On a warm Saturday afternoon, Carlton were unable to find their stride as they fell to a tough Darebin outfit.

The loss is the Blues’ third in a row, making the next run of games crucial if they want to stay in finals contention.

Quarter one

The Falcons got off to a strong start, with the side locking it inside their forward half to begin with, resulting in the first goal of the game. The Blues were quick to respond however, after Charlotte Hammans kicked across her body with accuracy. The rest of the quarter saw a stalemate between the teams, both struggling to get the upper hand.  A shining light throughout was Jorja Borg, who competed hard in the ruck, while also being the Blues’ leading possession getter.

Quarter two 

Darebin took control of the match in the second quarter as they enjoyed the bulk of possession and forward 50 entries. They were unable to make it count for the most part, kicking only one goal, before Stephanie Lawrence scored her first Carlton goal on a fast break. The goal proved to be against the run of play though, and the Falcons began to pile on the pressure. Carlton almost held out until the half-time break, however a towering mark in the goal square and the resulting goal meant that the Falcons went into the break with all the momentum.

Quarter three 

The third term started with a bang for the Blues, with Lily Goss kicking truly from 30 metres out on the run to put the home side within two points. It would remain this way for the majority of the quarter as the game stalled, the players potentially being impacted by the hot sun. Ashlee Thorneycroft was in command for Carlton, racking up a team high 16 possessions and an almost ridiculous 12 tackles by the time the quarter finished.

Quarter four 

The last quarter contained much of the same football as the previous one. Only three behinds were scored in a contested affair with plenty of stoppages throughout. However, with Carlton becoming increasingly desperate as the minutes wound down, Darebin managed their first breakthrough of the half in the final seconds of the game, putting the match beyond reach for the Blues.

Match Summary

Carlton    1.0.6   2.2.14   3.2.20   3.4.22

Darebin   1.2.8   3.3.21   3.5.23   4.6.30

Best: Thorneycroft, Goss, Borg, Moore.

Goals: Goss, Hammans, Lawrence.

Stafford says:

“A disappointing day today, there were some glimpses of good play, but to Darebin’s credit they were better and they were better for longer.”