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| Venue: | Marvel Stadium (Dome) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Friday, May 5, 2023. (7.50 pm) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Lost by 26 points | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 45,548 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | C. Durdin 2.0, J. Motlop 2.0, C. Curnow 1.2, A. Cerra 1.0, E. Curnow 1.0, S. Docherty 1.0, O. Hollands 1.0, M. Kennedy 1.0, A. McKay 1.0, J. Honey 0.2, Alex Cincotta 0.1, Rushed 0.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | 23 - Robert Findlay, 16 – Brendan Hosking, 21 – Simon Meredith 4 – Justin Power | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 8th | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
Blues outclassed by Lions
A summary of the Round 8 contest at Marvel Stadium.- By Rose Zarucky, Carlton MediaCarlton has fallen by 26 points to Brisbane at Marvel Stadium. Following a pulsating opening term which saw 10 goals shared by either side, the game was well and truly played on the Lions' terms in the middle portion of the game, kicking seven goals to one to take the game away from the Blues. For the third consecutive week, Adam Cerra was again among Carlton's best, finishing with 33 disposals and a goal, but the Blues were left with too few contributors as they were unable to sign off from Sam Docherty's 150th game with a win.
Quarter one
It was the battle of the intercept marks early on, with both sides cutting each other off before they could get to their forward 50. Two early smothers stopped Brisbane, but they were still first to get a goal on the board. Adam Saad and Brodie Kemp provided some great rebound, while it was the milestone man in Sam Docherty who got the Blues started on the scoreboard. Charlie Curnow hit the scoreboard after a juggling mark, before he was followed closely by brother Ed with a clever goal. Ollie Hollands was busy in the middle, while Jack Silvagni's impact was felt at both ends, taking strong contested marks both in front of and behind the ball. In a shootout under the roof, the Blues went into the second term trailing by two points, with both teams kicking five goals apiece.
Quarter two
The pressure intensified in the second quarter, resulting in a higher turnover rate and less scoring. Carlton had trouble getting it beyond the centre square as Brisbane played the game in its half, with the Blues struggling to find clean options as the Lions hit the scoreboard from forward stoppages. Carlton struggled to convert its forward forays into scores on the board, and it wasn't until the 26-minute mark of the term that Jesse Motlop put his head over the ball and - after some good work from Charlie Curnow - saw some reward for effort with a classy goal.
Quarter three
Brisbane’s intercept ability continued to drown Carlton forward of the ball, not allowing the ball to exit its half. The Blues were unable to enter forward 50 until the 12-minute mark of the term, highlighting the pressure that the Lions were providing. Mitch McGovern battled manfully behind the ball but the quarter was well and truly played on Brisbane's terms, kicking four unanswered goals while punishing the Blues on turnover: 72 of Brisbane's points to three-quarter time came from that source.
Quarter four
A goal from Adam Cerra was a spark in the opening minutes of the final term, with the message clear to play with more dare and attack wherever possible. Carlton began to generate chains out of the centre, with Motlop and Corey Durdin both registering their second goals of the game in the last. Activated as sub in the final minutes of the third quarter for Lewis Young, Matthew Kennedy did everything possible to get the Blues back in the contest, contributing 13 disposals and a goal from his limited game time. The Blues drew within 20 points on two occasions in the final term, but goals from Brisbane with the hosts committing numbers forward ultimately resulted in a 26-point defeat at Marvel Stadium.
Lethal Lions bring the Payne as ‘cursed’ Blues brought crashing back down: 3-2-1 - Catherine Healey and David Zita from Fox Sports
Brisbane has jumped to the top of the AFL ladder with a 26-point win over Carlton in Friday night’s blockbuster. Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey proved the heroes for the Lions with eight goals between them in a dominant display at Marvel Stadium. Brisbane’s 15.10 (100) to 11.8 (74) result is their fifth straight win in promising signs for last year’s preliminary finalists. But it was a night to forget for the Blues, who kicked just one goal across the second and third terms as their key pillars in Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow couldn’t get near it. The towering duo finished with just two goals between them as Lions Harris Andrews and Jack Payne had a day out. The loss continued Carlton’s recent curse – where in their past five 100+ point victories, the Blues have been beaten the following week.
1st Quarter
In the battle of the two opposing Charlies, it was Brisbane’s Cameron who had the first real look at goal as he got out the back at stoppage. Luckily for the Blues, Lewis Young put his best goalkeeping skills on display as he got a touch on the footy before it crossed the goal line. Cameron was involved again as he pulled away with pace at half forward to get the ball over the back to Jack Gunston but the footy just wouldn’t sit for him. “It was a complete airy!” commentator Brian Taylor said. But the sheer territory dominance saw the Blues crack moments later when Lincoln McCarthy kicked the first. Down the other end, it was inspirational leader Sam Docherty in game 150 who got the Blues on the board with his quick snap. “What a story!” commentator James Brayshaw. “His teammates get around him and so they should.” Goals to Gunston and Joe Daniher opened up an early lead for Brisbane but once again it was Charlie Curnow who got the Blues going. Curnow’s shot on goal had come from a tough 50m penalty against Daniher, who had no idea the umpire was calling him to stand on the Silvagni mark. “He’s in the zone,” commentator Matthew Richardson said. “Super confident every time he goes near it!” Carlton coach Michael Voss would have been pleased when, on the back of six of eight inside 50s, the Blues were efficient in attack – thanks to goals to Ed Curnow and Corey Durdin. Defensive intercepts proved the big statistic of the opening term as both sides engaged in a “shootout”. A costly late turnover from Jacob Weitering, where he tried to spear a centring pass and missed Docherty, saw Cameron cash in as he got out the back and goaled from the square. At quarter time, it was Brisbane leading 33-31.
