Game Review

Blues outmuscled by Roos

Carlton fell to North Melbourne by 11 points on Saturday afternoon at the MCG. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media.

Carlton fell to North Melbourne by 11 points on Saturday afternoon at the MCG. Despite a spirited final-quarter surge that kept the Roos scoreless, the Blues couldn’t claw back the 46-point margin they faced at the final change. Mitch McGovern was a bright spot, kicking four goals – his best return since Round 22, 2017 – while George Hewett continued his consistent form with 31 disposals and 18 contested possessions. The opening quarter was a scrappy affair, with both teams struggling to convert their chances in front of goal. After three early misses, it was Mitch McGovern who broke the deadlock for the Blues, snapping truly to register the first major of the afternoon. Jaxon Binns was lively on the wing with six disposals, while Nick Haynes stood tall in defence, collecting four intercepts.

Orazio Fantasia added Carlton’s second with a long-range running goal from 48 metres, but despite generating 19 inside 50s, the Blues couldn’t make their dominance count. A brief injury scare saw Jacob Weitering limp off with a sore ankle, though he returned to take his place at the start of the second term. North Melbourne took complete control in the second quarter, piling on six unanswered goals while keeping Carlton goalless for the term. The Roos dominated territory with sharp ball movement, keeping the ball locked in their forward half and dictating the tempo. Marc Pittonet held his own in the ruck battle against Tristan Xerri, but Carlton’s typical strength around stoppage was missing, as the North midfield got on top. By half time, the top six ball-winners on the ground were all wearing Royal Blue, highlighting the Blues’ struggle to gain possession.

North Melbourne picked up right where they left off after the main break, kicking the first two goals of the third term to extend their lead.It took until the 18-minute mark for Carlton to break through, with Orazio Fantasia snapping another classy running goal, quickly followed by Mitch McGovern’s second to provide a spark. But the momentum was short-lived. North answered with two more majors, applying relentless tackle pressure to disrupt Carlton’s ball movement. With seven forward-50 clearances for the term, the Roos kept the game firmly in their attacking half. Jesse Motlop was brought into the game as a tactical sub, bringing energy and speed to the forward 50. Ollie Hollands was also a livewire all day, using his run and carry to try and light a spark for the Blues. Carlton mounted a strong final-quarter fightback, with goals to Blake Acres, Lachie Fogarty, Mitch McGovern and Motlop, while holding North Melbourne scoreless in the term. Jacob Weitering was strong down back, pushing through his earlier injury scare to finish with a game-high 11 intercept possessions, along with 10 contested possessions and six score involvements. But despite the late surge, the damage had been done, with the Blues ultimately falling short by 11 points at the MCG.

Roos pile pressure on Blues with stunning blitz

The Blues have suffered a surprise loss to the Kangaroos - By AAP with Dejan Kalinic.

The Michael Voss era is in major trouble after Carlton conceded eight straight goals against North Melbourne to be stunned by 11 points in an MCG boilover. Just 64 days after smashing North by 82 points on Good Friday, the Blues went goalless from midway through the first quarter until 10 minutes into the third term. During that period, the Kangaroos produced some of their best football in Alastair Clarkson's three-year tenure to set up the 13.6 (84) to 10.13 (73) victory in front of 56,236 fans. Voss gave a stern three-quarter time address to his underperforming midfield group when they trailed by 46 points. The spray from the coach worked as the Blues kicked 5.5 to 0.0 in the final quarter, but it was too late for Carlton. Despite having only beaten lowly Richmond, West Coast and Melbourne this season, North has been threatening to claim a bigger scalp for weeks. Trailing by nine points at quarter-time, the Kangaroos surged in the second term with 6.2 to 0.1, prompting sections of the pro-Carlton crowd to boo their team off at half-time. The wheels completely came off when Carlton gave away a free kick straight after Cam Zurhaar's third goal, allowing ruck Tristan Xerri to put the Kangaroos 40 points up early in the third quarter. The Blues showed more spirit for the rest of the game, but the damage had already been done.

Finalists in the past two seasons, Carlton slumped to 6-8 and will sit two games outside of the top eight by the end of the round. The Blues comfortably won the inside-50 count, but their ball use let them down all day. The unexpected result will turn up the heat on coach Voss, who has been under pressure since Carlton's calamitous round one loss against Richmond. Finalists in the past two seasons, Carlton slumped to 6-8 and will sit two games outside of the top eight by the end of the round. The Blues comfortably won the inside-50 count, but their ball use let them down all day. The unexpected result will turn up the heat on coach Voss, who has been under pressure since Carlton's calamitous round one loss against Richmond. The only positive for Carlton was that star defender Jacob Weitering avoided being added to a lengthy injury list. Weitering appeared to have suffered a serious ankle injury when he landed awkwardly after jumping over Zurhaar in the first quarter.

The reigning All-Australian full-back was assisted from the field in agony, but returned 15 minutes later for the start of the second term. Carlton is already without star forward Harry McKay and important midfielder Sam Walsh for at least another month. Fellow key forward Charlie Curnow was in doubt for the game with calf tightness, but managed to ride his push bike to the MCG to prove his fitness. However, the dual Coleman medallist had a dirty day, failing to kick a goal. Carlton's season will be virtually dead and buried if it can't beat Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday night. North heads to Launceston next Saturday to clash with Hawthorn. The Kangaroos scored 8.3 to 2.7 from forward half chains today, including 6.1 to 1.5 from attacking midfield. They scored 5.0 to 0.1 from 15-4 forward half clearances. Tom Powell recorded an equal career-high 34 disposals - including 19 in the forward half - in addition to 614 metres gained, eight clearances, and three goal assists. The Blues recorded 56-42 inside 50s and converted 38% into scores - compared to North Melbourne's 36% - but they recorded a goal accuracy of just 40% to 59%, with a competition average of 58%. They scored 4.7 to 6.4 from set shots.

