IT WAS a trying game for Carlton and despite a last-quarter spurt, the side fell to the Suns by 19 points on Saturday night.

Although the Blues were down by 45 points, they made a remarkable comeback bringing it down to only a 13 point difference in the last term.

In what was a special 200^th game for midfielder George Hewett on a night where the Blues also bid farewell to Sam Docherty, it wasn’t to be for the Blues in the 11.8 (74) to 13.15 (93) defeat.

Francis Evans was outstanding in his eighth AFL game for the Blues, kicking four goals (an equal career-high), while Ollie Hollands (29 disposals) and Patrick Cripps (27 disposals) got their fair share of the ball.

Youngsters Hudson O’Keeffe (three games) and Billy Wilson (two games) returned to the team, as the Blues came in with a youthful side – nine players were aged 21 and under while seven players had under 25 games of experience.

In a competitive opening quarter from both sides, key forward Harry McKay opened up the game with the Blues’ first goal. Not long after, Evans - who was electric in the forward line – kicked consecutive goals, but the Suns started to get offensive, taking the lead by the end of the first term with the final four goals.

Coming into the second term proved to be a challenge for the Blues, as the Suns maintained their offensive style of play. Despite the challenge, Lachie Fogarty kicked a goal while youngster Hudson O’Keeffe kicked his first goal in AFL football, bringing the margin back to 17 points.

After his job on Caleb Serong last week, Cooper Lord kept Brownlow favourite Noah Anderson quiet, with the Gold Coast captain only collecting nine disposals at half time while Lord tallied 12 disposals and four clearances.

As the Suns extended the margin, Evans kicked his third goal of the game but the Blues had some close-range chances go begging, despite Hollands continuing to lead with 24 disposals and two direct goal assists.

Despite a 44-point margin, the Blues didn’t relent. One after the other, McKay, Evans, Moltop and Moir kicked a goal each for the Blues within a matter of minutes, with this spurt all of a sudden bringing it back to just 17 points the difference.

The Blues attacked at all costs, with McKay’s third bringing the margin back to 13 points while Zac Williams (nine disposals) and Adam Saad (eight disposals) provided plenty of run.

However, the Blues left themselves with too much to do as the comeback fell short, with the Suns taking away a 19-point victory.

CARLTON            3.1     5.1     6.3        11.8 (74)
GOLD COAST      5.4     8.7    12.12     13.15 (93)

GOALS
Carlton: Evans 4, McKay 3, O’Keeffe, Moltop, Moir, Fogarty