THE BLUES succumbed to the clinical Cats and stifling heat in a match that was a closer contest than the scoreboard suggests.

A 59-point victory to Geelong was the result of a tough day down the highway for Carlton. 

Quarter one

A Geelong goal 40 seconds into the contest wasn’t the start to the season that Carlton, however the players responded shortly. Despite repeated entries, thanks to some great link up play from Poppy Schaap, the Blues couldn’t manage to find their targets in the forward 50 with the Cats players defending well. Geelong’s Paige Sheppard was dominant, racking up an 11 disposals, putting the pressure on Carlton early. The quarter was a very even affair, however the Cats made the most of their opportunities, resulting in a two-goal lead heading into the first break.

Quarter two

Geelong got off to another fast start as they once again scored within the first minute of the game. Despite some fierce tackling and determined defending from the likes of Brooke Vernon, the Blues struggled to find rhythm for the first half of the term. Carlton began to find their feet shortly after though, with Maddy Guerin, who had an impressive quarter throughout, scoring a behind to give Carlton their first score of the game. The Blues continued to be wasteful going forward, resulting in only one behind for 12 forward 50 entries in the first half and a five-goal deficit heading into half time. 

Quarter three

It was a contested start to the penultimate quarter with both sides able to dominate. Two great rundown tackles from Nadia Moore were crucial as they stopped certain goals for Geelong. Millie Klingbeil kicked truly from 30 metres out to give the Carlton their first goal of the game, which was deserved after some strong build-up play. The Blues began to run out of legs under the hot sun towards the end of the quarter, resulting in two quick goals for the Cats, making life very difficult heading into the final change.

Quarter four

It was a difficult start to the final term for Carlton, with the ball living in their defence for the first 10 minutes. The Blues managed to limit the damage during this period, with the Cats only kicking two goals. Schaap got reward for her efforts throughout the game, nailing a set shot from 25 metres out to get the side’s second of the game. Carlton couldn’t manage to grab the momentum from the goal however, and the Cats responded with two goals of their own, ending up as the comfortable winners.

Match Summary

Geelong   2.1   5.1   7.4   11.7 (73)
Carlton     0.0   0.1   1.2   2.2 (14)

Goals
Carlton: Klingbeil, Schaap

Best
Guerin, Klingbeil, Bild, Moore, Schaap.

Jeremy Freeman (stand-in coach) says:

“Lots of positives to come out of today, but obviously lots of learnings and that’s something as a group we are going to pride ourselves on.

"We’re going to work harder on the training track this week. We know that there were signs of moving the ball well, but we need to be more consistent with that. We know there is hard work to happen in all parts of the ground, but I can guarantee you it is going to happen.”