Injury scares for tall duo
There were worries for both clubs in the first quarter as Jacob Weitering and Jack Darling went down. Darling suffered a cut to his shin in the opening exchanges but returned to the field. Then, Weitering had his ankle caught under an opponent and was in agony. The star defender missed the rest of the first quarter before playing out the game.

Double goal hurts Blues as Roos run hot
A run of eight consecutive goals set up North Melbourne's win, and the last of those was particularly costly for the Blues. After Cam Zurhaar converted a snap following a mark, Tristan Xerri was awarded a free kick before the ball went back to the middle. The ruck converted beautifully from distance to put the Roos in complete control.

Best: J. Weitering, G. Hewett, M. McGovern, N. Haynes, L. Fogarty.

Voss deflects questions over future as fans boo 'unacceptable' Blues

Blues coach Michael Voss has rued his side's poor performance in a surprise loss to North. - By AAP with staff writer

Michael Voss has deflected questions over his coaching future after Carlton fans booed the Blues off the MCG following a stunning 11-point defeat to North Melbourne. Just 64 days after smashing North by 82 points on Good Friday, the Blues went goalless from midway through the first quarter until 10 minutes into the third term on Saturday. During that period, the Kangaroos produced some of their best football in Alastair Clarkson's three-year tenure to set up the 13.6 (84) to 10.13 (73) victory in front of 56,236 fans. The Blues, who kicked five unanswered goals in the final quarter, were booed off at half-time, three-quarter time and again post-match. "It's not time to isolate, it's time to come together," Voss said of the booing. "We love coming to the ground and having the supporter base we have and the passion that our supporters have, but we share in their disappointment." Voss's animated spray at the final change looked targeted at the midfield group, but he insisted it was to the whole team. "That's not acceptable the way that we played through that period of time ... it just didn't sit with the mids," he said. "North Melbourne were much too good around the contest for us. "I felt like for a middle patch there, they probably bullied us."

Finalists in the past two seasons, Carlton slumped to 6-8 and will sit two games outside of the top eight by the end of the round. Asked if he was coaching for his future over the next two months, Voss simply put the focus on Carlton's next game against Port Adelaide on Thursday night. "It's more about staying present to where we're at ... the competitor in me is about getting better tomorrow," he said. Despite having only previously beaten lowly Richmond, West Coast and Melbourne this season, the Roos had been threatening to claim a bigger scalp for weeks. "Where we've been as a footy club, we've just got to be happy to get the victory," Clarkson said of the last-quarter fade-out. "They're a good opponent, and their season was right on the line. "They'd be disappointed that they dropped that game."

Boring Blues' season is teetering on the brink

An 0-4 start to the year, including a shock loss to Richmond in round one, left Carlton with little room for error, and whatever that slim margin was became even smaller with Saturday's surprise defeat to North Melbourne. The Blues were comprehensively beaten before kicking five unanswered goals in the final quarter to add respectability to the scoreline. Perhaps surprisingly, Carlton was unable to match North's physicality, and a run of eight unanswered goals from the Roos proved to be crucial. As the Roos played with dare and excitement, Carlton - as it has often this season - found itself in a safe, dull mode, chipping kicks and marking but doing little to unsettle their opponents. The Blues are 6-8 ahead of Thursday night's clash against Port Adelaide, with five of those wins coming against West Coast (twice), the Roos, St Kilda and Essendon. If it isn't already over, a loss in Adelaide this week would end their season. - Dejan Kalinic

Team

B:	26 Nick Haynes	23 Jacob Weitering	39 Alex Cincotta
HB:	4 Oliver Hollands	1 Jack Silvagni	42 Adam Saad
C:	15 Sam Docherty	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	19 Corey Durdin	11 Mitch McGovern	25 Jaxon Binns
F:	8 Lachie Fogarty	30 Charlie Curnow	12 Tom De Koning
Ruck:	27 Marc Pittonet	5 Adam Cerra	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	6 Zac Williams	36 Cooper Lord	32 Matt Carroll
	14 Orazio Fantasia
Substitute:	3 Jesse Motlop
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	38 Will White	33 Lewis Young	22 Harry O'Farrell

In: Marc Pittonet
Out: Hudson O'Keeffe (hamstring)

Substitute: Jesse Motlop (replaced Cooper Lord in the third quarter).

Free Kicks

Carlton 21
North Melbourne 20

Front Runners

Oliver Hollands 16.5km
Jaxon Binns 15.5km
Adam Cerra 14.9km

Milestones

100 Games (Carlton): Adam Saad
50 Goals (Carlton): Mitch McGovern

AFLCA Votes

10 -Tom Powell NMFC
5 - Luke Parker NMFC
4 - Colby McKercher NMFC
4 - Harry Sheezel NMFC
3 - Luke Davies-Uniacke NMFC
3 - Toby Pink NMFC
1 - Sam Docherty CARL

Brownlow Votes

3 - Luke Davies-Uniacke (NMFC
2 - Tom Powell (NMFC)
1 - George Hewett(CARL)