Australian Football

Match Report

A routine win over the fledgling GWS Giants has seen Mick Malthouse's Carlton move up to sixth place on the AFL ladder. The Giants were competitive in the first quarter, and were probably a little bit unlucky not to be closer to Carlton at the first break, but a poor turnover from Stephen Coniglio cost GWS a goal, and the Blues swept the ball to the other end of the ground to kick a major of their own. The 12-point turnaround proved to be the difference between a 10-point and 22-point deficit at quarter time. After that first break, the Blues asserted their authority, increasing their lead at every change, eventually running out winners by 94 points.

Andrew Walker played a dominant role in the win, gathering 34 possessions, while Jeff Garlett (four goals, 19 disposals) and Mitch Robinson (29 possessions) were also very good for the Blues, who were without ex-skipper Chris Judd, who withdrew from the match prior to its commencement with a hamstring complaint. For the Giants, co-captain Callan Ward continued his outstanding season, with 33 touches and a goal, while Toby Greene (28 possessions) and Lachie Whitfield (21 disposals and a goal) were also good. Whitfield's performance earned him the round nine nomination for the AFL's Rising Star award, while Jeremy Cameron's two goals took his season tally to 27, fifth overall in the AFL.

The Blues have now won three games on end, a streak which has seen them move from 11th to 10th, to eighth, to sixth over that three week period. A win over fifth-placed Essendon at the MCG this Friday night would put them in a position to make a serious assault on a top-four place. They will then face top-placed Hawthorn before having their mid-season bye.

GWS on the bottom and without a win a likely to remain so after this coming Saturday, when Giants take on the all-conquering Geelong at the Sydney Showground. They will then play Essendon at Docklands before also having their mid-year break.

GOALS
Carlton: Garlett 4; Waite, Yarran 3; Armfield, Menzel, Henderson, Armfield 2; Gibbs, Curnow, Casboult, Kreuzer
GWS: Cameron, Coniglio 2; Hampton, Whitfield, Palmer, Ward

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Carlton: Walker, Garlett, Robinson, Gibbs, Curnow, Kreuzer
GWS: Ward, Shiel, Treloar, Mohr

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Carlton: Walker, Garlett, Yarran, Kreuzer, Gibbs, Armfield
GWS: Ward, Whitfield, Adams, Greene

COACHES' COMMENTS
Mick Malthouse (Carl): I thought some of things we did were quite good. We need to improve on some other. We technically dominated the second half and that's going to happen when your opponents are very young and inexperienced. We made sure that they didn't get back in the game.

Keven Sheedy (GWS): The scoreboard should have been four goals versus five at quarter time. Coniglio should have given the ball over but he got caught. That should have been another goal to us, and we let them get a goal in the last minute. That hurts you, particularly when you're a young team coming through.

INJURIES
Carlton: Chris Judd (hamstring) replaced in the selected side by Troy Menzel
GWS: O'hAilpin (knee)

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Michael Jamison replaced by Tom Bell at three-quarter time
GWS: Setanta O'hAilpin replaced by Jacob Townsend at half time

UMPIRES: McBurney, Burgess, Pannell