Carlton 5.6 36 10.8 68 16.10 106 21.11 137 North Melbourne 3.2 20 6.3 39 11.5 71 12.9 81
Venue:	Marvel Stadium, Docklands.
Date:	Friday 29th March, 2024 (4.20pm) Good Friday.
Result:	Won by 56 points.
Crowd:	47,565
Goalkickers:	H. McKay 5.1, C. Curnow 4.1, M. Owies 3.1, C. Durdin 2.0, B. Acres 1.1, E. Hollands 1.0, G. Hewett 1.0, O. Fantasia 1.0, P. Cripps 1.0, A. Cerra 1.0, J. Carroll 1.0, M. Kennedy 0.1, O. Hollands 0.1, Rushed 0.5.
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Justin Power, John Howorth, Simon Meredith, Nathan Toner.
Injuries:	C. Marchbank (head knock), C. Curnow (ankle).
Ladder:	6th

Game Review

Carlton share the love on Good Friday

The Blues put in a comprehensive team performance to defeat the Roos by 56 points. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has continued its winning run - and ended its run of thrilling finishes - with a comprehensive 56-point win over North Melbourne. Coming away victorious in the Good Friday SuperClash for the second straight year, the Blues had contributors all over the field - and a fierce attack on the opposition - in the resounding win. With 11 individual goalkickers, the Blues kicked at least five goals in each quarter, with Harry McKay contributing a handful of his own to continue his outstanding start to 2024.

Quarter one
On a big day for both football clubs, it was North Melbourne who looked to take the fight to Carlton, starting strongly under the roof for the second straight week. The Blues were wasteful with ball in hand while the Roos maximised their opportunities, recording three of the first four goals to put the Blues on the back foot. The challenge was put to Carlton’s midfield group during the week to respond, and that they did, with the likes of George Hewett and Adam Cerra (one goal each) pivotal in reversing Carlton’s first-quarter fortunes. The Blues began to hunt in packs all over the ground, with Corey Durdin - starting a game for the first time in 2024 - reaping the rewards with an opportunistic finish close to goal. Just as they did in last year’s Good Friday SuperClash, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay loomed large, while the desire of Carlton’s half-backs in Jordan Boyd (seven first-quarter disposals) and Adam Saad to defend with speed high up the ground was evident. The only blight in the Blues’ second half of the quarter was their inefficiency in front of goal, kicking five goals from 11 scoring shots as they turned an 11-point deficit into a 16-point quarter-time lead.

Quarter two
The Blues looked to continue their energetic finish to the first term when proceedings opened for the second, quickly emerging out of the gates with two goals. There was a lengthy hold-up in play after an injury to North Melbourne’s Callum Coleman-Jones called for the stretcher. Upon the game’s resumption, the Blues looked to continue getting in the face of the opposition, evidenced by Durdin’s repeat pressure acts inside 50 directly leading to a goal to housemate Jack Carroll. Cerra continued his strong showing on both sides of the ball with four tackles in the second quarter alone, while Elijah Hollands got more and more involved in his first game as Blue, both with ball in hand and in the pressure stakes. Nic Newman was typically a sure head behind the ball, while Jacob Weitering marked his return with some crucial defensive moments on the last line. McKay continued his imposing early-season form with an almighty contested mark, leading to his third of the half, but two late goals to North Melbourne meant the Blues’ 40-point lead was cut to 29 at the main break.

Quarter three
The third quarter followed the same pattern of the first, with North looking to get the ball in motion through handball chains. After conceding the opening goal of the term, the Blues sprung into gear in what turned out to be a fiery third term, with Carlton’s physicality at the contest a key theme. Despite leading the disposal count comfortably, the Blues were also well ahead in the tackling stakes, demonstrating their commitment to the cause. To no surprise, Patrick Cripps led from the front in that regard, having more contested possessions than anyone on the ground inside the opening three quarters as well as six clearances: one effort in particular, which led to another McKay goal, typified the Blues’ endeavour. Carlton’s willingness to fight it out to the last whistle was evident in rundown defensive tackles from Zac Williams and Mitch McGovern, despite being well ahead on the scoreboard. Bringing up the century before the final change, the Blues led by 35 points at the final change.

