THE WIND was a prominent factor in the Round 13 clash, with the Blues falling short to the Falcons, 2.3 (15) to 5.6 (36).
There were multiple standout players from the Carlton side, with Hannah Scott producing a team-high 23 disposals and 19 kicks while Emily Elkington - who has recently returned from injury - had 21 disposals, 15 handballs and a game-high 18 tackles.
AFLW-listed players Lou Lou Field and Meg Robertson did not disappoint, gathering a combined 39 disposals, 25 kicks and 14 handballs between the pair.
The wind was in Carlton's favour in the first term, kickstarting the game for them. The weather assisted them to maintain the ball within their forward 50 for the most part putting, immense pressure on Darebin.
Lucy Burke put Carlton's first on the board, kicking the opening goal straight out of the ruck, putting the Blues in the lead 1.0 (6) to 0.0(0).
Coming into the second term, the Blues aimed to use their speed throughout the ground.
Throughout the day, the ball continuously got stuck on the far-right side of the ground leading into the wind, proving difficult for both sides with continuous stoppages at this point.
Defensive efforts from the away side led to 18 tackles for the quarter, with eight of them inside the Falcons' 50, but despite these efforts, the Falcons led 1.0 (6) to 2.1 (13) at the half-time break.
Coming into the second half with the wind, Carlton had the advantage. Throughout the quarter, the team generated four scoring shots with AFLW-listed player Mia Austin kicking a goal on the run.
With the Blues maintaining the ball within their scoring end, they hit the front 2.3 (15) to 2.2 (14) as the Falcons followed closely behind.
Coming into the last term, the Blues knew it would be a challenging quarter as they played against the wind.
Darebin capitalised heavily in the final quarter, generating seven scoring shots to take away a 21-point win.
It was a highly competitive game from both sides, but the fourth-quarter efforts from the home team ultimately secured their win.
