Carlton 2.1 13 3.5 23 5.10 40 10.13 73 Fremantle 2.2 14 4.2 26 7.7 49 9.9 63
Venue:	Adelaide Oval (Gather Round).
Date:	Saturday 6th April, 2024 (4.20 pm)
Result:	Won by 10 points,
Crowd:	45,970
Goalkickers:	C. Curnow 3.2, M. Cottrell 2.2, M. Kennedy 2.0, A. Cerra 1.2, P. Cripps 1.1, M. Owies 1.0, H. McKay 0.2, T. De Koning 0.1, J. Carroll 0.1, B. Acres 0.1, Rushed 0.1.
Reports:	Lachie Fogarty received a one-game ban for a mistimed spoil that collected Fremantle star Nathan Fyfe. The Match Review Officer graded the incident high contact, medium impact and careless conduct, which triggered a one-game ban.
Umpires:	Matt Stevic, Robert O'Gorman, Alex Whetton, Andrew Heffernan.
Injuries:	E. Hollands (hip/adductor)
Ladder:	4th

Game Review

Stunning finish sees Blues end Adelaide Oval hoodoo

Carlton has broken a 10-year drought, taking home a victory at Adelaide Oval in Gather Round. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has produced a barely believable backs-to-the-wall win, ending a 10-year Adelaide Oval drought in the process. The Blues struggled to get the game on their terms against a dogged Dockers outfit, but a stunning final four minutes saw a nine-point deficit turning into a 10-point win in an instant. Matthew Cottrell kicked the go-ahead goal in the 10.13 (73) to 9.9 (63) victory, with birthday boy Matthew Kennedy wrapping things up with his second last-quarter goal. Jacob Weitering was excellent on the last line in his second game for the season, while Adam Saad and Adam Cerra were prolific in Carlton’s fourth consecutive win.

Quarter one
The game was always going to be dictated in the early going by who was on top in the midfield battle, and it was Fremantle who dictated that early contest. The Dockers generated numerous forward opportunities in the opening minutes of the game, but it was a former Fremantle player in Adam Cerra who kicked off proceedings on the scoreboard with an opportunistic snap. The Blues struggled to get the game on their terms from there, with Fremantle getting the chance to dominate possession on the back of clearance dominance (10-1). Fremantle had over 30 more disposals than Carlton in the first term with six of the top seven ball winners on the ground, as co-vice captain Jacob Weitering (nine disposals, five marks) worked overtime on the last line. After the Dockers kicked two consecutive goals to open up a lead, it was Patrick Cripps - on the back of an Orazio Fantasia assist - who answered the Blues’ call for a response, nailing his set shot and dedicating the celebration to baby Koda as he brought the Blues back within a point at the first change.

Quarter two
After the Blues rallied in the final stages of the opening term, it was the Dockers who once again managed to wrestle momentum back as the players returned for the second quarter. As they have for 2024 so far, Fremantle managed to dominate hold of the Sherrin, ending the first half with the top seven disposal getters on the ground. After their opponents kicked the first two goals of the quarter, opening up an 11-point lead in the process, the Blues were in need of a spark. That came from Matthew Cottrell, with the recently re-signed Blue winning some crucial one-on-one contests to generate some spark. It was Cottrell who kicked Carlton’s singular goal of the second term, bringing the Blues within a kick in what was a low-scoring half at Adelaide Oval. The goal seemed to give the Blues a second wind, starting to gain more territory and generate forward-half intercepts in the final five minutes. Jordan Boyd was aggressive with his ball movement, while De Koning started to have more of an impact with six second-quarter disposals. Nearly 70 per cent of play was in the Blues’ forward half in the last 10 minutes of term two, but the Blues could only register two behinds from their six forward-half intercepts of the quarter, going into the half-time break three points in arrears.

