Game Review

Blues full of fight in gritty win

Carlton has returned to the winner’s list after defeating against St Kilda by 15 points at the MCG. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

It wasn't pretty, but boy was it effective. Carlton has returned to the winner’s list in a performance defined by pure fight and determination, prevailing by 15 points against St Kilda at the MCG. After a high-scoring start, the game turned into a war of attrition in the second half, with Cooper Lord and Harry McKay producing telling set shots to seal the 11.11 (77) to 9.8 (62) win. In an emotionally charged Spud’s Game, the game was played in express speed early, with St Kilda bursting out of the blocks with three goals - all from long range - in its solitary MCG home game for the season. Harry McKay marked strongly for Carlton’s first, while Jaxon Binns pushed forward in his first game for the season to register his third career goal from four games in a nine-disposal opening term. That passage saw a courageous play from Mitch McGovern, who in the process of committing to the contest which ended in a goal, sustained a chest injury which saw the Blues make an early sub. St Kilda’s uncontested game loomed large early, but Carlton started to win the contest, led by Adam Cerra (four clearances). Going forward, Charlie Curnow showed that he was well and truly ready to go, producing back-to-back goals - with his second coming from the junction of the 50-metre and boundary lines after a one-handed contested mark.

Jack Silvagni stood up defensively on return with four intercepts in the opening quarter, but a late St Kilda goal - plus a Binns goal that was rightly overturned on review - saw the Blues lead by three points at the first change. Curnow continued his hot streak to take his career tally to 299 goals after a crafty Silvagni assist, while Lewis Young - who was supporting McKay and Curnow up forward - kicked two second-quarter goals at a crucial time. Young’s presence allowed McKay to present well and hit the wings, while Nick Haynes continued his brilliant form with five intercepts for the quarter. At the other end, some magic from Sam Walsh ended in a Will White major to open up a four-goal buffer. However, before long, the Blues had some wounded soldiers: McGovern had been subbed out for Lord, Lachie Cowan (hamstring tightness) didn’t return to the field while Haynes (neck) and Blake Acres (shoulder) spent the last block of the second term on the interchange. Despite being undermanned, Carlton weathered a late Saints storm to enter the main break ahead by 14 points. A Cooper Sharman goal to open the second half continued the Saints’ run, before a rolling maul emerged in the third term, with endless stoppages emerging and neither side able to trouble the scorers. Jaxon Binns and Walsh’s run was important with seven disposals apiece, while Tom De Koning relished the contested conditions with seven disposals of his own, but the Blues found no return after plenty of time in the forward half.

That was until McKay broke the drought in the final two minutes of the term, with some backs-to-the-wall defending meaning the Blues led by 14 at the final change. Consecutive goals to start the final term brought St Kilda back within three points, the closest they’d been since quarter time, with Carlton needing to dig deep. In a combative game, the polish wasn’t there for both sides late but the fight surely was, as the Blues started to win some key contests: Jesse Motlop provided some lively moments with tensions at a high, while Patrick Cripps led brilliantly with nine final-quarter disposals to go with three tackles. Needing some relief on the scoreboard, Cooper Lord - who was subbed into the game at quarter time - had his hard running rewarded with a clutch goal from long range. Then came the sealer. For the second straight MCG game, McKay produced a telling moment in the final term. On the back of some patient ball movement, White found McKay who made no mistake, producing his third goal and sealing a gritty 15-point win for the Blues.

Best: N. Haynes, J. Silvagni, H. McKay, P. Cripps, T. De Koning, G. Hewett

Injury-ravaged Blues hold on to clinch gutsy win over Saints

Carlton secures a 15-point win over St Kilda in Spud's Game, - By AAP with Alison O'Connor.

