Australian Football

Match Report

A close game between two relatively evenly matched sides has seen one advance to the upper reaches of the AFL ladder and the other now languishing near the bottom after Geelong squeeked home against Carlton on Saturday night. For the Cats, it was a third consecutive win in a tight game and they are now one of five teams to boast a 3-0 record. For the Blues, it has been the exact opposite. They have been in all three of their games up until well into the last quarter but have won none. They now sit in 15th place on the ladder, one of four sides with a 0-3 record.

The match began for Carlton as their round one and two matches had, as they kicked the opening two goals of the match through Heath Scotland and Kane Lucas. Tent West responded for Geelong but Brock Mclean and Sam Rowe kicked the next two and Carlton held a four-goal-to-one lead. But Geelong were then stung into action. Goals to Allen Christensen and James Podsiadly were followed by two to Taylor Hunt and the Cats led by eight points at quarter-time.

Free-flowing football was the order of the second quarter as first Carlton, and then Geelong, had runs of consecutive goals. The wash-up was a seven-goal-to-five second quarter which favoured the Cats, and they took a 21-point lead into the main break.

Carlton opened with the first goal of the third quarter through Chris Judd but it was Geelong who once again assumed control as the term wore on. The margin at the last change was 33 points.

The Blues attacked relentlessly throughout the first half of the last quarter and goals to Chris Yarran, Lucas, Shaun Hampson and Kade Simpson saw the Cats' lead cut back to just 10 points at the 15-minute mark. But Geelong steadied once more and a goal to Steven Motlop sealed the deal for the Cats at the 22-minute mark.

Harry Taylor, Matthew Stokes and Taylor Hunt were all very good for Geelong, while Andrew Walker and Judd were amongst the Blues's best.

GOALS
Geelong: Hunt, Hawkins 3; Christensen, Taylor, Smedts, Motlop 2; Podsiadly, West, Stokes, Selwood
Carlton: Rowe, Yarran, Lucas 2; Scotland, McLean, Buckley, Garlett, McLean, Judd, Murphy, Hampson, Armfield

BEST - THE AGE
Geelong: Stokes, Christensen, Taylor, Hunt, Hawkins
Carlton: Judd, Walker, Carrazzo, Murphy

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Geelong: Taylor, Hunt, Stokes, Motlop, Christensen, Bartel, Hawkins
Carlton: Walker, Gibbs, Judd, Robinson, Jamison, Rowe, McLean

COACHES' COMMENTS
Chris Scott (Geel): I don't think that Carlton opened us up too much, except when we turned the ball over and gave them some really open territory to move into. We feel a little relieved that they missed some of the shots that they did. We do have a degree of confidence that when the game's on the line and we need players to step up, that's going to happen.

Mick Malthouse (Carl): Good sides last longer. They're a very good football side. We've had that now with the three sides we've played, who have given us some food for thought. I'm not disappointed in the attitude or the effort. What we let ourselves down with is five to seven minutes a quarter or a half.

INJURIES
Geelong: Varcoe (shoulder)
Carlton: Kreuzer (thumb), Davies (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Varcoe (shoulder) at quarter-time by Josh Caddy
Carlton: Kreuzer (thumb) at quarter-time by Dylan Buckley

UMPIRES: Dalgleish, Nicholls, McInerney