Quarter three
It was clear that Carlton came out with extra vigour in the third term, peppering Fremantle’s backline for a sustained period upon the resumption of play. After being well held in the first half, Charlie Curnow came to life — as he so often does when the Blues need a spark. The key forward kicked two straight goals as the two sides went toe to toe, with Fremantle responding in kind. Adam Saad stepped up to the plate, looking to rebound at every opportunity through a restrictive Fremantle press. As the Blues looked to get the game on their terms for the first time in the contest, the next goal was always going to be crucial. Unfortunately for the Blues, it went to the team in purple, who continued to have prominent ball winners in all areas of the ground. After inaccuracy plagued the Blues in the early going, some late chances went begging for the Dockers, who took a nine-point lead into the final change.

Quarter four
After being subbed into the game in the third quarter for Elijah Hollands (hip/adductor injury), Matt Owies was the one to bring some life to the Blues. Kicking the opening goal of the term to bring the Blues back within a kick, it wasn’t long before Carlton was in the lead on the back of a goal to birthday boy Matthew Kennedy. The Blues couldn’t hold on, as Fremantle rattled off consecutive goals to open up what looked to be an insurmountable lead in as tight a contest as you could imagine. But then, out of nowhere, Carlton sprung to life. Jordan Boyd produced some key defensive moments, a one-handed mark from Curnow ended in his third, and minutes later the excellent Cottrell marked and converted to give Carlton an incredulous lead with less than a minute remaining. For good measure, Kennedy kicked his second of the term, giving the Blues a game-high 10-point lead seconds before the final siren, ending Carlton’s decade-long Adelaide Oval hoodoo in unbelievable fashion.

Best: J. Weitering, M. Cottrell, A. Saad, A. Cerra, B. Kemp, P. Cripps.

Undisciplined Dockers hand Blues controversial win

Another Gather Round classic plays out at Adelaide Oval. - By Nathan Schmook.

Carlton has risen at the death against Fremantle to become the new king of close finishes, kicking three goals in the last five minutes to seal a thrilling 10-point win in controversial style at Adelaide Oval. The Dockers looked poised to continue their undefeated start to the season when they held a nine-point lead deep in the fourth quarter of a gruelling arm-wrestle, but a late goal to Charlie Curnow put the Blues in striking distance. Half-forward Matthew Cottrell was then awarded a mark and converted his set shot as Dockers players pleaded with the umpire that the ball had been touched, with dissent continuing and resulting in a follow-up free kick for the Blues and a 'double goal', with Matt Kennedy icing the match. The Dockers would have had 40 seconds to steal the lead back with a quick centre clearance if not for the umpire dissent, with the team ultimately falling to its first defeat of the season after a low-scoring clash that ended with the Blues winning 10.13 (73) to 9.9 (63).

It was the Blues' seventh win by 10 points or less from their past 10 clashes, with the 2023 preliminary finalists undefeated after four games this season. Curnow (12 marks, including six contested) was critical in the result, kicking three goals in a low-scoring match, including the belief-builder in the dying minutes and back-to-back goals at the start of the third quarter that gave the Blues their first lead since early in the game. Key defender Jacob Weitering (21 disposals and 12 marks) was also vital, while ruckman Tom De Koning competed hard with Luke Jackson to finish with 16 disposals, 32 hit-outs and five inside 50s in an impressive outing.

The Blues got the win despite having their usual ball-movement and midfield strengths taken away as the Dockers controlled clearances (44-27) and kept Carlton to its lowest score of the season in a grinding clash with little outside flow for either team. Forward-half turnovers created most of the Blues' opportunities, with former Docker Adam Cerra seizing on one to get Carlton on the board early with a right-foot snap. Chances were hard to come by otherwise, with the Blues conceding back-to-back goals to pressure forwards Tom Emmett and Bailey Banfield before Patrick Cripps stepped up deep in the quarter, celebrating his set shot goal with a nod to his newborn baby. Leading by one point at the end of the first term, the Dockers accelerated to start the second as midfielder Caleb Serong worked into the game and set up the Dockers' best passage of play with his vision in congestion, allowing Jye Amiss to kick his first goal.

