy all bobbed up as the Cats opened up a 33-point lead. The game looked over for the Blues, until midfielders Cripps, Matthew Kennedy and Blake Acres kicking four goals, with back-to-back goals inside a minute from the wingman bringing the Blues within single digits and on the cusp of a miraculous comeback. However, it wasn’t to be, with a late Cameron goal sealing a Geelong win in front of a massive 87,775 people at the home of football.
Best: J. Weitering, P. Cripps, M. Pittonet, S. Walsh, B. Acres, E. Hollands, H. McKay.
Danger down but Cats keep winning against wasteful Blues
Carlton had its chances but couldn't grab them against Geelong, leaving the ladder-leaders undefeated after seven rounds. - By AAP with Howard Kimber.Star forward Jeremy Cameron has kicked five goals as Geelong held off a fast-finishing Carlton to extend its unbeaten start to the season with a pulsating 13-point win at the MCG. But the Cats lost captain Patrick Dangerfield to a hamstring injury in the 18.10 (118) to 15.15 (105) victory in front of 87,775 fans on Saturday night. Dangerfield (16 disposals, one goal) was explosive out of the middle before being forced off early in the third quarter as Geelong (7-0) went a game clear on top of the ladder. It was Dangerfield's second game back after he sustained a separate hamstring injury in round two. The injury-ravaged Blues were strong in the contest, but slipped to their second defeat of the season. Carlton trailed by 33 points midway through the final term but rallied with four goals in time-on to trim the margin to eight points, before Cameron shut the gate with his fifth major from a set shot. Cameron was well supported in attack by Zach Tuohy and Ollie Henry, who kicked three goals each, while fellow tall Tom Hawkins was well held by Jacob Weitering.
Max Holmes (26 disposals), Mitch Duncan (24) and Gryan Miers (22) were all busy for Geelong, and Cam Guthrie (27) was influential in his long-awaited return from injury. Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet continued his strong form with 19 disposals, 28 hit-outs and a career-high 11 clearances, while midfield stars Patrick Cripps (29 touches, two goals) and Sam Walsh (31 disposals) fought hard. There was a pre-match blow for the Blues when goal-sneak Orazio Fantasia withdrew because of illness, paving the way for 19-year-old speedster Jaxon Binns to debut as the substitute. Guthrie marked his comeback with an early hanger over Matthew Cottrell and Geelong led the wasteful Blues 5.2 to 2.8 at the first break, despite Pittonet's dominance in the middle. Cameron reached the 600-goal milestone with his second of the night when he accepted an expert Hawkins hit-out from a ball-up and snapped truly, contributing to the Cats' 19-point lead at half-time. Dangerfield's injury was a huge blow, but Geelong was still 11 points clear at the final change after Henry booted a controversial goal when his off-the-ball hold on Zac Williams went unnoticed by the umpires.The Blues registered the first three scores of the last quarter, but they were all behinds, and Tuohy punished his former club with his third major on a fast break. t was the first of four straight Cats goals that looked to have put the game beyond Carlton's reach. But Geelong had to withstand one final surge, and Cameron stood up when needed in the dying stages.
Brotherly shove
When brothers come up against each other there's always a mention in the lead up to a game, and with Sam De Koning playing his 50th against big bro' Tom there was a little extra interest. Blues coach Michael Voss recalled facing his younger sibling Brett back in the day, saying his priority was to 'bash' the Lion-turned-Saint whenever he got the chance. It appears the Cats' De Koning paid more heed to the advice than Voss' charge Tom, with Sam's front-on contact in a marking contest late in the first quarter sending his brother from the ground for a concussion test. TDK looked shaky and started the second term on the bench but soon returned to the action, refusing to let his little brother take him out of the game.
The Blues' firestarter almost did it again
After six years at St Kilda and three at Fremantle it looked like Blake Acres was never quite going to realise the potential the Saints saw in him when they took him in the first round of the 2013 Draft. However, his two seasons at Carlton have seen him consistently at his best, more than once driving the Blues to inspirational wins, and he almost did it again on Saturday. With the lead four goals away and just minutes on the clock Acres decided it wasn't over yet, kicking two clutch goals to bring Carlton within eight points and on the verge of the most amazing comeback victory. Thanks to Jeremy Cameron they didn't get there, but Michael Voss knows that when he needs a firestarter Acres will always be there to provide the spark.
