Goalkickers: C. Curnow 2.2, J. Motlop 2.2, Z. Williams 2.1, M. McGovern 1.1, T. De Koning 1.1, B. Acres 1.1, O. Fantasia 1.0, A. Saad 1.0, S. Walsh 0.1, H. O'Keeffe 0.1, P. Cripps 0.1, Rushed 0.1.

Reports: Sam Durham (ESS) charged with forceful front-on-contact with Adam Cerra (CARL). It was rated as careless conduct, high impact and high contact - 2 week suspension.

Umpires: Matt Stevic, Andre Gianfagna, Peter Bailes, Martin Rodger.

Injuries: Nil.

Ladder: 11th

Game Review

Blues hold on against arch rival.

Carlton has produced an eight-point win against Essendon at the MCG. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton has hung on with a sweet victory against the arch rival, prevailing by eight points against arch rival Essendon. The Blues led from start to finish after a blistering opening term, but were forced to hold on in a tense final term to ultimately come away with an 11.12 (78) to 11.4 (70) win. There couldn’t have been a more apt player to open proceedings for the Blues, when former Bomber Adam Saad pushed forward to kick the first goal of the game - in similar fashion to his first ever goal for the Bluest also against the same opponent. Adam Cerra was a tone setter in the first term, hunting ball and man to end with four clearances and three tackles in the opening term as the Blues burst out of the blocks. With debutant Hudson O’Keeffe and swingman Mitch McGovern alongside him in a new-look forward line, Charlie Curnow got off the chain with two goals in the opening term, while Jesse Motlop and Zac Williams combined for two goals and three goal assists in a dangerous start to the game. Ollie Hollands had important moments at ground level as the Blues’ pressure at the source was well and truly on - the Blues had 22 more disposals in the opening term than the Bombers, who came into the game as the No.1 possession side in the competition. After the frustration of the early weeks, the Blues were ruthless going forward in the opening term, registering 10 scoring shots from 13 inside 50s.

It was a much more even second term, with the disposal count dead level for the quarter after the Blues’ hot start. Orazio Fantasia marked his return to AFL action with a goal against his former side as the beneficiary of good work from Motlop and McGovern higher up the ground. After an outstanding first quarter, Cerra spent extended time on the bench following a bump from Sam Durham, as the Bombers started to get on top around the ball and responding in kind with back-to-back goals. George Hewett and Tom De Koning got to work with nine disposals each, before De Koning also kicked a goal in the dying stages of the term - however, what looked to be a breakeven quarter on the scoreboard saw Peter Wright goal on the siren. That provided the Bombers with the momentum heading into the third term, who were well on top to start the second half - they kicked three goals inside 10 minutes to bring the margin back to single digits. Docherty (nine) and Haynes (seven) were busy behind the ball as the Blues attempted to take the sting out of the contest, before an incredible juggling mark from Motlop saw the Blues re-instate their 16-point buffer. A Jade Gresham goal once again brought the margin back, and the Blues’ margin could’ve been even less if not for a huge defensive tackle from Adam Saad on Gresham. Hudson O’Keeffe (five contested marks) continued to compete in the air and at ground level, creating a late chance for McGovern - only for his shot to bounce through for a behind, making it an 11-point Carlton lead. The Blues still had winners over the park, with tagger Alex Cincotta returning with aplomb, keeping Essendon captain Zach Merrett to just 14 disposals

The Dons had the momentum heading into the last and the Blues’ experienced heads needed to stand up - Blake Acres did exactly that, producing an incredible running goal from the boundary to bring the MCG to life. Carlton began to once again win crucial contests around the ground, with Jack Silvagni - who was once again excellent - typically determined in defence and Sam Walsh willing himself to ever contest with 11 final-quarter disposals. A big one-on-one win in the middle of the ground for De Koning ended in Cerra finding Zac Williams for his second, opening up what looked like a very handy 23-point lead. However, as is always the case with these two teams, there would be a late twist: opportunities went begging for the Blues and the Bombers took theirs, with three consecutive goals bringing the margin back to six points - the closest it had been since the opening minutes. But after leading for the entirety of the night, the Blues were able to see the game out, producing their fifth win of the season against the arch rival in front of over 74,000 people.

Blues answer Bombers' brave challenge to give season life

The Blues have overcome the Bombers in a thriller at the MCG. - By Phoebe McWilliams at the MCG.