The little things that Fremantle is doing so well this season, like desperate smothers and chasedown tackles, remained central to its game as Matt Taberner caught former Docker Blake Acres holding the ball for his first goal. For all Freo’s hard work keeping Carlton in check with disciplined defence, the Blues were still able to create a run of opportunities late in the quarter with front-half turnovers. Misses from Harry McKay, Cripps and then De Koning, however, left them with 1.4 for the quarter and a three-point deficit at the main break. The Dockers were dealt a setback in the third quarter when important running forward Michael Frederick suffered a right hamstring injury, grabbing at his leg as he strode through the middle of the ground. The game never broke open and tension built, particularly after a late hit on Nat Fyfe in a marking contest from Carlton forward Lachie Fogarty that will draw scrutiny. The final term was brutal and came down to who could win the critical contests. When Jeremy Sharp and Michael Walters converted back-to-back opportunities, it looked the Dockers would win enough of those to end Gather Round undefeated. They lost their cool late, however, and the Blues were there to pounce, proving they love a close finish more than any team in 2024.

Aerial battle the key for Blues
In a game that saw their ground-level strengths neutralised by a brilliant Freo midfield, the Blues needed to get the job done in the aerial contests. In the end they took 16 contested marks to the Dockers' six, with Curnow (six) the key figure in the second half. Weitering and Brodie Kemp combined for 26 marks in defence, while also keeping Freo's tall forwards relatively quiet in the air. The game was largely on the Dockers' terms, but the Blues kept themselves close enough by controlling the airwaves.

Fogarty floors Fyfe in untidy contest
Nat Fyfe was positioned to take a chest mark on the wing when Lachie Fogarty charged through in a desperate but attempt to spoil that will draw the attention of the Match Review Office. Fogarty's eyes were on Fyfe as his right forearm appeared to make contact with the dual Brownlow medallist's neck, drawing a strong response from the Fremantle players. Fogarty's fate will be determined by where initial contact was made and if he was engaging in a legitimate spoiling attempt.

Best: J. Weitering, C. Curnow, P. Cripps, A. Saad, T. De Koning, B. Kemp, A. Cerra.

'We should have got on with it': Longmuir rues dissent

Dockers coach accepts umpires can't change their mind, Voss proud of team's close wins - By Nathan Schmook

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says his players should have moved on from a controversial umpiring decision late in Saturday's loss to Carlton after an apparent dissent call against the Dockers proved crucial in a heartbreaking 10-point loss. Longmuir said there were several key moments in the dying minutes where his team did not execute to protect its lead, but it was a free kick against the Dockers immediately after Matt Cottrell's go-ahead goal and a subsequent 50m penalty that made certain of the result. The Fremantle coach and Carlton's Michael Voss both believed it was a dissent free kick that led to Matt Kennedy's game-sealer, with Longmuir clear on how his players should have handled the crucial moment. "I think it was against 'Clarky' (Jordan Clark). I'll have to dig a little bit deeper, but we should have just got on with it, even if they weren't happy with the call before," Longmuir said. "There's not much you can do. Our players clearly thought they had touched the footy, and they'll still say that now. "But that's a really hard call for the umpire to make without going to a replay and we don't want to do that for every decision. "The umpires are never going to backtrack, are they? So we just needed to move on and control what we can control." It was a brutal loss for the 3-1 Dockers, having led for the majority of a low-scoring arm-wrestle and entering the final five minutes with a nine-point lead. They failed to keep the ball in tight at the vital final stoppages that led to Cottrell's goal, however, learning a valuable lesson against a preliminary finalist that has won seven of its past 10 games by 10 points or less. "When you're in those moments you want the ball inside the contest, and you take repeat stoppages. There were a couple of moments where we should have kept it in and got a repeat stoppage," Longmuir said. "There were little bits and pieces around that second last goal, the goal that put them in front, that we didn't execute. "When it comes down to a kick, little things matter. And when you're up against good sides, you need to execute. In the end, they were just a little bit better for longer."

While the Dockers were left to rue their poor execution in the final moments, Carlton coach Michael Voss was proud of his players' ability to again get the job done in a tight clash. It followed tight wins for the Blues against Brisbane (one point) in Opening Round and Richmond (five) in round one, as well as finals wins against Sydney (six) and Melbourne (two) last season. "We've had a lot of moments in the past where we've had some really hard and harsh lessons about those moments and the boys have gone to work a lot on ourselves around that and being able to stand up when it counts," Voss said. "I thought there were some real individuals who stood up when it counted and they're taking real pride in those particular moments in games. "They're getting the detail right, they're putting the energy in, and they're executing really well." On Saturday's win, Voss said his team's ability to stay in touch all day despite the game being on Fremantle's terms for long periods was critical. The margin never extended beyond the Dockers' two-goal lead early in the second quarter, with Carlton spending just 13 minutes in front and enjoying their biggest lead of the day on the final siren. "We were a bit untidy for most of it and I just felt like Fremantle were just a little bit better around contest and cleaner when they needed to be and seemed to be having their moments throughout the game," Voss said. "It was hard work for us for most of it, but the tide turned for us when it needed to, and the margin never got out on us, which was important. "You don't always win how you would like to win, you've got to win when the game is in an arm-wrestle."

Carlton has the most upside of the undefeated teams

Prevailing when you're not at your best and banking vital early wins is something worth celebrating for Carlton, knowing that the impending return of midfield star Sam Walsh for his first game this season will elevate an on-ball group that struggled for long periods against Fremantle. The Blues lost the clearances 10-3 in the opening quarter and 44-27 for the match, with the groundball battle controlled by Dockers trio of Andrew Brayshaw (11), Caleb Serong (11) and Nat Fyfe (10). Overall, the Blues have slipped from No.5 in 2023 for clearance differential to No.17 this year, but that hasn't stopped them from accumulating wins at the Gabba, MCG, Marvel Stadium and now Adelaide Oval. The upside still there if they get their midfield firing on all cylinders is significant. – Nathan Schmook

Voss pleased with seizing the moments

It was a win in a different way, but a win nonetheless for the Blues. - By Carlton Media.

Nobody said it was easy. AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss wasn't completely impressed with his side's performance, but what did please him was the Blues' ability to take hold of the big moments. With four minutes and 42 seconds left on the clock and Carlton behind on the scoreboard in a tight contest, the game turned on its head. Here's what he had to say.

On the last quarter:
"What we got right was that we got the last part right. In four minutes and 42 seconds, we were able to execute late in the game but we stayed engaged right throughout. "Even when the Fremantle goal was kicked, you thought with that couple goal margin it might be too hard to get two scores in four minutes and 42 seconds. But they were able to stay engaged, stay connected with each other and saw a possibility to win the game. "To be able to have those moments and finish the plays, it’s one thing to set it up and it’s another to finish. We weren't really accurate today but we were accurate when we needed to be."

On numerous close wins:
"We’ve had a lot of moments in the past where we’ve had some hard and harsh lessons about those moments and the boys have gone to work on ourselves around that, being able to stand up when it counts. "I thought there were some individuals that really stood up when it counted and they take real pride in those particular moments in games. They’re getting the detail right, they’re putting the effort in it and they’re executing it really well. "We were a bit untidy for most of it and I felt like Fremantle were a bit better around the contest and were a bit cleaner when they needed to be. They seemed to be having their moments through the game and it was hard work for us for most of it. "The tide turned when we needed it to and the margin never got out on us which was important, so that says a lot about the arm wrestle. You don’t always win how you would like to win, you’ve got to win when the game is an arm wrestle and Fremantle were able to put the game together and it made it really tough for us."

