Goalkickers: E. Fitzpatrick 1.1, B. Harrington 1.0, M. Hill 1.0, S. McKay 1.0, M. Robertson 1.0, Rushed 0.1.

Reports: Nil.

Umpires: Matt Adams, Andrew Mitchell, Katelin Bayre.

Injuries: Nil.

Ladder: 5th.

Game Review

Blues back on winners' list after edging out Dockers

Carlton has bounced back from last week's loss to North Melbourne, accounting for Fremantle and continuing to impress. - By Jainarayan Tiwari at Ikon Park.

After a disappointing loss to North Melbourne in round six, Carlton is back with a win in a nail-biting contest against Fremantle, securing victory by nine points. The Blues controlled proceedings in the second half on the way to the 5.2 (32) to 3.5 (23) result at IKON Park on Friday evening. In the fourth quarter, 20-year-old Carlton midfielder Meg Robertson took a stunning mark inside 50 and goaled to stretch the lead to 10 points, enough to ensure the Blues took the premiership points. Overall, it was a close contest early as both teams challenged each other in tight contests, but in the end Carlton’s defence stood tall and the Dockers failed to convert chances after the first half, kicking just three behinds after the long break. Fremantle opened the match with the first goal through Angelique Stannett, but Carlton quickly responded as Mimi Hill and Sophie McKay hit the scoreboard to give the home team the lead. The Dockers replied in the second quarter with consecutive goals from Matilda Banfield and Gabrielle Newton, only for Erone Fitzpatrick to stabilise the Blues with a sharp finish from close range. Fitzpatrick was the key player for Carlton, as she not only kicked a goal but also had 20 disposals, 13 kicks, and seven handballs to her name. Hill was also crucial for the Blues with 21 disposals, while midfielder Dayna Finn was aggressive on the field with 26 touches. At half-time, the margin was just one point as both sides applied fierce pressure and traded momentum, leaving the contest perfectly balanced heading into the second half.

It was a fiercely contested defensive battle, with both teams applying relentless pressure across the ground. Fremantle midfielder Gabrielle Newton delivered a standout performance, finishing with 28 disposals and a well-earned goal. Newton’s composure under pressure and exceptional ball control made her one of the most influential players on the field, driving Fremantle’s midfield effort and helping her side edge ahead in crucial moments. Aisling McCarthy was also outstanding for the Dockers with 25 disposals, but despite their star mids' efforts Freo still fell short in the end. The Blues get themselves back on the winners list with a nine-point win over the Dockers. Their defence stood tall, restricting Fremantle to 9% of entries leading to scores. 4.1 (25) of their 32 points for the match were launched from the midfield zone, which normally only sees 52.6% of their scores come from (ranked 18th). A disappointing defeat for Fremantle. They led the contested possession ledger by 34 as well as having 56% of the match spent in their forward half. Additionally, they outtackled the Blues by six but ultimately, didn't make the most of their chances as they scored 1.3 (9) from set shots.

These are New Dark Navy Blues
After receiving a 53-point thumping from North Melbourne last week Carlton could have gone back into its shell, but these Blues are showing they're a genuine improvement on last year's model. The connection all over the ground was strong, with the defence particularly impressive after taking a pounding from the Roos

Not sure if this a 'nutmeg' or a 'ground pepper'
The modern footballer's preference to dribble close-range shots for goal was taken to another level on Friday night - the lowest level possible. Breann Harrington received a handball 15 metres out and turned to see Ash Brazill charging at her. Committed to the shot, Harrington dropped the ball, Brazill jumped to smother but could only watch as the footy dribbled along the ground directly below her. It's doubtful even Harrington could claim this one was deliberate.

Up next
Carlton will look to continue its good form when it takes on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday at 3:05 pm AEST.

Best: M. Hill, D. Finn, E. Fitzpatrick, K. Sherar.

Buck on Round 7 win

Carlton AFLW coach Mathew Buck speaks on Friday's clash against the Dockers.

On bouncing back from Round 6:
"Coming off last week's loss and then the resilience to kind of bounce back and have a solid performance, it was a challenging game right throughout for us but come out on come out the winner was a really positive result, so overall got to be pleased with it."

Overall reflection of the match:
"I think the weather conditions at IKON Park, it swirls around a little bit so it doesn't quite blow to one end in a big way like we see at some other grounds, so, we didn't change too much. We had a lot of repeat entries in the first quarter and couldn't quite capitalise which we might have been able to separate the game there but we weren't able to do that. "So then it was about challenging around the contest that you got to turn up there consistently so proud of our team. They dug in and we got over the line in the last, but in particular I thought we lifted our contest in that last quarter to get it done."

On Meg Robertson producing her first AFLW goal:
"I mean Meg's such a great teammate. She's working really hard to get better every week and got an opportunity to play this week and it's all about owning your moments a little bit, and she managed to do that. I think everyone's really pleased for her, so it's great for Meg and hopefully we can build on that from here.

On finishing strong to secure the win:
"I think the last quarter, in particular, I don't think there was a lot of goals to go to the football club end, so to actually hit the scoreboard this end was really good, and I think they come on the back of our shape at our contest and Keeley Sherar and Lily Goss in particular through the middle of the ground really dug in. The maturity of Jess Good and Breann Moody late and the experience that they have in tight games, got us over the line."

Looking ahead to the Round 8 clash against Geelong:
"We get a few days' break here which would be great for our squad. We've been pushing really hard to this point of the season, and now to go down to Geelong and play... they're a team that have been in great form and had had a tight loss last night, so I think it'll be a ripping game, that's for sure. "They've got some high quality players that we'll have to put some work into, so we're really looking forward to getting down there and taking them on."

Team

In: Keeley Skepper, Meg Robertson
Out: Siofra O'Connell, Lou-Lou Field

Milestones

First Goal: Meg Robertson

AFLW Coaches Votes

9 - Harriet Cordner (CARL)
6 - Gabby Newton (FRE)
5 - Keeley Sherar (CARL)
3 - Mimi Hill (CARL)
3 - Dayna Finn (CARL)
2 - Erone Fitzpatrick (CARL)
2 - Kiara Bowers (FRE)

AFLW Best and Fairest Votes

3 - Harriet Cordner (CARL)
2 - Kiara Bowers (FREM)
1 - Keeley Sherar (CARL)

Club Best and Fairest Votes

Match Highlights