Best: P. Cripps, H. McKay, J. Weitering, B. Acres, S. Walsh, G. Hewett.
'Unacceptable': Voss takes no positives from loss to Cats
Carlton coach far from satisfied despite nearly snatching a win, Scott says Cats to wait on Dangerfield injury. - By Howard Kimber.Carlton coach Michael Voss was frustrated and disappointed after his side failed to take its chances against ladder leader Geelong on Saturday night, saying the performance was "unacceptable". The Blues dominated inside 50s (66-45) and was well on top in clearances but couldn't turn their opportunities into goals, losing 18.10 (118) to 15.15 (105) in front of over 87,000 fans at the MCG. A wayward 2.8 in the first quarter was matched by three behinds to open the final term with the match on the line. "I don't want us to settle that it was a good effort, or that it was close," Voss said post-match.
"It was unacceptable and we've got to be better. "We'd like to think that we benchmark ourselves off our own standards and we fell below those tonight on defending, so we've got to be better. "We've got to expect better from each other." A last-minute surge saw Carlton cut the margin from 32 points to just eight with three minutes to play, but Voss wasn’t prepared to look at the positives of what could have been. "We shouldn't need the game to get to that stage to feel like we need to snatch it. In some ways you deserve what you get. "We had individuals, I'm not really in the mood to talk up individuals today to be truthful. It takes a team to come out and play well … and as a team we didn't get the job done, so I'd like to think we all take ownership of that." With in-form archenemy Collingwood waiting next Friday, Voss was hopeful of being strengthened by returning players. "We are expecting a couple to return next week. Cerra will probably be OK, Cuningham will get another week and be OK. (McGovern) might be around the mark, more likely be probably another week."
Voss laments defensive lapses, challenges response
Michael Voss' post-match thoughts after the loss to Geelong. - By Carlton Media.While it may have been an entertaining game in the stands and for the neutral, Carlton AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss challenged his team for a response after a 13-point defeat to Geelong. In a game where both sides eclipsed 100 points, Voss didn't want to be drawn into a last-quarter comeback from the clouds nearly snatching a win, instead ruing the defensive lapses which saw the Blues concede a big score to the undefeated Cats. This is what he had to say.
On the overall game, and a late comeback falling short:
“We shouldn’t need the game to get to that stage to feel like we need to snatch it. In some ways, you deserve what you get. We had plenty of other moments during the game where we could’ve tightened that ledger up, got more ascendancy in the game or more reward in the game than what we did. Some critical moments we didn’t get right, and we certainly didn’t defend the way we’d expect. “The game was always balanced slightly in their favour, as much as we fought back and as much as we were boxing on. It was too easy for them to score at the other end. Let’s just put it under the banner of defending when you need to: we haven’t done that in this game. “We’ve had 66 entries, they’ve had 45 — if you asked me that before the game, I’d say ‘I think the game’s in a good place’. But we just conceded too many shots on goal from those 45 entries, and they were good enough to be able to finish it. I’m sure there’s other semantics we could go over, but in essence, it’s pretty much how the game was made up."
On the midfield battle:
“It was a pretty good battle. I thought we got plenty of looks through the middle of the ground, our mids gave us plenty of drive and we got territory in the right part of the game. There’s no issue there, the mids have gone to work. “I don’t want to settle for ‘it was a good effort, it was close’: it was unacceptable. We’ve got to be better. Geelong is currently top of the ladder, but we like to think we benchmark ourselves off our own standards. We fell below those tonight on defending.”
On expectations going forward:
“We’ve got to be better, we’re going to expect better from each other. We conceded 118 points, it’s just too much. We scored well, and it was probably entertaining for everybody… but we didn’t get some important moments right, and we didn’t defend when we needed to for long enough. They’re a good football team. “We had individuals. I’m not really in the mood to talk up individuals, to be truthful. It takes a team to come out and play well, it takes a team to come out and get the win. As a team, we didn’t get the job done. I’d like to think we all take ownership of that.”
