IN A genuine four-quarter fight, Carlton has regrettably fallen by eight points to Hawthorn at Kinetic Stadium.

Feeling what was a mixture of excitement and disappointment post-match, the Blues fought back to level the scores in the final term but a late goal to Aine McDonagh saw the Blues fall 3.12 (30) to 2.10 (22).

Harriet Cordner led brilliantly on the last line with 22 disposals, 13 intercepts and 10 marks, while Dayna Finn and Maddy Guerin produced the goals on a night where tension in both 50s was at an all-time high.

After an early tussle, it was Hawthorn who made the early running with back-to-back goals in the opening term on what was a rare calm night in Frankston, with conditions not playing a factor.

In a late flurry, the Blues had more than their fair share of territory and chances in front of goal, but could only manage four behinds in quick succession to trail by 10 points at the first change.

The midfield fight was as combative as you could imagine, with Hawthorn getting the upper hand in the early going - but in a similar manner to the way the first quarter ended, both sides failed to get scoreboard reward when the opportunities presented, with the margin staying at 11 points at the main break.

The pressure was fierce and the competition’s new holding-the-ball interpretation in full effect, but the Blues were still in need of an offensive spark when the second half rolled around.

That came in the form of Maddy Guerin, with the midfielder-turned-forward producing a snap on goal that yielded a perfect bounce to get the team on the board.

It gave the Blues life, with Abbie McKay well and truly getting going around the stoppages with eight disposals for the term while Yasmin Duursma and Darcy Vescio produced some key defensive moments to keep the Blues in the hunt.

When the Blues sprung the counter attack and Dayna Finn finished expertly, scores were level - a far cry from the 38-point margin which separated these two sides in Round 1 last year.

Brilliant forward pressure from Maddy Guerin, Breann Harrington and Erone Fitzpatrick brought about opportunities late in the piece to give the Blues a lead, but a failure to get the go-ahead goal was costly, with Hawthorn converting from a late free kick to ice the game on a night where improvement was evident for the Blues - but a bitter taste was left without a second consecutive win.

HAWTHORN      2.2      2.5     2.8       3.12 (30)
CARLTON           0.4      0.6     1.8       2.10 (22)

GOALS
Carlton: Finn, Guerin

BEST
Carlton: Cordner, McKay, Duursma, Sherar, Vescio, Finn