2nd Quarter
The Lions were on the board first in the second term, thanks to a big tackle from Cameron on an unsuspecting Silvagni. With the Blues hemmed in, Silvagni turned into the Cameron tackle and was pinged, as tempers threatened to boil over. When Oliver Hollands tried to fend off and dived over the boundary line moments later, the Lions had another shot on goal, but this time Gunston hit the post. Both teams won holding the ball free kicks in their defensive ends as the pressure really ramped up. Sam Walsh and Brandon Starcevich went on with their scuffle in the centre of the field. “Great heat from both teams,” Richardson praised. “(But) both have lost of bit of their composure.” The Blues lost McKay midway through the second term after he copped a stray Harris Andrews elbow to the face. And they just couldn’t win the footy at half forward, missing that final connection before going inside 50. “It’s just been played between the half back lines this quarter,” Richardson lamented. Fox Footy’s Jordan Lewis was critical of the skill errors of both teams. “It’s like they left their foot skills on the bench!” he said. “They just weren’t able to transition the ball – there were mistakes everywhere.” Garry Lyon was equally as critical of the second term, describing it as “awful”. “It just sat between two arcs and couldn’t go inside 50,” he said. Brisbane extended their lead through Jack Gunston when the Blues backline fell asleep with some sloppy defence. Hugh McCluggage was able to hit up Gunston who led from the goalsquare with a little 15m kick from the boundary. “Carlton have got numbers everywhere – but they aren’t really doing anything,” Richardson said. “That’s really poor. “That’s inexcusable – that shouldn’t be a goal ever. “They had 17 players back there and Gunston was able to take an uncontested mark.” When Charlie Curnow put his body on the line, absorbing three Lion tacklers to get the hands out to Jesse Motlop, the Blues had their first goal for the quarter with just minutes to go. By half time, it was Brisbane holding a 10-point advantage – 49-39.
3rd Quarter
A horror turnover from Blake Acres gifted Zac Bailey the first shot on goal in the second half, and he made no mistake to put the Lions up by 16 points. And once again it was Carlton penned in their defensive half, despite their ability to intercept. When the Blues once again failed to clear, Darcy Willmot pounced to hit the leading Daniher on the chest. But his attempt from 35m out, almost directly in front sprayed well left. “It was a very slow run up,” commentator Luke Hodge said. “Looks like he leant back on it.” Again, Carlton coughed it up – this time through a ‘really risky” exit from Adam Saad, and again Brisbane couldn’t convert. “This Brisbane heat is impressive,” Brayshaw praised. Lachie Neale couldn’t punish the Blues with his off the ball free kick inside 50 as coach Chris Fagan was left visibly frustrated in the box. “Brisbane have got them in an absolute stranglehold at the moment, but are not hurting them on the scoreboard,” Taylor said. Only a 50m penalty against McCarthy gave the Blues that exit from their defensive half they desperately needed – after only one touch in their front half in nine minutes to start the third term. But Josh Honey couldn’t make the Lions pay. Weitering came from the ground clutching his right elbow as Charlie Cameron opened up Brisbane’s biggest lead of the match, 29 points, with back to back goals. “He’s a wizard, Cameron,” Brayshaw praised. “He’s in a real purple patch.” When Lewis Young turned the footy over by hand, Bailey took full advantage to kick the Lions’ 11th goal of the match. Young was subbed out of the match a short time later as Matt Kennedy was introduced late in the third. By three-quarter-time, Brisbane had almost secured the four points with an 81-41 lead, after keeping Carlton goalless for the quarter.
4th Quarter
Two quick goals to Adam Cerra and then Jesse Motlop gave the Blues a faint chance, but Daniher ended any hopes of a fightback midway through the last term. Harry Sharp added some late icing on the Lions’ cake when he slotted his first goal in AFL, as Brisbane secured their sixth win of the year.
THE 3-2-1...
