Carlton

Carlton will host Greater Western Sydney at Marvel Stadium next week, while Geelong heads to Adelaide to face Port Adelaide. Watch every blockbuster AFL match ...

“They’ll go back to work and have a look at it. which left Jonathan Brown convinced his former teammate was masking the truth. “Tonight they were beaten in that area of the game and that’s their one-wood, they’ve got the big bulls in the middle ... they need to be able to win those contests.” As for the Cats as a whole? That‘s eight straight for Geelong and it’s going to take a lot for them to drop out of top spot given their draw - the Blues were the last side currently in the top eight that remain in their fixture. Ultimately, it was another night lost in the contest and lost overall in the match. The former Richmond and Adelaide player has been huge this season and yet again was crucial to the Cats‘ forward thrusts in a big game. Carlton missed a couple of opportuinities early in the term and it effectively proved the final straw when Gryan Miers goaled at the other end. The third term opened with a scoring stalemate, with a couple of chances going begging for both sides. The Cats began to take the ascendancy in proceedings despite the Blues having more of the footy, with Max Holmes and Hawkins kicking majors. Carlton had some poor entries into its forward 50 but Charlie Curnow maximised one of them with a dribble kick that bounced through for the side’s first goal of the night. Rhys Stanley kicked the first goal of the game after a mark on the goalline.

The Cats' star forward duo Jeremy Cameron (three goals) and Tom Hawkins (two) had the better of their eagerly anticipated match-up against Carlton's forward ...

For a man who has put his body on the line in every available contest for the past 16 seasons, Joel Selwood's efforts at the coalface continue to amaze. The 34-year-old was arguably best on ground on Saturday night in as physical a clash as you are likely to see, but then, that's his natural habitat. There's no way the Cats skipper will ever move to a forward pocket or back flank for his football finale - it's 'in the guts or on the couch' - and there's no indication he's looking to put his feet up just yet. The battle of the competition's top key-forward pairings occupied a lot of media space during the week, and in the end the roles played by the spearheads were vital, but not in the way many expected. And while brother's on opposite sides can always test a family's loyalties, Tom's final-quarter goal seemed to keep most of his other eight siblings happy. Geelong had 27 fewer possessions than Carlton but used the ball more efficiently across every area of the ground to record a 12.13 (85) to 8.7 (55) win.

Geelong have made an emphatic statement, dispatching Carlton by 30 points to consolidate their position on top of the AFL ladder.

"(Geelong) were pretty methodical in the way that they played. "We couldn't stay at it for long enough, for periods of time we were quite close...but being able to hold when you need to, they were able to keep denying." Geelong will travel to the Adelaide Oval for a clash with the resurgent Port Adelaide next Saturday while the Blues will host GWS at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. I'd describe it as ruthlessly efficient in the way they went about it," Voss said. "The players were able to adjust to the game and execute what was required at the right time because it was a pretty high-pressure game." Geelong had 27 fewer possessions than Carlton but used the ball more efficiently across every area of the ground to record a 12.13 (85) to 8.7 (55) win.

The Cats are shaping as the team to beat in 2022 after systematically dismantling Carlton to hand the new kids on the block a brutal reality check in the ...

It meant Jed Bews, who was having his workload managed, ended up playing a lot more of the game than the Cats would have planned. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter. The Cats midfield, led by Joel Selwood and Cam Guthrie, beat the Blues at their own game. Voss said there was no quick fix for the Blues, who are aiming to make their first finals series since 2013. Mid-season recruit Hayes, in his first full game for his new club, is likely to come under the scrutiny of the match review officer. It’s been six years since Zach Tuohy swapped the monogram for the hoops but Blues fans have long memories – and selective ones – booing the Irishman every time he touched the ball. Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Rohan, Jack Henry and Stewart are among several key players who have missed chunks of the campaign. “Sometimes you got to keep turning up in the right spots even if it’s not your day,” Voss said. “We’re not saying it’s a beautiful plan that’s come together but virtually all the credit should go to Sam himself. Tuohy made sure they left the ground with hoarse voices, collecting 24 disposals in a composed performance across half-back. Sam Menegola will miss the Cats’ road trip to Port Adelaide after being subbed out with concussion. In front of a bumper crowd of 68,208, the Blues were flattered by the final margin of 30 points after failing what Voss described as the Cats “methodical” and “ruthlessly efficient” audit.