WINNING FEELING
BLUES GET THAT ... Ton of love at last for Carlton
CARLTON has finally joined the party in the AFL’s upsetladen season, earning its first win of 2019 with a 44-point defeat of the Western Bulldogs.
Patrick Cripps led the way yesterday with a superb 36possession game in the Blues’ breakthrough 15.11 (101) to 7.15 (57) win.
“To the Bluebaggers and supporters, I probably just need to say happy Easter,” coach Brendon Bolton said, beaming after the club’s biggest win in five years.
Cripps had plenty of support, with Harry McKay (four goals), Sam Petrevski-Seton (35 disposals) and Liam Jones running the show at Marvel Stadium. Carlton led from the first minute, increased its margin at each change and yet still there was a nervousness in the stands, given the Blues’ inability to close matches out.
That dispelled as the Blues closed in on 100 points, with fans bursting into an early rendition of the club song to celebrate just their fourth win in 37 games.
Fittingly, it fell to fifth-game star and No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh — the personification of the Blues’ rebuild — to deFOR the first time in 1051 days, Carlton can celebrate an AFL score of 100.
Patrick Cripps was bestafield in yesterday’s 44-point rout of Western Bulldogs, a start-to-end performance that coach Brendon Bolton rightly labelled as mature.
Below the 24-year-old club captain, there was a host of contributors Bolton (pictured) wanted to celebrate.
Harry McKay dominated inside 50, taking 11 marks and kicking four goals in an ominous display.
First-year midfielder Sam Walsh did not put a foot wrong, tallying 26 touches and kicking the goal to put the Blues over 100 points. liver their first century in 60 games, snapping home with a solitary second remaining.
Bulldogs fans made an early exit after seeing their out-ofsorts side lose a third-straight game.
The Dogs were simply never in it against a well-oiled Carlton machine. In the mid
Lachie Plowman, Nic Newman and Liam Jones all starred.
And Sam Petrevski-Seton had 36 possessions in a career-best display.
“That’s a standout game,” Bolton said of PetrevskiSeton. “It’s one that can give him a heap of confidence about what he’s capable of.” dle, Cripps did the hard stuff, with followers like PetrevskiSeton, Zac Fisher, Michael Gibbons and Marc Murphy proving superb foils.
Up forward, McKay continued his rise towards becoming one of the game’s most dominant forwards and Levi Casboult joined him with a three
He lauded a third-term goal from the midfielder that sapped the Bulldogs of momentum.
The Blues reviewed their last-out loss to Gold Coast heavily given the nature of the result, hoping it would galvanise their players. It did. While Carlton fans among the 35,069-strong crowd were already celebrating, Walsh’s snap to get the Blues to the century as the siren sounded gave them an extra dose of euphoria.
But Bolton wasn’t counting either the streak or the final score.
“I just care that we’re in front,” he said. goal haul. And down back, Jones subdued the Bulldogs’ only tall option Aaron Naughton, with Lachie Plowman another star.
The nature of the triumph might just point to brighter skies ahead. Bolton said he was most delighted by the response of his young side after last