Carlton has held off a courageous Essendon by eight points in a King's Birthday Eve thriller in front of a crowd of 74,280 at the MCG. A six-goal-to-one first quarter set the game up for the Blues who were able to hold off the fighting Bombers to win 11.12 (78) to 11.4 (70).
Essendon outscored the Blues in every other quarter, kicking 10 goals to Carlton's five after quarter-time. But the Blues were able to hang on to their lead, winning by just eight points against their arch-rivals after almost coughing up a 38-point lead. Carlton set the tone early, when a strong pack mark by Tom De Koning in between Essendon talls Peter Wright and Nate Caddy kick-started a chain of possessions resulting in an Adam Saad running goal to open the game's scoring. In his return game, Zac Williams looked right at home in his first game since injuring his calf in round seven, providing a spark up forward for the Blues. The forward's pinpoint delivery provided goal assists to Charlie Curnow and Jesse Motlop, who both started the game looking fresh and full of confidence. Before Essendon fans had warmed their seats, the Blues had extended their lead to 27 points without the Bombers having registered a score. It was debutant Luamon Lual who finally broke the run of four answered Carlton goals, when the first-gamer kicked his side's first, joining the group of first gamers to kick a goal with their first kick in AFL football.

A contentious free kick against the in-form Nic Martin meant the Bombers' run was short-lived as Williams converted. Martin was penalised for a deliberate rushed behind when he walked the ball across the line without pressure from a Carlton opponent. It wasn't the start the Bombers wanted in the second quarter as Sam Durham collected Blues mid Adam Cerra with a big bump. The bump will no doubt draw attention from the Match Review Officer, but in good news for Durham and the Blues, Cerra remained on the ground. Essendon stalled Carlton's scoring in the second term, while adding a couple of their own through Caldwell and Perkins, who converted from set shots. A third goal to Wright on the half-time siren meant the Bombers had outscored Carlton in the second quarter, but the margin was still a comfortable 28 points in the Blues' favour. The Bombers had a fast start to the second half when Matt Guelfi scored in the first 29 seconds. Guelfi’s goal meant the Bombers had kicked four of the last five goals as the momentum of the game continued to shift in Essendon's direction. Wright started providing a presence in Essendon's forward line, adding two further goals and bringing the game well and truly back into a fight. Wright's two majors meant the margin was reduced to single digits. Carlton made forays forward initially without success, but after a number of attempts, a juggling spoil-turned-mark gave Motlop his second and his side's first for the second half, not long before the three-quarter time break. Young forward Caddy, who had been kept quiet in the first half by Jack Silvagni, increased his presence and a kick off the ground set up a goal to Jade Gresham, giving Essendon the quick response. A much-needed goal from Blake Acres from the boundary line from 50 metres out extended the Blues' buffer to 17 points to start the final term. De Koning, who was arguably the Blues' best on ground, applied a huge tackle in the middle of the ground on his veteran counterpart Todd Goldstein to set up Carlton's second in a row with the turnover creating a fast break out the back with Williams running into an open goal. The Blues couldn't shake their opponents as Essendon added the next three to keep the game alive. In his 100th game, Xavier Duursma took a huge grab and kicked his first to reduce the margin to just six points with less than five minutes remaining. But the Blues added a couple of handy points and retained possession with the clock counting down to hold on.

Sam Walsh had a major influence on this evening's match, finishing with a team-high 32 disposals. He also recorded 14 contested possessions, seven clearances, 10 handball receives, seven score involvements, four inside 50s, 370 metres gained, and 10 ground ball gets – a well-rounded and impactful performance.

Best: T. De Koning, J. Silvagni, A. Cerra, S. Walsh, J. Motlop, B. Acres.

Important Blues return
Carlton looks a much better side with the inclusion of Zac Williams and Jack Silvagni. The two were in the Blues' best, with Williams playing an important role up forward, with his accurate delivery and two goals helping Carlton get off to its quick start. At the other end, Silvagni kept dangerous Essendon spearhead Nate Caddy goalless while collecting 17 disposals and taking six marks of his own. The two were pivotal to helping get the Blues over the line in what ended up being a tight affair.