On any injuries coming out of the game:
“I think we’ve got a pretty clean bill of health, which is good. We are expecting a couple to return next week, it’ll become a bit clearer throughout the week. Cerra will probably be okay, Cuningham will get another week and hopefully be okay, Fantasia obviously came out through illness so he’ll be back in the fold. “A couple of guys will be coming back in. McGovern might be around the mark, probably another week but around the mark.”
On the potential of rotating the squad with short turnarounds in the coming weeks:
“No I don’t. Every opponent that we’re rolling in against, they’re good opponents. We need to be at our best. We’ve certainly got parts of our game that you’d be pretty impressed with, but I just don’t want us to settle with that. I think we can be better than that. “As far as rotations go and players resting, we’re not in that mode.”
On the chance to play in front of another capacity crowd:
“I’m not feeling so warm and fuzzy about that right now! But if you step back for a second, there’s no question that we’ve walked out in front of another 87,000 people here. It’s Geelong’s home match, but our people just keep coming. We’re feeling that wave of support and that noise we’re getting. “To be able to walk into an environment like that and somewhat normalise it, that’s a real advantage to us. We find that’s a unique strength of ours, that we can come to the MCG and play in front of these big crowds and against these greats teams and somehow normalise that. “It becomes more of a privilege for us, not so much the pressure that comes with it — it comes as a privilege that we get to do that. I hope our supporters walk away knowing that we boxed on and we went toe-to-toe with a very good team, but also feel like we can do better and we can be better and expect better.”
On Jaxon Binns’ debut:
“He’s been knocking on the door for a while and his performance has been really solid and consistent over a long period of time. He’s a well-liked character amongst our boys and I’m sure we’re going to see a lot of footy from him over time in the Carlton jumper. “I’m pleased he could get out there, see his family and they were able to rally pretty quickly — they didn’t have a lot of notice, they only found out today. He was able to rally 10 or 12 of them, they came out and I’m sure it was a really special night for them. “We don’t want to take that away from him, you always remember your first game — his first game was against Geelong at the MCG in front of 87,000 people. What an exciting way to be able to open up your career.”
Team
| B: | 2 Lachie Cowan | 23 Jacob Weitering | 17 Brodie Kemp |
| HB: | 6 Zac Williams | 33 Lewis Young | 24 Nic Newman |
| C: | 4 Ollie Hollands | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 13 Blake Acres |
| HF: | 20 Elijah Hollands | 12 Tom De Koning | 46 Matthew Cottrell |
| F: | 30 Charlie Curnow | 10 Harry McKay | 44 Matt Owies |
| Ruck: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 18 Sam Walsh | 29 George Hewett |
| Interchange: | 37 Jordan Boyd | 16 Jack Carroll | 19 Corey Durdin |
| 7 Matt Kennedy | |||
| Substitute: | 25 Jaxon Binns | ||
| Coach: | Michael Voss | ||
| Emergencies: | 39 Alex Cincotta | 38 Sam Durdin | 14 Orazio Fantasia |
Late Change: Jaxon Binns came into the team due to Orazio Fantasia pulling out of the selected team due to illness.
In: Jaxon Binns
Out: Orazio Fantasia (illness)
Substitute: Jaxon Binns (replaced Matt Owies at three quarter time).
Milestones
Debut: Jaxon BinnsFirst Goal: Jordan Boyd
50 Goals (AFL): Blake Acres
Interesting Facts
1. This is Geelong's highest ever home crowd attendance.The record crowd for Kardinia Park is 49,109 Round 19, 1952 v Carlton.
2. Despite this being a Geelong home game, the Cats decided to wear their white " Away" shorts and Carlton wore their navy blue "Home" shorts.
3. Geelong had eight 200 game players in this team, Carlton zero.
Carlton Av. Games 79.7, Geelong 152.3 (Reflections, Blue Abroad)
Free Kicks
Carlton 14Geelong 10
Front Runners
Matt Cottrell 15.3 kmHarry McKay 15.1 km
Elijah Hollands 14.9 km
AFLCA Votes
10 - Jeremy Cameron (GEEL)7 - Gryan Miers (GEEL)
5 - Marc Pittonet (CARL)
4 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
2 - Max Holmes (GEEL)
2 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
Brownlow Votes
Best and Fairest Votes
Video
Round 6 | Round 8