On Fremantle's game and Carlton's effort:
"It was small margins and we spoke a lot about respecting Fremantle’s game. We came in, looked at their contest game and it’s in really good shape, we look at how they denied opposition score, that’s in really good shape. "We always knew this was going to be a tough game, but I felt like our game, we had good moments, but largely was a bit untidy. We could’ve been cleaner in the contest, and lacked composure at times with ball in hand. "We made it difficult for ourselves, but you can get frustrated by that or you can just stay connected as a team and they were able to do that and still execute their roles – our effort never wavered, that’s the big thing for us. Tackles were +13, and contested possessions kept coming, so we couldn’t fault the effort but the execution needs work."

On the interstate win and breaking the Adelaide Oval hoodoo:
"To be able to get games on the road, they’re important. They’re extremely valuable to have and there’s a level of maturity you have to have as well to win those games and we made some great ground last year on it. "To knock this one over was semi-important: Adelaide Oval, not being able to win here, they can sometimes stack up on you so it’s nice to put that one to bed. It’s a nice little achievement, a nice little acknowledgement for us as a team. "They’re all really important. To go on the road and get two really close wins is important in the bigger picture of the season."

On winning in different ways:
"Our profile is a bit different to how you’ve traditionally seen us. Clearances were -17, that’s a big number. That’s not something we could absorb in the past. But what we have been and what we’ve grown is how we want to defend as a team. "Even when we’re not getting territory from that part of the game, we’re still able to defend and hold as best as we possibly can and we’re starting up our game from a different area of the ground. We don’t always want it to be that way but that’s what we got today. We had to work through it and the boys solved it really well."

On Patrick Cripps moving forward in games:
"He’s been doing that the last month, for us it’s about spreading and sharing the load. He wants to have that as part of his game and to be able to get him forward and throw in some other guys in the midfield is sharing the load and probably says where 'Crippa' is at – he trusts his teammates. He’ll have his turn at times but he trusts his teammates and his trusting that the role will get done."

On Sam Walsh:
"He's tracked really well and we found out that he’s trained really well over the weekend so if he gets through training, he’ll play next week."

On Elijah Hollands:
"Hip/adductor, we’ll have to get scans."

On Zac Williams:
"It was a special moment the assist for Charlie Curnow, wasn't it? "He’s missed a lot of footy over the last little period of time and he's just going to keep getting better just by continuing to play and playing with that back six/seven that are down there and getting some familiarity and cohesion amongst them, we’ll start to see more of that, him taking those moments and break through."

On Tom De Koning:
"He got plenty of looks throughout the day. His game has grown enormously. He’s setting up his games throughout the week, his training really well, he’s taken that to a whole new level and he’s been able to grow parts of his game. "Some of that is around the ruck contest, but I think where he’s actually having more impact is when the ball hits the floor and he's starting to get involved around the ground. It’s been really good to see his growth over the course of the last month."

Team

B:	17 Brodie Kemp	23 Jacob Weitering	42 Adam Saad
HB:	6 Zac Williams	11 Mitch McGovern	24 Nic Newman
C:	4 Ollie Hollands	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	14 Orazio Fantasia	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:	44 Matt Owies
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	25 Jaxon Binns	27 Marc Pittonet	2 Lachlan Cowan

In: Brodie Kemp
Out: Caleb Marchbank (concussion)

Substitute: M. Owies replaced E. Hollands (hip/adductor) during the third quarter.

Interesting Facts

1. First win at the Adelaide Oval.
2. First time the Blues have won their first 4 games of the season since 1995.
3. Brodie Kemp took a career high 14 marks during this match.

Front Runners

Oliver Hollands 15.3km
Matt Cottrell 15.3km
Brodie Kemp 14.1km
Blake Acres 13.6km

AFLCA Votes

8 - Andrew Brayshaw (FRE)
5 - Hayden Young (FRE)
4 - Jacob Weitering (CARL)
4 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)
4 - Jordan Clark (FRE)
3 - Caleb Serong (FRE)
1 - James Aish (FRE)
1 - Luke Ryan (FRE)

Brownlow Votes

Best and Fairest Votes

Video

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Round 3 | Round 5