Australian Football

Match Report

Continuing its climb up the ladder, North has comfortably accounted for Carlton at Docklands Stadium on Saturday night, shaking off the Blues with a big second half. Carlton was within 10 points at the long break, but the Kangaroos backed up a four-goal-to-one third quarter with a six-goal-to-one last term to win by 64 points. The win lifted North to seventh on the ladder, and the Roos are still a chance - albeit slim - to take a place in the top four. 

North clicked into gear almost from the very beginning. Brent Harvey, playing his 401st AFL match, kicked the Roos off with a goal at the five-minute mark and they would go on to add another four goals for the term, through Todd Goldstein, Drew Petrie and Harvey again before Blaine Boekhorst kicked Carlton's first right on the quarter-time siren. Had Boekhorst not kicked that goal, it would have been the Blues' fourth goalless term in their last six. 

The Blues were far more competitive in the second quarter. Levi Casboult kicked the first of the term and, after Shaun Higgins responded for the Roos, Andrejs Everitt added another for Carlton. Ex-Blue Jarrad Waite, playing his 200th AFL match (but just 16th for the Roos) then kicked North's seventh to put the Kangaroos four goals clear but the Blues then turned things around. Casboult, Everitt and Zac Tuohy all added majors as Carlton drew within four points, before Petrie's third gave the Roos a 10-point buffer at half time. 

Carlton continued to stay in touch for the first 20 minutes of the third term. Each side scored a goal in that period, through Nick Dal Santo for North and Matthew Kreuzer for the Blues. But the advent of time-on heralded a breakaway period for the Kangaroos, and goals to Goldstein, Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell saw them suddenly five goals clear at the last change. 

Three-quarter time brought no change of fortune for the Blues and they faded badly in the last term. Ziebell, Lindsay Thomas, Ben Cunnington, Waite and Higgins all kicked goals within the first 15 minutes as North careered away to a 61-ppint lead. Carlton stemmed the flow after that, but the horse had well and truly bolted. Each side added one further major as the Roos finished the match 64 points to the good. 

Ziebell played a great game for the Roos, with 26 disposals and eight marks, while Higgins (31 possessions, two goals) and Goldstein (41 hitouts, two goals) continued their fine seasons. For Carlton, skipper Marc Murphy was a standout, with 26 touches and three tackles, while Patrick Cripps (20 possessions, six tackles) and Kreuzer (five tackles, 14 disposals) were also very good. 

North's next match is against Melbourne at the MCG next Sunday, while Carlton will take on old rivals Collingwood at the same venue a day earlier. 

GOALS
Carlton: Everitt 3; Casboult 2; Boekhorst, Tuohy, Kreuzer
North Melbourne: Petrie 3; Harvey, Goldstein, Ziebell, Waite, Higgins, Thomas 2; Dal Santo, Swallow, Cunnington

BEST - THE SINDAY AGE
Carlton: Murphy, Cripps, Kreuzer, Simpson, Everitt
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Higgins, Goldstein, Dal Santo, Tarrant, Petrie, Wright

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Carlton: Murphy, Simpson, Cripps, Everitt, Kreuzer
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Goldstein, Higgins, Wright, Dal Santo, Jacobs, Waite

INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Clem Smith replaced Jason Tutt in the third quarter.
North Melbourne: Taylor Garner replaced Kayne Turner at three-quarter time.

UMPIRES: Rosebury, O'Gorman, Hosking

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Brian Taylor, Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling