Carlton 11.8 (74) – 15.10 (100) Brisbane
Carlton went down by 26 points to Brisbane last night at Marvel Stadium, despite having started the game with some heavily contested footy.
The Lions and their star recruit Josh Dunkley proved too powerful for the shaky Blues side. After not making finals last season by a scoring percentage, Carlton are feeling the pressure from all angles to perform.
Heading into the Round 8 interstate clash, excitement built around Charlie Curnow, many dubbing the key forward ‘King Charles’ after his nine-goal exploits against West Coast last round. That title however was taken off him last night by Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron, who kicked four, with Curnow limited to a solitary goal.
As well as Cameron, Zac Bailey kicked four of his own for Brisbane, with two in a row in the fourth quarter.
Good teams give you feedback, and we got some good feedback tonight.
Statistically Dunkley dominated the game overall with 33 disposals, 13 tackles, 22 kicks and 11 marks.
Blues coach Michael Voss said after the match, “Good teams give you feedback, and we got some good feedback tonight”, but added his team “are short in some areas”.
The Blues dominated contested play in the first quarter, with nine contested marks in comparison to Brisbane’s two. Brisbane were quick to adjust their defence, preventing the Blues from taking a contested mark throughout both the second and third quarter. It prevented the Blues from getting the ball to their frontline and they remained scoreless throughout the third term.
Eleven-season veteran Sam Docherty had a milestone game for the Blues, running out for his 150th game. It was a big moment for the defender, who just returned last year from a battle with testicular cancer, and to top it off, he scored the first goal of the game for his side.
Brisbane piled on the points through the third quarter, peaking at a 41-point lead. This was short-lived however, as the Blues managed to close the gap to 19 with nine minutes to go in the fourth. But Brisbane held onto the lead, and managed to run away with a 26-point victory.
It’s been a shaky start to the season after going into round one as favourites, but the Lions have now won five in a row, and Chris Fagan has managed to build positive energy within the club.
In a post match interview, Dunkley, who moved to the Lions this year from the Western Bulldogs said: “[Chris Fagan] has full faith in us and gives us so much confidence when we go out there and play footy.”
Things are looking up for the Lions, with this win a stepping stone in their campaign to play finals this year. The Blues on the other hand, need to tie up a few loose ends and find a way to consistently win contested footy.
Main image screenshot courtesy of Channel Seven.