3. BRISBANE’S PRESSURE COOKS CARLTON
The Lions brought the heat on Friday night and, eventually, the Blues couldn’t handle it. It came in the middle of the ground as Josh Dunkley paid close attention at times to Patrick Cripps and it came across the ground as a whole. “We speak about ‘destination pressure’,” Jonathan Brown said of the Lions on Friday night. “What I mean by that is when the opposition player looks up to where he wants to go with the ball, there‘s just a wall of Lions players, so it just invites pressure.” The Lions’ pressure rating throughout the night was superb and, crucially, they capitalised on the turnovers it created.Even before the game-breaking third quarter, the Lions had 13 forward half intercepts to nine in the opening half and 27 points from those intercepts compared to 14 for their opponents. At the close of the third quarter, the Lions had turned a 10-point lead into a 40-point one. “They’ve (Carlton) looked confused at times, haven’t they? The ability to move the ball at times last week came easy, that seemed to work in the first quarter and then they just shut down,” Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy. “I think it‘s off the back of Brisbane’s pressure, they’ve just worn them down. Total match pressure is 193 but every quarter it just wears you down. “That quarter we saw it just opened up for Brisbane off the back of that.” In the last month, the Lions have been one of the best turnover sides in the AFL and they‘re comfortably one of the best sides in the AFL overall given what is now a five-match winning streak.
2. BLUES’ BROUGHT BACK TO REALITY
So, last week was more about the Eagles than it was about the Blues, it seems. A ruthless four-quarter performance last week had some parts of the footy world thinking perhaps the Blues had turned the corner after a relatively average start to the season. Instead, an eight-point win over Geelong remains their only genuine scalp for the season, with the Blues now falling to Adelaide, St Kilda and Brisbane. The Lions were without Dayne Zorko and Daniel Rich, a couple of their key playmakers, while the Blues had a close to full strength contingent out on the park. Carlton won the contested possession count on the night against the Lions, but they were smashed off turnover. Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay were both well held, but in the first half the Blues only found Curnow in a one-on-one once, an extraordinary stat given how dominant he had been against the Eagles a week prior. There’s likely to be no easy beats in their run to the bye. It starts with the Bulldogs next week, then a huge clash against Collingwood, before matches against Sydney in Sydney, Melbourne, Essendon and Gold Coast round out their first half of the seasons. To date, they have a draw against Richmond, an impressive win over Geelong, then wins over the Giants and Eagles. It’s hardly the record of a premiership contending team, which is made perplexing given the talent they have at their disposal. A defining run awaits for the Blues and the scalps are going to have to start coming if Michael Voss’ side wants to play in September, let alone compete for the cup.
1. LIONS BRING THE PAYNE
With the indefinite loss of Marcus Adams due to concussion battles, the Lions needed someone to take their spot alongside Harris Andrews as a genuine key defender. Jack Payne has threatened to be that throughout his career, but the 23-year-old is fully realising his potential in 2023. He was tasked with a monumental matchup on Friday night, lining up alongside Charlie Curnow. As if facing the reigning Coleman medallist wasn’t enough, Payne also had to manage the fact Curnow was coming off a nine-goal haul against West Coast, including 16 score involvements, and what was the 10th highest rated match ever by AFL player ratings. Payne’s credentials had already been established, however, coming into Round 8. He is the number one player in the competition for defensive 50 intercept marks so far this season, with 18 heading into Friday’s match. He has also enabled Andrews to return to the lofty heights of his All Australian seasons in 2019 and 2020. Since Round 3, Andrews has been the fourth-highest rated key defender in the competition. “Jack Payne has been able to come in and play on the number one (forward), which has allowed Harris Andrews to get off and get back to that All-Australian form and essentially play on the second or third forward for the opposition and get involved in the intercept game once again,” Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy. By the end of the match, Curnow had managed just one goal from his 10 disposals, albeit aided by one goal assist and seven score involvements. It was another scalp for Payne in what looks set to be a season full of them.
Team
| B: | 23 Jacob Weitering | 33 Lewis Young | 24 Nic Newman |
| HB: | 17 Brodie Kemp | 11 Mitch McGovern | 42 Adam Saad |
| C: | 14 Ollie Hollands | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 13 Blake Acres |
| HF: | 15 Sam Docherty | 36 Josh Honey | 35 Ed Curnow |
| F: | 30 Charlie Curnow | 19 Corey Durdin | 10 Harry McKay |
| Ruck: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 29 George Hewett | 5 Adam Cerra |
| Interchange: | 1 Jack Silvagni | 3 Jesse Motlop | 18 Sam Walsh |
| 39 Alex Cincotta | |||
| Substitute: | 7 Matthew Kennedy | ||
| Coach: | Michael Voss | ||
| Emergencies: | 8 Lachie Fogarty | 25 Zac Fisher | 26 Lachie Cowan |
In: Jesse Motlop
Out: Zac Fisher
Substitute: Matthew Kennedy (replaced Lewis Young in 3rd Quarter).
Milestones
50 Games (Carlton): Adam Saad150 Games (AFL): Sam Docherty
AFLCA Votes
10 - Josh Dunkley (BL)8 - Jack Payne (BL)
4 - Charlie Cameron (BL)
3 - Adam Cerra (CARL)
3 - Harris Andrews (BL)
1 - Zac Bailey (BL)
1 - Hugh McCluggage (BL)
Brownlow Votes
3 - Josh Dunkley (BL)2 - Zac Bailey (BL)
1 - Charlie Cameron (BL)
Best and Fairest Votes
Video
Round 7 | Round 9