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Blues forwards take the points
Charlie Curnow needed to at least break even with nemesis Steven May if the Blues were to prevail, and also for the psychological battle ahead, with September in mind.
Curnow takes the Blues forward against Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
AFL great Jason Dunstall said during the pre-match coverage on Fox Footy he wanted Curnow to test May with his speed and athleticism, and that’s just what he did.
Curnow finished with two goals and had a hand in at least seven scoring chains. He took May further afield, on a night fellow key defender Jake Lever was unable to be the intercept king he typically is.
“Once again, it was a great duel,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin said of the Curnow-May clash. “Charlie had some impact, kicking a couple of goals. I think two of his goals might have come from centre bounce exits. So, they have great battles every time they play.”
Blues coach Michael Voss ensured Lever was largely held accountable by the returning Jack Martin and Tom De Koning, although reborn defender Tom McDonald held Harry McKay in check.
Martin’s importance to this team cannot be understated. He is a medium-sized forward who can play as a tall.
His class with the ball in hand has never been questioned. In what was his first senior game of the season after knee and soft-tissue issues, the Blues will hope he can have a good run at the rest of the season.
The return of defender Brodie Kemp won’t attract headlines, but he shapes as an important figure.
But Kemp was fortunate to win a free kick in the back pocket after Jacob Van Rooyen was deemed to have completed a dangerous tackle with about eight minutes remaining in the final term. The Demons trailed by 20 points, and were threatening.
Demons rue their slow start
A week after toppling a previously unbeaten Geelong, the Demons made a mystifying start.
That they failed to score in the first term, their first scoreless quarter since 2019, was astounding, and, ultimately, cost them the game.
And it didn’t get much better in the second term, with Bayley Fritsch and Kysaish Pickett barely sighting the ball.
Carlton have won the last three matches against Melbourne by less than a goal.
“Every time we play Carlton, we know it’s going to be a fight, it’s going to be close, it’s going to be a battle, it’s generally going to be low scoring,” Simon Goodwin said after the game.
“I think we learn more and more about each other as we keep playing each other, and I think that’s a good thing. I think they’re the types of games that we want to be involved in and, yes, we want to win these games, there’s no question about that.”
How to judge Christian Petracca’s night?
The star midfielder had only four touches in the first term, when tagged by Matt Kennedy, but was dominant when shifted forward, to the point he finished as arguably best afield with a career-high five goals.
Petracca kicked five goals; the biggest haul of his AFL career.Credit: Getty Images
While Petracca led the way after quarter time, fellow midfield star Jack Viney was also instrumental in the Demons’ falling just shy of erasing a 38-point deficit.
Carlton coach Michael Voss jokingly said that Matthew Kennedy did too good of a job tagging Petracca in the midfield because the Demons sent him forward to almost win the game.
“That was a mistake,” Voss said of the Kennedy role. “But he (Petracca) was sensational. You know, to be able to kick five goals one, I mean, he was sensational. He could have been a real difference for them.”
Weitering in career-best form
It is time for the tailors to start fitting Jacob Weitering for his maiden green jacket?
The Blues’ full-back has been named in the All-Australian squad for the past four seasons, without making the final team.
Surely, this is his year, for he was superb for most of the evening, when either manned up on Jacob Van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch or Harrison Petty.
Jacob Weitering repelled Melbourne’s forward thrusts early.Credit: Getty Images
His ability to act as a “goalkeeper”, standing defensive goal side to either mark, or scooping up a loose ball, was pivotal.
Curnow’s decision to head into defence in the final minutes, as he typically does, was rewarded with a crucial mark, while Nic Newman’s tackle on Petracca, winning a free kick, was ultimately the pivotal moment. Newman faces a nervous Friday, however, for a high bump on Alex Neal-Bullen.
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