Australian Football

Match Report

Four weeks into this season, Carlton was last on the ladder and without a win. Having lost to the Bulldogs by six goals, the Blues looked to be heading for a four-way battle for the wooden spoon with Fremantle, Essendon and Brisbane. Just one month later, Brendon Bolton's team now has a 4-4 record, with wins over the Dockers, Bombers and Magpies followed by a magnificent and thrilling two-point win over the highly-favoured Port Adelaide on Saturday, and Carlton is at last team that looks like it's going places again.

What made Carlton's win all the more meritorious was the fact that it was achieved after Levi Casboult left the field after just seven minutes with what later was revealed to be a broken leg that will sideline him for around two months. Yet the Blues somehow managed to put Casboult's loss aside and conjure up a stirring come-from-behind win. 

Port made the early running but couldn't find the big sticks, with Ollie Wines, Aaron Young and Jasper Pittard all missing shots at goal in the first five minutes. Casboult then went down with his leg injury and that seemed to somehow ignite the Blues. Andrejs Everitt goaled for them at the seven-minute mark and, although Justin Westhoff responded soon after for Port, majors to Marc Murphy and Jed Lamb saw Carlton ahead by 10 points at the 20-minute mark. The Power turned things around in time-on, though, and goals to Jackson Trengove, Karl Amon and Westhoff had them ahead by nine points at quarter time.

Zach Tuohy goaled on the run within the first minute of the second term but Port kicked three of the next four majors to jump to a 16-point lead 10 minutes into the quarter. The Blues hot black, though, and Everitt's second and third goals had them back within two points before Port regained the ascendency to close out the hard with three behinds and a goal to Aaron Young to lead by 11 at the long break.

Jed Lamb's second major had the Blues back within a goal five minutes into the third term and it was a bit of a see-saw affair after that. Bryce Gibbs goaled from a tight angle to level the scores at the 10-minute mark but Chad Wingard's first had Port back ahead a minute later. The two sides registered only behinds for the next 13 minutes before Matthew Kreuzer goaled to put Carlton ahead by a point after 245 minutes. Wingard answered with another goal and the Power was five points clear at 'orange' time. 

Most expected Port to shake the Blues off and go on with the job in the final term and that's the way it appeared to be a headed after Travis Boak, Matthew Broadbent and Charlie Dixon all kicked goals to put the Power three goals clear after 15 minutes. Carlton had other ideas, however, and its defence tightened up to the point that Port did not score again. Patrick Cripps scored a behind and then the re-born Liam Jones added a goal and a behind to cut the difference to just 10 points entering time on.

The Blues continued to attack and a great tackle by Liam Sumner saw him get a free kick and kick a goal to bring the margin back to just four points. At the 25-minute mark, big Matthew Kreuzer grabbed the ball and snapped a goal to put Carlton ahead and the Blues then defended grimly to record a brilliant two-point win. It emerged later that Kreuzer had kicked the goal with a knee injury that will keep him out of the game for a month.

Gibbs was brilliant for the Blues, with 30 disposals and seven tackles, while Port was well served by Hamish Hartlett (26 possessions, seven tackles) and Wines (29 touches and four marks).

Both sides are now locked on 4-4, with Port to host West Coast at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday and Carlton to meet the undefeated North Melbourne at Docklands on Sunday. 

GOALS
Carlton: Everitt 3; Lamb, Jones, Kreuzer 2; Murphy, Gibbs, Rowe, Tuohy, Sumner
Port Adelaide: Wingard, Dixon, Westhoff 2; Boak, Broadbent, Ebert, Hartlett, Trengove, Amon, Young

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Carlton: Gibbs, Docherty, Kreuzer, Cripps, Curnow, Everitt
Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Wines, Trengove, Young, Amon

BEST - THEAGE.COM.AU
Carlton: Gibbs, Kreuzer, Cripps, Docherty, Murphy, Rowe, Curnow, Simpson
Port Adelaide: Wines, Hartlett, Trengove, Young, Polec, Amon

INJURIES
Carlton: Casboult (leg), Kreuzer (ankle), Cripps (knee)
Port Adelaide: Nil

UMPIRES: Donlon, Bannister, Chamberlain

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Sandy Roberts, Dwayne Russell, Jason Dunstall, Danny Frawley