Giants way too good for Carlton
IN their first game since announcing a wide-ranging independent review of the club’s football department, Carlton gave the review panel plenty to contemplate in a 36-point loss to GWS at Giants Stadium.
The Blues are to be commended for finding a way back into the game to trail by 12 points early in the last quarter, but coach David Teague will be left wondering where that effort was in a diabolical first half.
It was another Jekyll-andHyde performance for the ‘Baggers, who let their opponents cruise to an early threegoal lead, but served up glimpses of inspired footy punctuated by passages of sluggishness.
There was a lot to like for the Giants, who had plenty of contributors as they boosted their finals chances, with Jacob Hopper, Isaac Cumming, Lachie Whitfield and Tim Taranto all prominent on the ball with Jeremy Finlayson booting five goals.
Matt de Boer was sent to young star Sam Walsh for the first three quarters and the master tagger took the honours before the hard tag was released late.
Matthew Kennedy and Patrick Cripps led the Carlton midfield, while Harry McKay kicked three goals.
The good and bad sides of Toby Greene were on display for the home side – he kicked four goals, including two late majors, to help secure Saturday night’s 16.6 (102) to 9.12 (66) win.
But bad Toby got reported. Greene went into the umpire’s book for striking Nic Newman in the third quarter, but the star forward would be unlucky to miss next week’s clash against Hawthorn given the force of the blow to his opponent’s midriff.
Greene was mobbed by jubilant teammates after he sent his side into the first break with a 20-point lead in spectacular fashion. The star forward marked 55m out then went back to take a set shot as the siren sounded. He let loose a stunning torpedo punt from inside the centre square that split the middle and hit the boundary fence on the full.
Coleman Medal leader McKay was one of several Blues to start slowly. He didn’t register a stat in the first quarter, but took his season tally to 39 goals with his first kick.
However, it would be his side’s only major in a term where things went from bad to worse for the under-pressure Blues, with McKay’s bounce streaming into goal going out of bounds at right angles and an ill-disciplined 50m penalty given away by Cripps just a couple of examples.