Game Review

Blues hang on in a thriller against fast-finishing Dockers
Carlton held off a late comeback from Walyalup to win by six points. - By Nathan Schmook.

Carlton has seen off Walyalup and the first edition of AFLW 'Wharfie Time' to win a thriller at Cockburn ARC Oval by six points on Sunday afternoon, continuing an undefeated start to the season. In a thrilling clash that was alive right until the final seconds, the Blues held their nerve defensively, with the ball locked in Walyalup's forward half when the siren sounded to confirm the 7.6 (48) to 6.6 (42) win. In a bizarre game that saw all scores kicked to one end for more than three quarters, Carlton flipped the script to kick back-to-back goals against the breeze in the final term to set up its win, with Mimi Hill and Erone Fitzpatrick the heroes. Gabby O'Sullivan snapped a terrific goal to keep the Dockers alive, with the ground coming alive when the button was pushed for 'Wharfie Time' with 90 seconds to play. Star midfielder Kiara Bowers booted a behind to cut the margin to six points, but the Dockers couldn't find the goal they needed to tie scores, slipping to 1-2 after a heartbreaking loss. As well as Hill (23 disposals and a goal) and Fitzpatrick (23 and one), Poppy Scholz was critical for the Blues in a massive fourth quarter. Bowers (27 and 11 tackles) was outstanding for Walyalup, while Gabby Newton (28 and seven clearances) was all class when the Dockers mounted their charge. Mim Strom (27 hitouts and eight clearances) was also prominent. "In a really tight game you need to have those (big moments) and maybe we had a few more than Freo in the end," Carlton coach Mathew Buck said. "Credit to our girls who have managed to take those moments. "It was a heavily contested game, and a lot of those numbers went our way around the contest, which was really pleasing to see. "You want to be able to win in all kinds of ways, so for our group to go and execute and hang on and fight and be resilient … they're a hard team to play against every time, but super proud of the group."

The Dockers had a patient approach with the ball in the opening quarter and struggled to create opportunities, with a series of turnovers at half-forward opening the door for Carlton to pounce. The Blues didn't miss their chance either, kicking goals through Scholz, Claudia Whitfort, and Fitzpatrick, who converted a brilliant snap from the pocket to give the Blues an early 20-point lead. Scoreless in the opening term, things looked like getting worse for Walyalup when Aisling McCarthy clutched at her right knee after being tackled at the opening centre ball-up in thew second term, leaving the ground slowly with the help of trainers. The Dockers gathered themselves, however, with Bowers sparking a high-pressure quarter that stunned the Blues and turned the game, with Walyalup laying 20 tackles to 15 and controlling inside 50s (9-5). Megan Kauffman converted the Dockers' first goal before Newton cruised through traffic to boot a nice goal from 40m on the run. Gabby O'Sullivan added a third, with Strom giving her team the lead when she slotted a fourth on the run from just inside 50. The match tightened up in the third, with Carlton kicking back-to-back goals to grab a seven-point lead and Walyalup unable to take its chances despite spending plenty of time in attack. Scores were tied early in the fourth after Hayley Miller converted a tight set shot, with the match coming down to big moments and which team was going to take them. But Hill's class to convert a running banana gave the Blues the advantage before Scholz stood tall on the wing to create Fitzpatrick's match-sealing goal. "I said to the girls post-match, we're disappointed but not deflated," Fremantle coach Lisa Webb said. "I'm really proud of the way we worked through it. Our contest was much better again and we did a lot right today. "We could see a lot of what we were trying to execute, but we just missed some moments … we want to get better at executing in those key moments." Carlton pull off an impressive, hard-fought win away from home, overcoming a game-defining breeze through their effective intercept game. In the last quarter, they managed two goals from midfield intercept chains; six of their seven goals came from intercept chains through the match. Walyalup had the breeze in the last quarter but was unable to capitalise on the territory dominance. They registered 13 inside 50s in the last quarter but scored just five times - a conversion rate of just 38%. Despite the breeze, the Blues kicked a score from 66% of their forward 50 entries in the last quarter.

A true scoring end
Every single score for more than three quarters was registered at the food truck end of Cockburn ARC Oval, or the left-hand side of the screen, as both teams utilised the breeze in different ways. For Carlton, quick movement gave them good looks when kicking with the breeze, while Walyalup was able to lock the ball in its front half with deep entries and tackling pressure when it had the advantage. Bizarrely, the Dockers created more entries against the wind in the third quarter (7-6) but poor kicking cost them scoring chances. With the breeze behind them in the fourth they booted two, but Carlton found a way to break through against the breeze.

