Carlton vs North Melbourne

I have to start with the moment highlighted between Sam Docherty and Ben Cunnington prior to the match. Both men have been absolute warriors for their clubs and ...

A player in mid-air is as exposed as a player with his head down over the football. We’ll wait and see if they can pull a performance similar to when they went to Sydney out of their hat. Larkey didn’t even just sort of wander under him, he deliberately accelerated and put his shoulder into the bottom half of Lewis with the sole purpose being to affect his ability to land. You only have to look at the second halves of Stephenson, Horne-Francis, Davis-Uniacke, and see that they just couldn’t hold onto the form they had found in the second quarter. Probably a bit of a cop-out but North Melbourne really just need to look at the second quarter of this game and try and bottle it. Hitting the scoreboard and with good defensive pressure. In terms of the incident where the umpire was run in to by a player which may have contributed to a turnover and North Melbourne goal, I have no issue with that play. He kicked the first goal of the match with his first kick in AFL footy. I am usually not one to mention umpiring but there were a couple of decisions in this game that were genuine head-scratchers. Then the Blues flexed their muscles in the third and kicked five straight goals to blow the Kangaroos out of the game. Horne-Francis is not a superstar yet, but this game had all the hallmarks of a player who is building to that level. Which makes it hard to argue that effectively all of Docherty’s disposals were earned in this game and his numbers stack up appropriately.

Led by a best-on-ground effort from skipper Patrick Cripps, and dynamic forwards Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, Carlton posted their fifth win of the ...

Debutant Kangaroo Miller Bergman, a late inclusion, had managed just the one kick before a shoulder injury led to his substitution in the second term. While Goldstein was busy, the same couldn’t be said for key Kangaroo Luke Davies-Uniacke, who had just the one touch to quarter time. He led the tap outs 12-9 in the first term and had eight touches and a clearance, and was in the thick of the action early in the second term when he grabbed the ball from a throw in and handballed to Cameron Zurhaar, who snapped truly. While veteran Todd Goldstein was one of North’s best, the athletic Tom De Koning ensured the Blues still won the overall clearances and centre clearances. Jy Simpkin was also busy for the Kangaroos, who lack class and poise on most lines. While the struggling Kangaroos had only won one third term this year, the Blues’ response highlighted their greater maturity.

Carlton defeats North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

North Melbourne: Bosenavulagi (replaced Bergman in the second quarter) Carlton defender Sam Docherty and North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington – who have both undergone multiple bouts of testicular cancer – shared a touching pre-match embrace. North Melbourne: Corr (health and safety protocols) replaced in selected side by Bergman

The Blues improved to 5-2 to begin the season with a strong win over the Kangaroos.

The Blues topped the overall clearance count by 11, despite North Melbourne dominating hitouts 56-30. North Melbourne: Atu Bosenavulagi (replaced Bergman in the second quarter) Carlton defender Sam Docherty and North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington – who have both undergone multiple bouts of testicular cancer – shared a touching pre-match embrace. Matt Kennedy had a game-high 11 clearances, while Cripps wasn’t far behind with 10. The premiership quarter has haunted Carlton this year, averaging nearly five goals against over its six matches in 2022. North Melbourne: Aidan Corr (health and safety protocols) replaced in selected side by Miller Bergman

CARLTON has recorded an emphatic win over North Melbourne, taking home a 50-point victory at Marvel Stadium. After an even first half, the Blues were able ...

Capping off his debut with an impressive first-up performance across the midfield and forward line, it all started with Carroll’s first kick of the game. 3. A first goal in 1,491 days was the result for Jacob Weitering, and the typically stoic defender embraced the occasion. 1. When the Blues struggled to get going, Jack Martin was a powerful force in the forward line for his side, particularly in the early going. Then, four years in the making, a 100-metre penalty saw Jacob Weitering kick his first goal since 2018, with the celebration befitting the occasion. It was a perfect start for the Blues, with Jack Carroll kicking the opening goal of the game inside the first few minutes with his maiden kick in football. Carroll continued his impressive debut performance, gathering seven disposals in the term with a hand in four goals.