Harry McKay has capped his outstanding game with the match-sealing goal as Carlton trumped St Kilda by 15 points in an arm wrestle at the MCG on Friday night. McKay kicked his third goal from an acute angle late in the final term as the Blues overcame a barrage of injuries to secure the 11.11 (77) to 9.8 (62) victory. Carlton was exceptional, rallying after the injury chaos that left it with one fit player on the bench at half-time. McKay had 19 disposals and 10 marks in a best-on-ground display, while captain Patrick Cripps (26 disposals, eight clearances, 10 tackles) was also outstanding. Amid speculation about St Kilda trying to lure him after this season, Carlton ruck Tom De Koning engaged in an engrossing duel with Saint Rowan Marshall and racked up seven clearances to go with his 36 hitouts. Blues spearhead Charlie Curnow showed no signs of the corked thigh he suffered after colliding with De Koning at training during the week, kicking three majors - all in the first half. The Blues jumped out to a 24-point lead in the second term and were piling the pressure on St Kilda before the injury woes came from everywhere. The Saints started drawing level in contested possessions and gaining more territory, with the Blues' interchange bench beginning to look like a casualty ward. Mitch McGovern, Blake Acres, Lachie Cowan and Nick Haynes all came from the field before half-time, with only Haynes and Acres able to return to the field.

Saints young gun Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was also struggling with leg problems in the third quarter but stayed on the ground and had a game-high 30 possessions. Cooper Sharman kicked his second goal and the Saints drew to within six points midway through the third term, but Carlton stood firm under the pressure. McKay kicked his second goal late in the quarter from a generous free kick and the Blues retained their half-time lead of 14 points at the last change. It was a dour arm wrestle in the third term - after 28 stoppages in the first half, there were a whopping 35 in the third quarter alone. In a significant blow for St Kilda, small forward Jack Higgins was subbed out at three-quarter time, with club officials citing illness. Higgins kicked an equal team-high two goals to take his season tally to 23 goals - one goal behind Coleman Medal leader Ben King.

Casualties cause chaos for Carlton
Carlton was forced to make its sub at quarter-time after defender Mitch McGovern was involved in a brutal collision with Saint Liam O'Connell. He was ruled out with a chest injury and was taken to hospital for scans. Blake Acres was the next to go down, leaving the field clutching his right shoulder midway through the second term. Already with his left shoulder heavily strapped, the winger returned with both shoulders taped and was able to play out the game. Fellow defenders Lachie Cowan and Nick Haynes also found themselves in the hands of the club's medical staff before half-time. Haynes copped a boot to the head in a contest but was able to return after the main break, but Cowan was ruled out with hamstring tightness.

Don't carry it alone
"When it comes to checking in on your mates, that's a non-negotiable. A one-percenter we would call it in footy - those small, but very, very critical tasks that need to be done." Those words were part of a powerful pre-game message from Tom Boyd, who joined Chelsea Frawley to address both sides in the middle of the ground ahead of Spud's Game. More than 65,000 people rolled into the MCG for the fifth instalment of the marquee match, which is inspired by the legacy of the late Danny 'Spud' Frawley. The annual event brings the AFL community together to spark life-saving conversations and break the stigma around mental ill-health, reminding everyone they don't have to carry it alone.

Best: H. McKay, T. De Koning, P. Cripps, G. Hewett, J. Silvagni, C. Curnow

Voss lauds spirit, fight in gritty win

See what Michael Voss had to say following the Round 9 win. - By Carlton Media

Defined by fight.
When the group needed to stand up, they did just that, as Carlton triumphed by 15 points against St Kilda to return to winning form. Lauding his team's ability to stay in the fight and take their moments when they came, here's what AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss had to say.

On the game as a whole:
"Very proud. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a win like that. It didn’t have a lot of brilliance, but had some brilliant moments. It largely took a grind, getting in the trenches, fight our way out of it, hang in as long as we possibly could and wait for our moments. Fortunately throughout the night, we were able to capitalise on those. "Cooper being able to go back and kick that goal was a very important one, Harry being able to finish his work was pretty impressive. When it was needed, we had a group stand up - it wasn’t just the goals, there was a lot of individual acts that stood out."

On how the game played out:
"It wasn’t going to be a game that was won by a shootout. If it meant we need to defend for long periods of time, then we’re going to do that. The nature of the game with the way it played out for about 15 minutes at the end of the second quarter, we were hanging on because we had four or five guys that were either carrying something or having something assessed. "We lost a couple, a couple were able to return in the second half. In the third quarter when the speed came out of the game, we were probably okay with that. Stoppages were full and we were happy for it to stay in that and wait for our moment. Fortunately we were able to run out our game okay."