Quarter four
Orazio Fantasia was subbed into the game for Corey Durdin at the final change, before the Blues found themselves with three on the bench after Caleb Marchbank came from the ground following a heavy collision. Immediately into the action, Fantasia had the chance for his first Carlton goal, but unselfishly found Matthew Owies, who duly converted his third goal of the second half. After two tight finishes in the opening fortnight, the Blues - and their supporters - would’ve been relieved by the comfort they had on the scoreboard, but it didn’t stop the team from running out the game all guns blazing. One player who lived that was Elijah Hollands, who had 16 second-half disposals as well as kicking his first Carlton goal to cap things off. Not to be outdone, Fantasia turned from provider to assister just moments later, also opening his Carlton account as the Blues registered their third-highest score under Michael Voss in the 56-point win.

Best: H. McKay, P. Cripps, G. Hewett, C. Curnow, A. Cerra, J. Weitering, L. Fogarty.

Big guns fire Blues to 3-0 start after downing Roos

It was a better-than-Good Friday for Carlton as Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow led the way over North Melbourne. - By AAP with Howard Kimber.

Twin towers Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay have combined for nine goals to power Carlton to a thumping 56-point win over North Melbourne in the Kangaroos’ marquee Good Friday match. Coleman medallists McKay (five goals) and Curnow (four) monstered the undersized Kangaroos defence in a powerful performance in front of 47,565 fans at Marvel Stadium. Curnow left the ground midway through the final quarter with a slight hobble and stayed on the bench, but that appeared to be only as a precaution. North gave its supporters periods to be excited about but was still blown away and never looked like causing an upset, with the Blues leading at every change to win 21.11 (137) to 12.9 (81).

Unlike previous Good Friday games when they were embarrassed by the Western Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022, North kept fighting and attacking the scoreboard. The Kangaroos also showed some serious aggression at times, with star forward Nick Larkey (three goals) giving away a 50m penalty late in the third quarter for slamming Mitch McGovern to the ground. Already undersized in defence, North suffered another major blow when key tall Callum Coleman-Jones went down with a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon in the second quarter. The former Richmond player was taken from the field on a medical cart and given immediate pain relief, replaced by sub Eddie Ford. It was North's second serious Achilles injury in three weeks after Josh Goater's season came to an abrupt end in the round one defeat to Greater Western Sydney. Carlton didn't come out of the match unscathed either, after defender Caleb Marchbank was concussed in a heavy collision with teammate Jordan Boyd in the final term.

Preliminary finalists last season, Carlton extended its undefeated start to 3-0, while the Kangaroos remain winless. In an encouraging sign, star defender Jacob Weitering made an impressive return from injury, while former Gold Coast utility Elijah Hollands improved as the game progressed in his first appearance for the club. The Blues have an opportunity to go 4-0 for the first time since 1995 - the year of their last premiership - when they face Fremantle in Gather Round next Saturday. North will play Grand Finalist Brisbane, smarting off a disappointing 0-3 start to their season, next Friday at Norwood Oval.

Double Dutch has Blues fans jumping
There has always been an air of excitement around Ollie Hollands since he arrived at Princes Park and the 20-year-old wingman started delivering last year. So when brother Elijah landed at the club through the trade period, expectations doubled. Elijah missed the Blues' first two games through suspension, only adding to the anticipation, and when he finally ran out in a blue, or white as it was, jumper the fans were on the edge of their seats. And Hollands delivered - 22 disposals, five tackles and a goal. It looks like the new Blues brothers could deliver their fair share of hits.

Roos hand out the Easter Eggs early
It was never going to be an easy task for North Melbourne to take down an in-form Carlton, but ill-discipline made it near impossible. The Roos finished the match heavily in the negatives in the free kick count, but more of a worry was the six 50 metre penalties they handed over, most resulting in goals. History would suggest Alastair Clarkson doesn't mind a bit of 'unsociable football', but it's unlikely he'll be impressed with the gifts his players handed over on Friday.

Best: H. McKay, P. Cripps, C. Curnow, G. Hewett, A. Cerra, E. Hollands.

Hot Hollands humbled by Blues' support

Coming to a new club with a ban in place may have been an issue, but Carlton has embraced young gun. - By AAP.

