CARLTON'S Eddie Betts has booted eight goals as the Blues thumped Essendon by 74 points at the MCG on Saturday night.
Carlton led by seven points at half-time, but slammed through eight unanswered goals in a third term, propelling it to a 24.9 (153) to 12.7 (79) win.
Betts had a night to remember with goals in each quarter to spearhead the Carlton assault.
Chris Judd finished with 33 possessions and 12 tackles and his ability to bring teammates into the play was pivotal. The skipper booted one goal and was involved in seven others in a performance that will see him compete with Betts for the three Brownlow votes.
Brent Prismall (26 disposals), Brent Stanton (25) and David Zaharakis (25) were prominent in the first half but, like many of their teammates, had quieter second halves.
Michael Hurley made the most of limited opportunities to boot three goals.
Carlton had the better of the first term in open play and nearly doubled Essendon's inside 50 count, but the Bombers' efficiency when they did go inside kept the Blues' lead to just seven points at the first break.
That trend continued in the second until Essendon started to get the upper hand around the stoppages and capped their good work with goals to Leroy Jetta and Travis Colyer, drawing the teams level late in the term.
The Bombers finished right over the top of their previous two opponents and their first-half performance gave no clue of the onslaught to come.
Heath Scotland, Marc Murphy, who had been well held by Jake Melksham, and Judd had 33 possessions between them for the quarter as they engineered the eight-goal run that settled the argument.
With just the margin to finalise, Andrew Walker put an exclamation point on the impressive display with a contender for mark of the year.
The high ball floated perfectly inside 50 for Walker who leapt onto Jake Carlisle's shoulders, then elevated himself even further into the Melbourne night sky, to pull down a breathtaking screamer.
QUARTER BY QUARTER
First quarter
Essendon and Carlton have shared some classic modern encounters, and the first quarter looked to start another brilliant, seesawing game between the rivals. Carlton went to the first change with a seven-point lead, with Eddie Betts the star with three goals for the term. Without Jobe Watson and Heath Hocking, Essendon's midfield was clearly weaker than that of the Blues, but the Bombers' forward line was too strong for Carlton's backline.
Carlton by seven points.
Second quarter
The goal-for-goal affair continued in the second quarter, with the Blues breaking out to a 13-point lead when Dennis Armfield kicked a goal from close range before the Bombers hit back. Leroy Jetta volleyed through a long pass from Mark McVeigh, before speedy young Bomber Travis Colyer kicked the goal of the night, squeezed up on the fence from the tightest of angles. Betts was on the end of another searching run to kick his fourth to help the Blues regain the lead late in the term. Chris Judd was central to everything Carlton did with 18 disposals and eight tackles.
Carlton by seven points.
Third quarter
With his direct opponent, Tayte Pears, subbed off with a knee injury, Blues big man Matthew Kreuzer started the second half on fire with two strong marks. He could only convert one into a goal, but the intent was obvious: Carlton was on the move. The Blues kicked the opening five goals of the quarter to open up a 39-point lead midway through the term, including one clever effort from Betts, which saw him dance around opponent Henry Slattery. When Andrew Walker kicked another only minutes later, the Blues looked to have kicked away to an almost unassailable lead. Almost remarkably, the Blues slammed home eight goals for the quarter and kept Essendon to just one behind in a commanding display.
Carlton by 58 points.
Fourth quarter
Patrick Ryder tried valiantly all night and had his work rewarded when he took a strong mark in the goalsquare to kick his second goal to start the final term, and it was followed up with a long bomb by Kyle Reimers. Marc Murphy strolled into an open goal which looked like it might have broken Essendon's resistance, but Hurley, from the pocket, dragged another goal back for his team. The Blues, however, kicked the last six goals of the game to demolish their disappointing rivals. Andrew Walker's towering mark over Jake Carlisle late in the term was simply the icing on the cake.
Carlton by 74
Essendon 4.2 8.3 8.4 12.7 (79)
Carlton 5.3 9.4 17.8 24.9 (153)
GOALS
Essendon: Hurley 3, Ryder 2, Crameri, Colyer, Jetta, Prismall, Reimers, Stanton, Zaharakis
Carlton: Betts 8, Walker 4, Armfield 3, Gibbs 2, Kreuzer 2, Murphy 2, Garlett, Judd, Yarran
BEST
Essendon: Hurley, Prismall, Crameri, Stanton, Colyer, Carlisle, Ryder
Carlton: Judd, Betts, Scotland, Murphy, Robinson, Armfield, Simpson, Gibbs, Walker
INJURIES
Essendon: Pears (knee)
Carlton: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Tayte Pears (knee) replaced by Kyle Reimers in the third quarter
Carlton: Wayde Twomey replaced by David Ellard in the fourth quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Nicholls, Findlay
Official crowd: 74,123 at MCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