On injuries out of the night:
"Cowan will have his hamstring assessed: he was a bit tight and we didn’t want to send him back out there. ‘Gov’ we’ll wait for the assessment in the chest area, I couldn’t give you any medical terminology right now - we know he’s gone to hospital. Blake had the shoulder he was managing and Nick got a kick to the back of his neck, which he was fine to return on. "There were a couple of moving pieces there for a while, we were inventing a new defenders for a period of time: lucky we had ‘Youngy’ on hand to go back and fill that role for us. "Cerra was able to go back from the midfield, Cooper was able to go in as a mid and play a really solid game. ‘Cez’ was playing a really good game for us where he was, so for him to be able to go back and have an impact on the game and then for Cooper to come in was a real plus for us."

On Jack Silvagni:
"Given the nature of the game and how hard it was, he got through the game really well. His hand isn’t going to be perfect for a couple of weeks, but there’s no risk at all. He’s perfectly fine."

On another late moment for Harry McKay:
"Without talking to Harry’s individual circumstances, Charlie and Harry are very important pieces to us. I know there’s a lot of discussion around them, and we just haven’t had them together for a lot of games. We didn’t have a good one last week, but the more they play together, the back half of the year they’ll hit some solid form. "They were really good again tonight, and they’re helping us do a role and they’re helping us win and they’re helping lead that forward line. They’ve got a brigade around them bringing really good pressure and giving themselves opportunities. "It’s particularly pleasing for Harry, but to have him out there helps us and our team dynamics and the way we play. Clearly he’s a very good player and a very important person to us."

On being involved in Spud's Game:
"We’re really privileged that we get chosen to be part of these games. We’re in a fortunate position at the moment, and have to thank our members and supporters and people that watch us. We get a chance to have a real impact on a lot of people. "The Royal Children’s Hospital is something we’re part of with North Melbourne’s journey on that, today the Saints chose us to be part of that journey as well to spread that message. To take care of your mates, to leave no-one alone. If this is the vehicle we get to spread that message, that’s really important to us. "As a football club, to be able to not only win games of football but to make our community proud, it’s something that’s really important to us. Players take great pride in that. We don’t walk into these games and take it for granted, we’re really grateful that we get to be part of these games."

On Tom De Koning v Rowan Marshall:
"It was a great battle. Tom’s been in really good form for the year, he’s taken on a lot of different types. Rowan in his own right is a very good player. To be able to get the first look, we won clearances by 10 or so - the third quarter was that genuine arm wrestle and nobody could get the ball going forward. I can’t imagine it was too pretty to watch, but it was the phase of the game we needed to finish out the game."

On Jaxon Binns' first AFL game of 2025:
"It’s always nice when selection pressure comes and you have players stating their case in the VFL. In the last two weeks in particular, he’s really gone after his game and taken feedback on board. "He’s been patient, but he’s a very impatient person at the same time! ‘Binnsy’ will understand that when he listens to this. But I’m really pleased he was able to come out and have an impact on the game. He almost kicked his two and was still able to have an impact on the game, which was really pleasing."

On George Hewett, and the team's role players:
"We had a number of guys do important roles tonight. To do the match-up is one thing, but to do the system around it as well is important. Having guys that can lock in and get their jobs done but also have an impact on the game, there’s an art and a craft in that. "George has had a great year, he’s individually playing well but he’s doing his role amazingly well in terms of the match-ups he gets. He doesn’t get them every week, but he’s certainly been a very impactful player to us. We love having him out there, that’s for sure."

On Nick Haynes and the defensive group:
"When ‘Weiters’ says he trusts the man and that’s before a ball has even been bounced, you tend to listen to it and back that in. He’s understanding his teammates and learning how to jell within that group, he offers something different - but he’s hit some really, really good form. It’s by no surprise: he’s a very smart footballer, and a very accomplished one throughout his own journey. We’re pleased he’s with us. "When you talk about Jack and 'Haynesy', plus Gov as well, they’ve formed a very strong relationship. They’ve got that weapon of being able to intercept the ball: a lot of teams have put a lot of energy into taking that off ‘Weiters’. He needed support around him, and now he’s got it. "‘Sammy’ Hamill has been fantastic with that back six or seven. I sat here a couple of weeks ago and spoke about how new they are together: they just need time."

