Round 11, 2025
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| Venue: | Marvel Stadium, Docklands. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Saturday 24th May 2025 (12.35 pm). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Lost by 28 points. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 36,468 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | C. Curnow 3.3, L. Fogarty 2.1, W. White 1.1, O. Hollands 1.1, A. Cerra 1.1, P. Cripps 1.1, J. Motlop 1.0, C. Lord 1.0, S. Docherty 1.0, M. McGovern 0.1, H. McKay 0.1. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Nil. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | Daniel Johanson, Matt Stevic, Andrew Stephens, Cameron Dore. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | Nil | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ladder: | 12th. | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
!Blues fall to Giants
Carlton fell to Greater Western Sydney by 28 points in Round 11. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media
Carlton has gone down by 28 points to Greater Western Sydney. After a bright opening, the Blues were outrun by a GWS side that was at its efficient best under the roof, with the Blues going down 12.10 (82) to 17.8 (110). There were a series of positional changes for the Blues from the off, with Ollie Hollands starting at half-forward while Sam Docherty produced nine first-quarter disposals in his original role across half-back. With Carlton honouring Robert Walls with a round of applause at 12:42pm, Charlie Curnow decided to honour the late Legend in the perfect possible way, raising the decibels by kicking the opening goal from well beyond 50 metres. Patrick Cripps had the early attention of GWS tagger Toby Bedford, but pushed forward for an old-fashioned hanger and goal to give the Blues the opening two goals. While starting brightly in offence in what was a high-scoring term for both sides, errors in defensive moments proved costly, handing three goals to the Giants as a shootout started under the roof. Lachie Fogarty was welcomed back on his return from injury with a goal, Ollie Hollands also hit the scoreboard and Curnow registered his second, but the Blues were struggling to contain milestone man Toby Greene (11 disposals, two goals) in the opening term. Harry O’Farrell enjoyed a bright start on debut, winning his first contest and producing three important intercepts, with the Blues trailing by a solitary point at the first change. GWS kicked the first of the second term as O’Farrell continued to impress, with the Blues beginning to settle into the contest after a frantic opening. Some typical fight in the forward half - first from Cripps in an aerial contest, then Fogarty on the ground - led to a Will White goal, as the Blues held sway in the forward territory stakes but couldn’t capitalise.
Curnow alone produced six shots in the first half for a return of two goals, as the Giants counterpunched in the final five minutes with two goals to take in a 10-point lead - seven of the Giants’ eight first-half goals came from defensive transition. Adam Cerra, George Hewett and Cooper Lord battled hard with seven disposals apiece in the second term, while nobody on the ground had more intercepts than O’Farrell’s six. The Blues shuffled around the magnets at the half, with Mitch McGovern moving into the forward line and Lewis Young going the other way, while Hollands returned to half-back and Docherty spending more time up the ground. After the Giants again produced the opener, Docherty and Curnow produced big moments to get the Blues back within a kick, as the home side started to get on top at clearance, producing five goals from stoppage halfway through the third term. Cerra willed himself from contest to contest while Cripps continued to accumulate with 20 disposals for the game, as Nick Haynes - playing against his former side for the first time - began to intercept behind the ball. But defensive lapses continued to hurt the Blues, conceding back-to-back goals as the Giants edged ahead. A big goal from Jesse Motlop inside the final 30 seconds looked to give Carlton the momentum heading into the last, but a Jake Riccardi goal on the three-quarter time siren extending the Giants buffer back to 14 points. In a similar fashion to start the last, Cooper Lord opened proceedings to continue a great week personally for the Rising Star nominee, only for the Giants to again produce the next two as the Blues conceded their second-highest score against for the season. The temperature was raised inside Marvel Stadium when Cerra and Fogarty produced majors inside a minute, but as they had done all day, GWS responded, with captain Greene sealing the result in his milestone game.
!Greene Day: Giants prevail late over Blues in Toby's 250
Greater Western Sydney returns to the winners list with a 28-point win over Carlton. - By Riley Beveridge at Marvel Stadium.
It the ideal masterpiece from Greater Western Sydney's greatest ever. On his special afternoon, in his 250th game, Toby Greene was on a one-man mission to prove his place not only as the best Giant in the brief history of the club, but that it would be a title he would retain for some time yet. Greene's heroics were as unique, and typically Toby, as ever. Not content to simply change the outcome of the game in attack, as he's done so often before, he chose to step into an undermanned midfield and produce a prolific performance reminiscent of the brash youngster that first stepped through the doors of the club. The milestone man finished with 28 disposals, three goals, 13 score involvements, six clearances, four tackles and six inside-50s to overwhelmingly inspire the side's sensational and gritty 17.8 (110) to 12.10 (82) win. He had help, particularly forward of the ball, with the likes of Jesse Hogan (nine disposals, four goals), Jake Riccardi (nine disposals, three goals), Callum Brown (nine disposals, three goals) and Aaron Cadman (eight disposals, two goals) all ensuring Greene's midfield move wasn't felt on the scoreboard. This time, though, Greene's influence was necessary. Leading a side that had lost four of its last five games – and had lost five of its last six at Marvel Stadium – the captain's performance was a required one. He knew it early, as well, kicking two goals in the first quarter as the match turned into a 10-goal shootout by quarter-time.