De Koning dominates
Tom De Koning was a standout in the Blues' win. The Blues ruck came up against veteran Todd Goldstein and made the most of his match-up against the 36-year-old, collecting 23 disposals, winning seven clearances and kicking a goal. De Koning exposed Goldstein with his efforts around the ground, using his running ability to get separation from his opponent. Goldstein, who has become the Bombers' No.1 ruck following injuries to his younger teammates, has been able to compete with his younger opponents thus far, but in Sunday's clash he was well and truly beaten.

Tom De Koning's form is increasing his value
The talk surrounding the future of Tom De Koning is not going to go away, especially if he keeps putting together performances like he did on King's Birthday Eve against Essendon. The Carlton ruck was arguably the best on ground in his side's win, with 23 disposals, seven clearances and 10 score involvements to go with his goal and potentially game-saving tackle in the dying minutes. Yes, De Koning was coming up against an opponent 11 years his senior, but the tall has been putting together similar performances all year. The fight for his signature will continue with the Blues desperate to keep him, while the Saints have him firmly in their sights. - Phoebe McWilliams

Voss backs changes, composure

After the Round 13 win over Essendon, Michael Voss was satisifed with the five changes made to the team. - By Carlton Media.

After a hot start at the MCG, Carlton held firm to keep their lead for the entire match against their arch rivals in Essendon in the King's Birthday Eve clash. Showing composure and executing key adjustments at the final break, the Blues extended their margin in the last term to secure a well-earned four points. Senior Coach Michael Voss praised his side’s ability to close out the game, crediting their maturity and application of key lessons learned over the bye. Here's what he had to say.

On the mood in the coaches' box during the final moments:
"It was a bit different. I wasn’t sure how the game was going to play out, it was really end-to-end at different times and both teams seemed to be making some mistakes. "To compose at the end, which was good, we were obviously really challenged for most of the second half so to correct a few things at three-quarter time: we were clearly being beaten around the ball, so our mids went to work on that. "We had some really big plays, especially in the centre square bounce that gave us some good drive. They really lifted in that last quarter, which made a pretty significant difference for us."

On the fast start and closing out the game:
"A familiar tale early, the game looks easy, doesn’t it, when you’re sitting there at quarter time. "We expected a challenge at different times because that’s the nature of the competition. We tip our hats to Essendon: they’ve shown over the last little period of time that they keep coming, they certainly did that against Brisbane the week before. "To be able to compose ourselves late and finish the game off, you don’t get that without staying connected as a group. You can probably accuse we’ve lost that connection over periods of games for too long and it’s given the opposition an ability to be able to win those games. "Fortunately, even though the method wasn’t fantastic, we were still able to stick at it as a group and we were able to get over the line in the end."

On the trend of scoring early and maintaining leads:
"It’s a step at a time. The bye gave us an opportunity to look at all of those things and maybe dig a bit deeper into the why and how we can get it better. "Some of that was around our ball movement, some was around being able to make sure we can execute for longer and continue to persist. "It’s a good problem to have if you’re in front by that much and you’re getting that many opportunities, it’s a good problem to try and solve. "The harder one to solve is if you’re behind all the time, you get no opportunities and you’re trying to win the game from a negative base. "It depends on the way you look at it: we’d like it to be different, we’d like some of the results to be different in the first half but now it’s abut moving forward, it’s about looking at the games we have now and building some momentum off the back off it."

On Jack Silvagni's return and other key changes:
"Having him back, our backline looks stronger with him down there as a back seven. We flipped a few things in the front half as well, and that probably goes back to the consistency basket a bit. "We did try a lot of things, five changes in one night, that’s a lot. There was always some risk that a bit of fatigue sets in, maybe the execution of being able to do your roles is not there for long enough, but I saw enough tonight to know that more players were hitting the scoreboard: Charlie, Fantasia, McGovern, Williams. "To get that big a change in one area of the ground and expect you’re going to roll out for 120 minutes for the first time might be a little bit too ambitious."

On Adam Cerra's head assessment:
"He was assessed as we do and with the capacity that we have at the time. I guess we took a cautious approach and did the HIA, so we followed that through, so once those two processes are done, it’s pretty clear from there. "He seems fine in the rooms. This is one part of ongoing checks for the player and I think we took a very cautious approach, but I’d rather that than not."