Next up
Walyalup hits the road to take on Richmond next Sunday at Ikon Park, with the teams meeting for the first time since the Dockers' commanding 44-point win at Fremantle Oval last season. The Blues will follow them at Ikon Park on Sunday afternoon, taking on Collingwood. Mathew Buck's team won that match-up by 24 points in round one last season.

Best: E. Fitzpatrick, M. Hill, P. Scholz, A. McKay, D. Finn, C. Whitfort.

Cool Blues can own the big moments
When Carlton ends up in tight games, it can rest assured that it has the star power and composure in 2026 to execute under pressure. Sunday's six-point win against Walyalup came down to the big moments, and it was Mimi Hill who took hers with a brilliant checkside goal on the run. Then there was the power running of Irish star Erone Fitzpatrick to seal the game, and Poppy Scholz standing tall under pressure on the wing to keep the play alive and set up that match-winning goal. The undefeated Blues did what the Dockers couldn't, executing under pressure when the big moments arrived. It's the reason they are 3-0 and in the top four. – Nathan Schmook

Buck's Blues charge to 3-0 start.
Mathew Buck's post-Round 3 press conference. - By Carlton Media.

Carlton achieved a new frontier in its AFLW history on the weekend, but is conscious there's still work to do. A gritty six-point win over Walyalup meant the Blues surged to 3-0 for the first time since the AFLW competition's creation, but AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck is well aware the Blues still have work to do. Speaking post-match, here's what the coach had to say.

On how the game played out:
"It was a heavily contested game, a lot of those numbers around the contest went our way which was really pleasing to see - you want to be able to win all kinds of ways. "For our group to go and execute, hang on, fight and be resilient after a tough second quarter, Freo to their credit opened the game right up and are a hard team to play against every time. I’m super proud of the group."

On the message throughout the game:
"My message didn’t really change during the game. It was to continue to meet them at the contest in a big way. Kiara Bowers and Gabby Newton, they’re terrific AFLW players. For our midfield of Claudia Whitfort, Mimi Hill and Abbie McKay - who are so consistent with the way they go about their footy - stand up to that, we told them to continue to go for the game. "Charge at the game, take it on with our run and manage to hit the scoreboard going into the wind… the wind wasn’t over the top, it was just that everything was scoring to the left side of the field. The message was to continue to go at it and take your moments in the contest. With our scenarios, we’ve practiced those moments during pre-season to make sure we can stand up. "I’m proud the group went straight into this plans and executed without any kind of silly mistakes or ‘what do I do here?’. That was good."

On winning key moments over the course of the game:
"In a really tight game, you need to have those. We had a few more than Freo in the end: credit to our girls, they’ve managed to take those moments. Mimi Hill continues to run and run all game, it was a big four-quarter effort with a strong fitness base on the back of a really successful pre-season which we thought would hold us in good stead."

On continuing to grind out results:
"A pretty good deal of confidence comes out of it. We’re still not playing the footy we’d like to play, we’re still evolving our system in all three phases - contest, defence and offence. We see real glimpses of what we want to be and what we think we can be. To be 3-0, you have the comfort that you don’t have to push anyone out that’s not ready or anything like that. It gives us some flexibility within that."

On who stood up in the final term:
"The momentum in the game is tough, and when Wharfie Time went off in the last, it was ‘Geez, what’s coming now’. Our leaders really stood out. Erone Fitzpatrick and Dayna Finn on the wings had really good games. Abbie McKay continues to go from strength to strength with her game, Mimi Hill the same. "Harriet Cordner behind the ball, Freo was doing a good job pulling her away from the contest a little bit, but she had some big moments late. I thought the leadership was outstanding."

On Sophie McKay coming from the ground:
"It was a little ankle tweak, she ended up going back out on the ground. I think she dropped a million points with her Mark of the Year attempt as well. She’s an exciting livewire and she’s starting to build into the season, which is nice to see."
Late Change: Darcy Vescio pulled out due to calf awareness and was replaced by Brooke Boileau.

In: Tara Bohanna, Brooke Boileau.
Out: Brooke Vickers (omitted). Darcy Vescio (calf awareness)

Umpires

Justin Orr, Haydn O'Connor, Joshua Antulov.

Interesting Points

1. This is the first time in Carlton's AFLW history that it has won its first three games of the season.

AFLW Coaches Votes

10 - Erone Fitzpatrick (CARL)
5 - Gabby Newton (FRE)
4 - Abbie McKay (CARL)
4 - Kiara Bowers (FRE)
3 - Mimi Hill (CARL)
2 - Claudia Whitfort (CARL)
1 - Jess Good (CARL)
1 - Dayna Finn (CARL)

AFLW Best and Fairest Votes

Club Best and Fairest Votes

Match Highlights