CARLTON has fallen 24 points short to a persistent Saints outfit in their second VFLW hit out of 2019.
It was a low-scoring affair at SkyBus Stadium with the Blues finishing with only one goal, despite dominating play for most of the day.
The Blues pressure and intensity around the ground kept them right in the match until early in the final term before the relentless Saints stacked on the pressure to seal the win.
Breakdown:
Q1:
Inaccuracy in front of the goals hurt both sides early. The Blues finally hit the scoreboard in the 17th minute of the opening term, sneaking through two behinds with the benefit of a brisk wind. Despite their pressure around the contest, Carlton were only able to take a two-point lead into the first break.
Q2:
Carlton came out strong in the second half, dominating inside 50s in the first five minutes. Captain Nat Plane bobbed up throughout the quarter for the Blues but struggled to hit the scoreboard early. While Carlton had the lion’s share of inside 50s, it was the Southern Saints that notched the day’s first major off the boot of Allison Brown. From then on the momentum was with the Saints, with a second goal to Caitlin Greiser pushing their lead out to 13 points at the main break.
Q3:
The Blues were quick to respond after half time, slotting their first and only major of the day early in the third thanks to Nat Plane. It was a steadying goal for the Blues, with the match thereafter returning to the tight contest it had been in the first quarter. Abbie McKay was influential in stemming the Saints’ attack and was unlucky to not finish with a goal for her efforts. Carlton completed the term within a goal of its opponent.
Q4:
The Saints came out firing in the last quarter, locking the ball in their offensive fifty for the majority of the term and collecting a few handy behinds early. The Blues were short on scoring opportunities and with two late goals from the Saints finished the day 24 points short.
Shan’s Player of the Day: Abbie McKay
“Abbie was able to find plenty of the footy around the stoppages and really break open the game for us. She was unlucky not to finish with a goal late in that third term as well but a really consistent effort all day.”
Match summary:
CARLTON 0.2 0.2 1.4 1.4 (10)
SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.0 2.3 2.4 4.10 (34)
GOALS: Plane
BEST: Plane, Clifford, S Hosking, McKay, S Wright, J Wright