On Adam Cerra, Blake Acres and Jesse Motlop's performances:
"They were all very important players. 'Cez' has had an extremely strong year and for him to be able to step up and take more ownership around the midfield has been a pretty consistent thing for 'Cez' for most of the year. "For the other two to find some form over the game was really important, Blake being one of them. "'Mots' has had some struggles, he openly admits that, he reset himself halfway, he’s had a great pre-season, done all the work, probably made a few things simpler for himself. "He showed up in some big moments for us, both defensively and on the other side of the ball in offence, and as a result, he kicked the goals, but there were some really important moments for us that we needed."

On Ange Postecoglou:
"He is welcome here, but I don’t think we can afford him. If he wants to come and sit in my coaches' box, he’s more than welcome."

On Alex Cincotta's return and his role on Zach Merrett:
"He’s a pretty relieved man there and pretty proud of being able to get back. He’s come back from a pretty significant rehabilitation with his hip and he just competes: that’s really how you summarise him. "We talk about Hudson O’Keefe as a competitor, he’s a young man, but you see the broad shoulders, when they fill out, look out, so to add those couple of guys was really important for us. "[Cincotta] had Merret for most of the night – one of the real challenges with him getting those jobs done is how much it impacts your system. "Clearly, Essendon were trying to do a lot of things to try and disrupt us, but I think we thought through most of it, but now we’ve got that feedback, we can go back and have a look at it and see what we would change – he was an important inclusion."

On Hudson O'Keeffe and getting experience into younger players:
"Six weeks ago, I didn’t think Hudson O’Keeffe was AFL-ready – we’re constantly looking at our list and he’s had some really important conversations. "He’s gone to work on his game, particularly in the last six weeks more forward of the ball, not necessarily within the ruck, and credit to him and the development coaches that he’s spent the time to be able to work on the nuances of forward craft and marking, because he spent most of his time in the ruck. "Slowly, over the course of the bigger picture for us is continuing to build the depth of our list and it comes with exposure for some of our younger players. "Carroll, O’Farrell, Hudson O’Keeffe, Camporeale, we’ve now had four or five debuntants this year, and whether they end up playing 18 games or five, it’s pretty important to continue to give them exposure, and form-wise, [O'Keeffe] stacked up tonight which is a real credit to him."

On the VFL win and enjoying the positive moments:
"They had a win, we went back-to-back on that. It’s been a good day. It’s not perfect, we acknowledge that, but we’re going to enjoy this win. "The competition is really hard and we cop our criticism but when it’s time to enjoy our win, we’re going to enjoy it and then we’ll lock in as professionals on Tuesday and lock in our next opponents. "We’ve got a few things to work on and make more consistent but it’s a good start. That’s what we asked the players to do and they got the job done."

On his third-quarter address:
"I was a little animated. Maybe just a little correction was needed around the ball, but it got the response. "Most of the night was about that, about their response, no matter what happens, just move forward. "At three-quarter time, we had to let go of the third quarter and move onto the fourth quarter, wipe it from our memory and get on with it. "To the mid's credit, there were +10 clearances in the last quarter, so they got to work and gave us the drive we needed. "We could’ve finished off the game a bit better if we finished our players, but you have to say the response was there as it was most of the night."

On Harry McKay's late withdrawal:
"We’ll assess that during the week. He’ll get into training on Tuesday and we’ll assess that over the course of the week."

Team

In: Alex Cincotta, Orazio Fantasia, Zac Williams, Jack Silvagni, Hudson O'Keeffe.
Out: Harry O'Farrell (omitted), Corey Durdin (omitted), Jaxon Binns (omitted), Lewis Young (omitted), Harry McKay (knee).

Substitute: Will White (replaced Matt Carroll in the fourth quarter)

Free Kicks

Carlton 25
Essendon 25

Front Runners

Cooper Lord 16.5km
Oliver Hollands 15.8km
Blake Acres 15.7km

Milestones

Debut: Hudson O'Keeffe
50 Goals: Jesse Motlop
50 Games (Carlton): Zac Williams

Interesting Facts

1. Hudson O'Keeffe had 5 contested marks on debut, the record is 6 for a debutant.

AFLCA Votes

10 - Tom De Koning (CARL)
7 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
5 - Jack Silvagni (CARL)
5 - Nic Martin (ESS)
2 - George Hewett (CARL)
1 - Xavier Duursma (ESS)

Brownlow Votes

3 - Tom De Koning (CARL)
2 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
1 - Nic Martin (ESS)