Carlton recruit Elijah Hollands feels humbled by the support of the Blues after slotting straight into the undefeated line-up once his drugs ban ended. Hollands described his start to his Carlton debut as "rusty", but finished with 22 possessions and a well-celebrated goal in the Good Friday thumping of North Melbourne. The 22-year-old arrived at Ikon Park, via an off-season trade from Gold Coast, in trying circumstances. Hollands was hit with a two-game ban from the AFL after being caught with cocaine while at The Star Casino on the Gold Coast last September. The utility was charged by Queensland Police and sanctioned with a two-month good behaviour bond, and also had to complete a drug diversion course.

But Carlton coach Michael Voss saw enough in Hollands to play him as soon as he was available. "I couldn't be more grateful to the coaches, players, admin staff, the way they've backed me in and then thrown their arms around me," Hollands said. "They've let me get to work; it's been huge and given me a heap of confidence. "Even being able to come straight into the line-up and play AFL footy is humbling and also I am really grateful." Hollands already had a point to prove after the former No.7 draft pick was restricted to just 14 games in three seasons with the Suns. He has teamed up with younger brother, Ollie, at Carlton. When Elijah kicked his first goal for the Blues in the last quarter against North, the brothers pulled off a celebration made famous by Tottenham soccer superstar Son Heung-min. "We didn't really know if we had the knack of finding each other, but I think we did a couple of times," Elijah said. "It was a special night for us and we'll keep enjoying it as the years go on. "I've been trying to do that (celebration) for a little bit, and it only came to me and then Ollie wanted to join in the party, so we got that done." Voss declared Hollands had been "fantastic" at earning respect off his new teammates. "It was a very easy decision," Voss said of picking Hollands immediately. "We're not making it off one week or two weeks, we're making it off a body of work that we've seen over the course of the pre-season. "We're becoming more and more bullish about what he could do and the role he could play for us."

Double Dutch will have Blues fans jumping

Every top-10 draft pick has hype around them, but the sheer weight of numbers has seen many early selections taken by Gold Coast go under the radar. Elijah Hollands was in that category three years after hearing his name called at No.7 in 2020. The exciting talent managed just 14 games in his time at the Suns and looked for opportunity elsewhere, with brother Ollie's home at Princes Park an obvious choice. Carlton got the 21-year-old for a song, and if his debut in blue against North Melbourne on Good Friday is anything to go by, it could be one of the smartest deals done of last year's trade period. In arguably his best career game to date, Hollands had 22 disposals, five tackles and a goal, and with Ollie becoming a fan favourite too, it looks like the new Blues brothers could deliver their fair share of hits. – Howard Kimber

Grateful Voss lauds consistency

Michael Voss highlighted the importance of the Good Friday SuperClash and his team's performance. - By Carlton Media

"We don't take it for granted." AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss said playing in the Good Friday SuperClash was a perspective provider for the Club this week, and that his side embraced that aspect when playing on Friday evening at Marvel Stadium. Celebrating the "real heroes" of the Royal Children's Hospital, Voss also acknowledged the consistent performance that the Blues produced in Round 3 against the Roos. Here's what he had to say.

On Good Friday football and RCH ambassador, Ollie:
"We’re very fortunate to be playing in this game. We don’t take it for granted that we’re a part of this. The part of our build-up for the whole week has been centralised around the real heroes that we have here. "Ollie has been one of those for us over the last couple of years and he’s had his own challenges as well, but it’s been inspirational for us to have him and his family around over the last few days."

On the positives of the game:
"I thought it was a really consistent performance. What we wanted to do today was to really respect not just the game itself, but the opponent. They certainly had us on notice watching them play last week and how dangerous they are with the ball in hand, they can do some damage out of their back half. "To be able to do that level of pressure and that level of consistency that we had across the whole day, we had a couple of break moments, but given they challenged that space quite a fair bit, we were able to maximise our opportunities the other way."

On the forwards:
"Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow were great, but it’s obvious to highlight those two individuals. The story for me was sharing the load. When you look at the ground-level players, we put a fair bit of energy into how they bring the ball out of the back half and I think our smalls went to work, they were particularly impressive today. "Not only defensively did they get the job done, but they were able to hit the scoreboard as well. We had 11 goalkickers today, so that was pleasing to have that. If you look at the stat sheet again, they weren’t massive stats by any stretch, everyone took their turn when they needed to which was the hallmark of the performance."

On Charlie Curnow:
"He’s ok, we had five minutes to go, and he didn’t fight me too hard. He’s fine. He did roll his ankle, but they were re-strapping and the clock was ticking, so we just thought we’d park him."

