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Game Review

The first quarter was a very exciting shoot out, with a combined total of 11 goals. The Blues went into the quarter time break with a one-goal lead and all signs pointed to a close game. The next 3 quarters proved anything but with the Kangaroos playing like a team vying for a top 4 spot. Poor skills and loose checking cost the Blues dearly, as the Kangaroos ran away 51-point victors and all but ended any chance the Blues had of playing finals.

It was the 8 goal burst in the second that won the game for the 'Roos - a mix of hard running and great skills, but it has to be said that Carlton fans were left scratching their heads over some rough umpiring. From one particular kick-in, an Umpire up the ground awarded a 50 metre against Grigg, but the Umpire near Fevola did not hear this and called the North player to play on. Fev, looking a little confused but following the nearby Umpire, strips the ball from Port player. Rather than recalling the ball or showing some common sense, a second 50m was paid against Fev gifting the Roos a goal. People may get frustrated at Fevola giving up frees occasionally, but this wasn't his fault at all. By the end of the game Brendan Fevola actually became only the third Blue to kick 90 goals in a season!

In team stats, Marc Murphy was one of the few Carlton players who had a good game, finishing with 29 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 5 clearances and 2 assists. Captain Chris Judd had 23 disposals at 87% efficiency, 8 contested possessions, 6 clearances and a goal while Andrew Walker continued his good form since returning from his shoulder injury with 24 disposals. Brendan Fevola made the most of the limited opportunites he had and managed to boot 6 goals, including 5 in the first half.

Team

B:	44 Andrew Carrazzo	40 Michael Jamison	9 Jason Saddington
HB:	32 Bret Thornton	30 Jarrad Waite	27 Dennis Armfield
C:	16 Shaun Grigg	5 Chris Judd (c)	29 Heath Scotland
HF:	34 Simon Wiggins	1 Andrew Walker	6 Kade Simpson
F:	3 Marc Murphy	25 Brendan Fevola	8 Matthew Kreuzer
Ruck:	28 Cameron Cloke	4 Bryce Gibbs	24 Nick Stevens (vc)
Interchange:	2 Jordan Russell	14 Brad Fisher	15 Steven Browne
	22 Shaun Hampson
Coach:	Brett Ratten
Emg:	7 Adam Bentick, 19 Eddie Betts, 18 Paul Bower

Milestones

Last game: Jason Saddington
Goal-kicking records: Brendan Fevola kicked the 3rd biggest bag by a Blue in our history with 90 goals in a season
Opponent Winning Streaks: This loss equalled Carlton's greatest ever losing streak of 6 against North Melbourne.
Attendance: The crowd attendance of 43 406 was the greatest ever between these two teams at the Telstra Dome.

Brownlow Votes

3. Brent Harvey, North Melbourne
2. David Hale, North Melbourne
1. Daniel Harris, North Melbourne

Best and Fairest Votes

30 Andrew Carrazzo, 24 Brendan Fevola, Marc Murphy, 13 Shaun Grigg, 11 Andrew Walker, 10 Cameron Cloke, 7 Matthew Kreuzer, 4 Chris Judd, Kade Simpson, Simon Wiggins

Mike and Dan

Cameron Cloke: Play of the Week

From: https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/57234/cameron-cloke-play-of-the-week

The Blues didn’t give us too many highlights after quarter time – for sure there were a number in that opening stanza, such as Fevola’s kick from thin air goal – but one thing that sticks in the mind is that ripper mark from Cameron Cloke. As a result Cameron win’s this week’s Play of the Week and his second for the year (Incidentally Cameron also won one last year for a huge bump against the then-strong Eagles).

Now that was some mark - how did you get so high?
Haha, the boys keep telling me I didn’t even get off the ground! What can I say I must have been blessed with a massive leap…or not.

Some fans comment that you would make it as a forward as well as be useful in the Ruck - is that something you'd agree with? You had good form on the weekend....
Yeah, its something that I work on and I think I can get better at, so I suppose I agree.

That was our second biggest loss for the year...what does that say about North.. And also about us?
No, I think North were very good, they are a well drilled side, for us, we were very disappointing. Got off to a nice start, but no doubt let ourselves down.

The weekend's game was only one of a few all year where Hammer, Kreuze and you all played... Do you think it work’s well?
With the result on the weekend you probably say no. but I think it can; obviously both guys are young, Hampo is learning more every time he is out there and I think
Kreuze has really got a lot of Carlton people excited out there so far this year.

Why do you storm off the ground every time you kick a goal?
Ha, it’s a bit like that isn’t it, it’s my turn to come off so I believe you should get off the ground as quick as possible, it’s something I have always done.

We frequently start games full of running, but fail to convert. This week we did convert, but then our skills dropped off, along with our intensity. Is it a sign of a young team, or did we get ahead of ourselves?
Yeah it might be, but no excuses, we emphasized the start this week, and it worked for us, but we fell away is it because we are young or do we just need to be better than that? Not sure.

You have developed a nice line in off-the-ground kicking tricks - Against Port there was a very gaelic pop-up pass off the deck. Do you practice this sort of thing, or are you just too lazy to bend over?
I wouldn’t say I practice them, and I don’t think I’m lazy, but maybe some would argue that!

You've played 3 more games for Carlton than for Collingwood, even though you've been with us a shorter time. Do you feel like a Carlton player?
Yeah I do, the Carlton Football Club has been great for me, I owe the Club a lot, they gave me an opportunity and they have also stuck with me after my injury last year and I appreciated that.

And what about your Dad? Does he feel welcome in the rooms?
Yeah he is always down there after a game, he feels more than welcome to the point I think he gave the Collingwood rooms a miss after both our wins this year!

We have a good record away from home this year, but a terrible record at the Gabba recently. Do you feel that the team can play certain grounds better than others, or does going interstate galvanise the team as a unit?
I think it’s good for us to getaway and spend more time with your teammates and coaches, we have had a few records this year that haven’t been great, but I think when a teams be down these records grow so I think we are working through eradicating them.

You see him close-up..... how good is Kreuzer? How far do you think he can go in his career?
I don’t think I am the first to say it, but he is going to be a star, and the best thing about him is that he is a good young kid, a very smart footballer a freak really.

You've played (but for injury) every game this year. Were you told in the Pre-season that you were in-line to be number 1 ruck this year, and what were your instructions at the start of the year?
No I was never told that, obviously coming back from injury I just needed to get my shoulder right, thankfully its been good and I have strung some games together for really the first time in my career, hopefully I will benefit from that going forward.

Would you see this year as your best so-far? With some very young competition for rucking spots on the list, have you taken on a leadership role with Hampson, Kreuzer etc?
Probably is because as I said I have played more games. Yeah I like to think that I offer Hampo and Kreuze with extra advice, hopefully we will all get something out of it.

So tell us about the plans for Brisbane - are we out to make an impact on the finals?
Yeah I’m looking forward to it, let’s give it our best shot and end the season on a couple of positives.

Cameron was one of our better players on the weekend, and gave some food for thought on the potential roles he could play with a more than useful effort at half forward whilst our other flankers couldn’t get into it.