Goalkickers: L. Goss 1.1, M. Austin 1.0, B. Moody 1.0, D. Vescio 0.2, A. Velardo 0.1, I. Milford 0.1, H. Cordner 0.1, M. Anthony 0.1, Rushed 0.1,

Reports: Nil.

Umpires: Ben Laycock, Gabby Simmonds, Sam Whetton.

Injuries: E. Fitzpatrick (knee)

Ladder: 12th

Game Review

Blues season comes to an end

Carlton has fallen by 20 points to St Kilda in Round 10. - By Owen Jones, Carlton Media.

Carlton has ended its 2023 AFLW campaign with a loss, falling to St Kilda by 20 points at IKON Park in the annual AFLW Pride Round. Carlton held strong in the opening two quarters, trailing by a small margin at half time, but wayward kicking from the Blues made the task of sticking with a fast-finishing Saints a difficult one. Mimi Hill (31 disposals, 11 contested possessions), Jess Good (29 hitouts) and Abbie McKay (28 disposals and 12 clearances) were Carlton’s standouts around the ground, but in the end, the Saints proved too strong in their forward 50. In a tight opening quarter, neither side could fully break free, with Mia Austin rounding out her impressive season with the first goal of the game. The Saints fought back late and the Blues went into quarter time with a slim one-point lead. The second quarter continued to be a contested affair, with Lily Goss scoring the Blues’ only goal for the quarter after the first two minutes. The rest of the quarter, the Blues’ defence were under pressure with the Saints kicking two quick goals.

Coming out of the main break, Carlton’s midfield and forward connection were strong, but the Blues’ finishing in front of goal let them down, kicking only the five behinds for the quarter. Trailing by 18 points at the start of the final quarter, the Blues’ gave it their all for the home fans in what would be their final quarter for the season. Brea Moody starred like she has all season, with a stunning goal on the run to bring the Blues fans to their feet. In a game where pride was the centerpiece, the Blues played with their heart on their sleeve but couldn’t overcome the Saints in the final game of the season.

Saints narrowly miss finals despite decisive win over Blues

St Kilda proved too strong for Carlton in its 20-point win on Sunday to keep its finals hopes alive - By Gemma Bastiani.

St Kilda faced a nervous wait to find out if it secured a maiden finals berth after dispensing of Carlton by 20 points on Sunday afternoon, but the Saints ultimately missed out by a mere percentage after Sydney got over the line against Fremantle later in the day. The Saints needed both Collingwood and Sydney to lose to be certain of snatching eighth spot, but the Swans saluted to deny the Saints their finals dream.St Kilda's win was also soured by a late injury to star forward Jesse Wardlaw, who would have missed the first week of finals if the Saints had made it. The Blues looked up for the challenge, but once St Kilda got going in the second term they were tough to stop, ultimately running out 7.4 (46) to 3.8 (26) winners at Ikon Park. Georgia Patrikios was dominant on the wing for St Kilda, amassing 25 disposals as she worked tirelessly up and down the ground, while Jaimee Lambert was an important defensive layer in the midfield with 10 tackles.

The Saints were focused on getting huge numbers around the ball when Carlton was in its attacking half, bringing every player within 40m of the ball and opening up expansive grass in their own forward half. By creating such congestion and chaos, they forced poor, panicked ball use from the Blues. As it has been known to do this year, Carlton lost its composure and method throughout periods of the game. Sucked into rushing their disposal when it wasn't necessary, the Blues played into St Kilda's hands who were focused on pressuring the ball carrier and moving quickly off turnover. St Kilda maintained its defensive structure all day, often resulting in an outnumber when the Blues went forward, and it was something the home side simply never adapted to. That wayward ball use was also a problem for Carlton in front of goal, who despite spending extended periods in its forward 50 was unable to make it count on the scoreboard. Meanwhile St Kilda was deadly across the middle quarters, slamming home five goals from seven shots. While Abbie McKay was the dominant midfielder on the ground with 12 clearances – the next most being Patrikios and Lambert with four each – that strength at the contest unfortunately wasn't translated into scoreboard pressure. Key defender Harriet Cordner (12 disposals, four marks) reprised a recent role up forward for the duration of the game, working hard to create opportunities at goal but often a sole navy hand in a sea of Saints.

A late blow
Late in the final quarter, when the game was won for the Saints, the club suffered a major blow when Jesse Wardlaw was felled and would have been ruled out of the first week of finals. As both Wardlaw and Carlton young gun Keeley Sherar competed for a ground ball deep in St Kilda's attack, Wardlaw came off second best and took some time to get to her feet and leave the ground. With Wardlaw's role so crucial to the side's success, losing her for the first week of finals would have been a major loss.

Best: B. Moody, A. McKay, M. Hill, K. Skepper.

Team

In: Taylor Ortlepp, Madeline Hendrie
Out: Paige Trudgeon (hamstring), Dayna Finn (suspended)

Interesting Fact

This was Carlton's first loss to St Kilda after winning their previous four clashes with the Saints.

Milestones

Last Game: Imogen Milford, Vaomua Laloifi

AFLW Team of the Week

Forwards: Breann Harrington

AFLW Coaches Votes

10 - Georgia Patrikios (STK)
8 - Jaimee Lambert (STK)
3 - Mimi Hill (CARL)
3 - Abbie McKay (CARL)
3 - Tyanna Smith (STK)
3 - Nicola Xenos (STK)

AFLW Best and Fairest Votes

3 - Georgia Patrikios (STK)
2 - Nat Exon (STK)
1 - Keeley Skepper (CARL)

Club Best and Fairest Votes

Match Highlights