CARLTON has been pipped at the post, falling by two points to Adelaide at Marvel Stadium.

In front of 46,283 fans under the roof, the Blues wrestled for momentum in a topsy-turvy game, but looked to be headed for a fifth straight victory after opening up a game-high 16-point lead.

However, three consecutive goals to an incredibly accurate Crows saw the Blues fall by two points in the 14.14 (98) to 16.4 (100) defeat.

Defenders Adam Saad (subbed out in the second quarter) and Mitch McGovern ended the game on the bench due to injury, while milestone men Sam Walsh (34 disposals, 13 tackles) and Blake Acres (24 disposals, one goal) fought tooth and nail in the narrow defeat.

Quarter one

It was an end-to-end opening under the roof at Marvel Stadium, with Carlton gaining the early ascendancy in the clearance stakes but unable to quell Adelaide’s ability to slingshot down the corridor. In what emerged as a high-scoring, accurate first term, Harry McKay was brilliant as a focal point in attack, hauling in four contested marks for the quarter while also kicking the Blues’ first two goals of the game. The Blues struggled to stop the Crows in transition, with familiar nemeses Ben Keays and Taylor Walker - who kicked three goals on each of the last two games between these sides - recording multiple first-quarter goals. In his return (and his 100th game), Sam Walsh was busy with seven first-quarter disposals, while Jacob Weitering similarly had his hands full down back. As a fired-up Crows took the game to the Blues, some crucial defensive efforts from Jordan Boyd, Brodie Kemp and Adam Saad brought the team to life, finishing with a flurry to end the quarter seven points ahead.

Quarter two

There was a pattern emerging at Marvel Stadium, with Adelaide looking to pick through Carlton while the Blues tried to bash and crash their way through the Crows. It was the visitors who made the fast start to the second term, kicking three of the first four goals to wrestle the lead back from the Blues. Carlton’s job in holding up Adelaide’s offensive weapons was made more difficult with a hamstring injury to Adam Saad forcing him from the contest, subbed out of the game for midfielder Jack Carroll. Both teams made the most of their opportunities in front of goal, but some costly errors in transition denied the Blues the chance to make a further impact on the scoreboard. Curnow’s second goal and a sharp finish from Corey Durdin once again put the Blues in front in a see-sawing contest, as Zac Williams’ trademark dash returned with 10 second-quarter disposals. Moved to half-back following Saad’s injury, Matthew Kennedy was busy with eight disposals and three intercepts for the term, while the milestone man Walsh had 13 disposals to take his first-half tally to 20. 

Quarter three

Continuing the trend of the first half, it was Adelaide which got the game on its terms to begin the quarter, hitting the front with a pair of early goals. While the Crows upheld their accuracy in front of goal, the Blues had some chances go begging in front of the big sticks in the third term. After converting at 80 per cent in front of goal in the first half, the Blues could only muster three goals from 10 scoring shots in the third, with a Matt Owies chance ruled touch via an umpire’s call and McKay hitting the post from long range at critical times. Continuing his exceptional start to season 2024, George Hewett led the way for the Blues around the stoppages, accumulating seven disposals (four contested), while Boyd continued to enhance his reliability in the back half, registering five disposals at 100 per cent efficiency. After 21 tackles in the second term, Carlton struggled to make its tackles stick in the third term, registering just nine for the term — one of those was to Elijah Hollands, whose crucial holding-the-ball free kick saw him kick his second goal in the Navy Blue.

Quarter four

The Blues needed to come out firing in the final term, and on the back of their leaders, that’s exactly what they did. After he had an early goal denied, Patrick Cripps stepped up with a mark and goal, with the Blues’ pressure game rising to a level that the Crows find it impossible to escape. When 150-gamer Blake Acres and Curnow bobbed up in quick succession, Carlton all of a sudden had a game-high 16-point lead. But, as had been so often the trend in a game with 15 lead changes, Adelaide came again, kicking three consecutive goals of their own to hit the front with just a minute remaining. As they did last week, the Blues pressed hard to try and find a last-minute winning goal, but the Crows held firm, with the Blues losing their first game of the 2024 campaign and ending their run of close-run wins in the process.

CARLTON      5.1     8.2     11.9       14.14 (98)
ADELAIDE     4.0     7.2     12.3       16.4 (100)

GOALS

Carlton: Curnow 4, McKay 2, Acres, Cottrell, Cripps, Durdin, Fantasia, E.Hollands, Owies, Pittonet