Carlton – led by a recalled Sam Docherty (30 disposals, one goal) and the forward potency of Charlie Curnow (12 disposals, three goals) had contributed to the scoring, but perhaps should have grabbed the match by the scruff of its neck throughout a second quarter it largely controlled. However, despite enjoying the bulk of the play, the Blues kicked just 1.5 for the second quarter. When both Brown and Riccardi added late goals to close the opening half, momentum had swung in favour of the visitors. The lead, so often seesawing, surged in the Giants' direction. While the Giants had been good value for their lead, finishing the match with five multiple goalkickers, the Blues had also been masters of their own demise. Just when Michael Voss' side had looked to stabilise things in the third quarter, reducing the deficit to just three points at one stage, they coughed up their chance. A turnover at half-back from Harry McKay was gleefully gobbled up by Callan Ward, before another misplaced entry kick – this time from Adam Saad – saw the Giants move clear in transition and add another from Hogan. It was starting to once again look like that kind of afternoon for Carlton, the type that has blighted much of 2025. That was summed up in the final 14 seconds. Jesse Motlop's goal, on the stroke of three-quarter time, had seemingly put the hosts in touch going into the final break. But then, in an instant, Riccardi added his third as the buzzer sounded to give the Giants crucial breathing space once more. If it felt like a pattern was unfolding, that's because it was. Just moments later, Cooper Lord's snap brought a baying Blues crowd back into the contest. It was followed, though, by a remarkable Kieren Briggs hack from a ball-up that stunned the crowd at Marvel Stadium. While that went close to summing up the contest, what happened next proved to be the perfect reflection. With the game begging to be killed off, up stepped Greene once again. Marking tight on the boundary line, the Giants skipper wheeled around and then finished. Arms aloft, it was a demonstration of all his champion qualities.
Cat and mouse to keep Curnow quiet There was an amusing game of cat and mouse after virtually every goal. Carlton, seemingly desperate for Charlie Curnow to get the matchup against an inexperienced Leek Aleer, spent its time jostling with Sam Taylor to ensure the All-Australian defender couldn't man the dual Coleman Medal winner himself. Lewis Young was essentially deployed as an unorthodox tagger, tasked with the job of keeping Taylor as far from Curnow as possible. It's a tactic the Giants have often used themselves to help Jesse Hogan win a favourable matchup, but here it was being tried against them. Taylor ultimately got his way for much of the first half, forcing the Blues to swing a further change by pushing Mitch McGovern to full-forward in an effort to occupy Aleer.
Blues fans honour Walls' memory There was a poignant moment at 12.42pm on Saturday, just seven minutes into Carlton's clash, when the home fans rose for the late, great Robert Walls. The Blues legend, who wore No.42 during his 218-game playing career at the club, passed away earlier this month. After helping bring four premierships to Princes Park, three as a player and one as a coach, the Carlton faithful honoured Walls with a minute's applause when the clock struck the 42nd minute in a fantastic tribute to the much-loved figure. Rather fittingly, the special moment was marked by Charlie Curnow drilling a long-range goal – the first of the afternoon – as the claps cascading from the crowd continued.
Best: P. Cripps, A. Cerra, S. Docherty, S. Walsh, N. Haynes, C. Lord.
!The Blues are the masters of their own downfall
Different week, same story for Carlton. On Saturday, the Blues had 11 more inside-50s than the Giants, a whopping 38 more contested possessions and four more clearances. And yet, they lost comfortably to the tune of 28 points. Michael Voss suggested that it shows Carlton's model works, but the execution is lacking. If that's the case, the execution has failed the Blues on a number of occasions this season. The Blues beat Sydney for inside-50s, yet lost by 16 points. They beat the Western Bulldogs for inside-50s and clearances, yet lost by eight points. They beat Hawthorn for clearances and contested ball, yet lost by 20 points. They beat Richmond for inside-50s and contested ball, yet lost by 13 points. At 4-7 for the season, Carlton's woeful inefficiency and its inability to put teams to the sword when in control of a contest is at risk of costing it September footy. - Riley Beveridge
Team
| B: | 33 Lewis Young | 23 Jacob Weitering | 42 Adam Saad |
| HB: | 4 Oliver Hollands | 22 Harry O'Farrell | 11 Mitch McGovern |
| C: | 18 Sam Walsh | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 13 Blake Acres |
| HF: | 19 Corey Durdin | 30 Charlie Curnow | 36 Cooper Lord |
| F: | 8 Lachie Fogarty | 10 Harry McKay | 3 Jesse Motlop |
| Ruck: | 12 Tom De Koning | 5 Adam Cerra | 29 George Hewett |
| Interchange: | 26 Nick Haynes | 32 Matt Carroll | 38 Will White |
| 15 Sam Docherty | |||
| Substitute: | 25 Jaxon Binns | ||
| Coach: | Michael Voss | ||
| Emergencies: | 21 Lucas Camporeale | 44 Francis Evans | 27 Marc Pittonet |
In: Harry O'Farrell, Lachie Fogarty, Tom De Koning, Blake Acres, Sam Docherty Out: Elijah Hollands (Personal Reason), Jack Silvagni (groin), Marc Pittonet (Omitted), Francis Evans (Omitted), Jordan Boyd (concussion).
Substitiute: Jaxon Binns (replaced Blake Acres at three-quarter time)
Free Kicks
Carlton 26
GWS Giants 14
Front Runners
Oliver Hollands 15.5km
Adam Cerra 14.6km
Milestones
Debut: Harry O'Farrell
AFLCA Votes
10 - Toby Greene (GWS)
7 - Lachie Ash (GWS)
4 - Adam Cerra (CARL)
3 - Lachie Whitfield (GWS)
2 - Jesse Hogan (GWS)
2 - Darcy Jones (GWS)
1 - Tom Green (GWS)
1 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
Brownlow Votes
3 - Toby Greene (GWS) 2 - Tom Green (GWS) 1 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