On triumphing on a taxing night:
"There were a fair few moving parts. I can’t remember the last game where we had to fight it out so hard and still get the win. It was a game of persistence. There were times we were stuck in the arm wrestle, we had to navigate a couple of things. We had back-to-back six-day breaks, we had three games in a short period of time: they’re all factors that go into it plus the injuries that are happening through the second quarter. "We had to take the speed out of the game to manage our players through periods of time: we were quite happy for the stoppages to be full so we could get our time to rest, and then we took our opportunities. The players stood patient and continued to execute what we wanted, giving very little window for the opposition to walk through. "We weren’t choosing to fill up the stoppage. We were happy for the game to go dead for a little while, but that’s just the way it played out. I don’t really get into semantics into who starts what, but we were happy to live in that arm wrestle. It helped us run out the game. "It was a very good performance, but a very different one to the other ones. We’ve put a good body of work together. Even when we weren’t winning, there were still great things we were doing but we weren’t getting the results. We’ve put together a pretty solid block of form."

'Long time since we've had a win like that': Voss proud of gritty Blues

Michael Voss expressed his pride as the Blues were able to push through a run of injuries to overcome St Kilda's pressure and seal victory. - By AAP with Alison O'Connor

Carlton coach Michael Voss says he's "very proud" of his side's resilience after they held on for a courageous win over St Kilda on Friday night. The Saints were pushing hard in the final term against an injury-ravaged Carlton, who had just one fit player on the bench at half-time, but the Blues managed to hold sway to secure the 15-point victory in an emotional Spud's Game. With the Saints pressing late, Carlton spearhead Harry McKay was the hero as he calmly went back to slot the set shot from an acute angle on the boundary to ice the win. "I'm very proud - it's been a long time since we've had a win like that," Voss said. "It didn't have a lot of brilliance in it - it had some brilliant moments - but it largely took a grind. "Get in the trenches, fight our way out of it, hang in for as long as we possibly could and wait for our moments."

The injury woes came everywhere for the Blues in the opening half. First, Mitch McGovern came off second-best in a clash with Liam O'Connell in the opening term. He was subbed out of the game at quarter-time and taken to hospital for scans on a chest injury. Winger Blake Acres went off with a shoulder injury early in the second term, then Lachie Cowan was forced out with hamstring tightness. Nick Haynes, close to best afield in the first half, was left with a sore head after an accidental knock and Carlton ended the second term with only one available player on the bench. Acres and Haynes were able to return after the main break, but Cowan was ruled out. "When it was needed we had a group stand up," Voss said. "The way it played out there for about 15 minutes at the end of the second quarter, we were sort of holding on because we had four or five guys that were either carrying something or were having something assessed to see if they could go back on. "Fortunately we were able to run out the game quite ok. There were a couple of moving pieces there for a while and we were inventing new defenders for a period of time. "Lucky we had 'Youngy' (Lewis Young) on hand to go back and fill that role for us, and Cooper (Lord) was able to come into the midfield so 'Chez' (Adam Cerra) could go back and he played a really solid game.

Team

B:	42 Adam Saad	23 Jacob Weitering	1 Jack Silvagni
HB:	4 Oliver Hollands	11 Mitch McGovern	2 Lachlan Cowan
C:	25 Jaxon Binns	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	20 Elijah Hollands
HF:	13 Blake Acres	10 Harry McKay	3 Jesse Motlop
F:	19 Corey Durdin	30 Charlie Curnow	33 Lewis Young
Ruck:	12 Tom De Koning	5 Adam Cerra	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	26 Nick Haynes	18 Sam Walsh	38 Will White
	44 Francis Evans
Substitute:	36 Cooper Lord
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	15 Sam Docherty	32 Matt Carroll	27 Marc Pittonet

In: Jaxon Binns, Jack Silvagni, Francis Evans.
Out: Sam Docherty (omitted), Lachie Fogarty (hamstring tightness), Matt Carroll (omitted).

Substitute: Cooper Lord (replaced Mitch McGovern at quarter-time).

Free Kicks

Carlton 18
St.Kilda 24

Front Runners

Elijah Hollands 15.9km
Jaxon Binns 15.5km
Oliver Hollands 14.8km

Interesting Facts

1. This was the highest ever home and away crowd between these two clubs, beating the 55,658 in Round 15, 2008.

AFLCA Votes

7 - Nick Haynes (CARL)
6 - George Hewett (CARL)
5 - Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK)
5 - Harry McKay (CARL)
4 - Jack Sinclair (STK)
2 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
1 - Jack Silvagni (CARL)

Brownlow Votes

3 - Harry McKay (CARL)
2 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
1 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)