On Caleb Marchbank:
"He’s in concussion protocols."

On Harry McKay:
"He went through a journey like all of us did last year and he found some challenges he had to work himself through. It’s amazing when you take the time to work through that, and it doesn’t always fall how you want it to in that time. He’s been able to do that, he’s been able to use it all and put it in and refine his game. "He’s as confident as I’ve seen him since he’s been here. If anything, he’s finally got some reward for a couple of great pre-seasons that he’s had."

On selection decisions:
"I’m quite happy to have those tough conversations if they’re needed. If we’ve got strong availability and they’ve got challenges for position, it’s amazing how that creates the momentum for you. "We’re in great shape. You’re never too sure how the bye goes, it’s a very unusual place to have it but what we did want to do was work pretty hard up to the bye and get our training done and didn’t have a lot of breaks. We used that to get our mental rest and physical rest and we bounced into this week really well: I couldn’t fault their training over the last couple of weeks. "That’s where they’ve turned into professionals, and understand the preparation required on a weekly basis to be able to play consistent football. That’s what we haven’t yet proved, we haven’t proved that we’re that consistent home-and-away team and we only get to do that with time."

On Elijah Hollands:
"The first conversation I had with him when the deal went through and he came to us was that he gets a fresh set of eyes, but what I do expect is that you put your head down and work hard and you earn respect through that way: he’s been fantastic at that. "Harry’s been top three in the pre-season over the course of the pre-season and Elijah has been another as well. He’s put his head down, he’s gone about earning the respect of his teammates. "What we’ve seen tonight was what we’ve seen a fair bit of over pre-season. He got to play in a role he’ll probably play a fair bit of and he had an impact, which was great to see."

Team

B:	22 Caleb Marchabnk	23 Jacob Weitering	6 Zac Williams
HB:	42 Adam Saad	11 Mitch McGovern	24 Nic Newman
C:	4 Ollie Hollands	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	44 Matt Owies	10 Harry McKay	7 Matthew Kennedy
F:	20 Elijah Hollands	30 Charlie Curnow	8 Lachie Fogarty
Ruck:	12 Tom De Koning	5 Adam Cerra	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	37 Jordan Boyd	16 Jack Carroll	46 Matthew Cottrell
	19 Corey Durdin
Substitute:	14 Orazio Fantasia
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	25 Jaxon Binns	27 Marc Pittonet	33 Lewis Young

In: Elijah Hollands, Caleb Marchbank, Jacob Weitering
Out: David Cunningham (calf), Brodie Kemp (omitted), Lewis Young (omitted)

Substitute: Orazio Fantasia, replaced Corey Durdin at three-quarter time.

Milestones

50 Games Coach (Carlton): Michael Voss
Debut (Carlton): Elijah Hollands
First Goal (Carlton): Elijah Hollands, Orazio Fantasia

Interesting Facts

1. Charlie Curnow; 50 Games in a row to have kicked at least one goal in each match.
2. When Oliver Hollands and Elijah Hollands lined up today, they become the 21st set of brothers to play in the same game for the Blues. It was the 22nd occasion when siblings played in the same Carlton game. The Hosking's twins played together in Carlton's AFLW team. (Carlton's website left out the McLean brothers (Ron and Ken) who played 6 games together. The played their 1st game in Round 16, 1944 and then played 5 games together during the first of the first 8 rounds in 1946).
3. Last year Charlie Curnow (6) and Harry McKay (4) kicked a combined 10 goals against the Roos, this year it was nine goals between the two spearheads.
4. Michael Voss coached his 50th Carlton game and in these 50 games has a winning ratio of 59% made up of 29 victories 1 draw and 20 defeats.
5. This was Carlton's biggest win over North Melbourne since the 1995 Preliminary Final when they won by 62 points.
6. This was Carlton's highest score against North Melbourne since Round 20, 1988 when they kicked 20.21.141.

Front Runners

Matt Cottrell 15.9km
Elijah Hollands 15.0km
Blake Acres 14.2km

AFLCA Votes

10 - Harry McKay (CARL)
8 - George Hewett (CARL)
6 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
3 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)
2 - Elijah Hollands (CARL)
1 - Adam Cerra (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

Best and Fairest Votes

Video

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Round 2 | Round 4