THE Carlton Reserves were left to rue missed opportunities after they fell to Williamstown by 14 points on Saturday.
The Blues kicked six behinds to one goal straight in a wasteful second quarter after the Seagulls got the fast start in the opening term.
Despite an improved last quarter, Carlton - who were without Liam Stocker (concussion) in the second half) couldn’t redeem their three-goal effort to the last change and ultimately fell short.
Quarter one
It was a heavily wind-affected match in Williamstown, and the Seagulls were kicking with a strong breeze in the opening quarter. It was the hosts who had all the early ascendancy, winning 12 of the first 13 inside 50s and nine of the first 10 clearances of the match. They were winning the ball at the source and taking ground, opening up a 20-0 score line before the Blues had even landed a punch. That soon came though, with Zavier Maher claiming a loose ball inside 50 and snapping truly for the Blues’ first. A quick reply from Williamstown was answered with Carlton’s second major of the term: Dom Akuei roved his own marking contest at ground level and dished the handball back to Jack Martin who did the rest from the top of the goal square. Williamstown finished the quarter with another goal to push the margin out to 22 at the first change. The early stages of the match could’ve been worse if it wasn’t for Sam Durdin, who took three intercept marks to help repel the constant Williamstown attacks in the first term. Martin also started strongly, collecting eight disposals and two marks in addition to his first-quarter goal.
Quarter two
This was the term the Blues were left kicking themselves. Heading towards the scoring end, Carlton failed to kick a goal despite creating plenty of opportunities. The majority of the game was being played in one portion of the ground, with the swirling breeze pushing the ball towards the Blues’ left half-forward flank. Despite the large amount of time in their forward half and 17 inside 50s, Carlton couldn’t reduce the quarter-time lead and went into the sheds at the major break still trailing by 22 points. Before coming from the field through injury, Liam Stocker was a shining light for the Blues in the first half. Of his 11 disposals, 10 were kicks and he also took three marks in his time on the ground.
Quarter three
Williamstown was quick to kill the game off at the start of the second half. The opening three goals of the third term all went to the Seagulls as they sprung out to a 41-point buffer late in the quarter. It took some Mitch Moschetti magic to open up the game through the middle of the ground for the Blues to get a chance at scoring. He got the one-two and burst up the middle of Williamstown oval, sending the ball inside 50 where Paddy Dow found the football and managed to scrag a major. The Seagulls had the answers again, however, finishing the quarter with their 10th goal of the game and a match-high 42-point lead.
Quarter four
Ned Cahill bobbed up for the first goal of the last quarter: a regulation set shot from directly in front. Williamstown found the next one, but then it was the Blues who finished all over the Seagulls. David Handley got the Blues’ fifth of the day before a great contested mark from Brodie Kemp allowed him to snap a major. Moschetti brought the margin back to 20 points and when Cahill became the Blues’ first multiple goal scorer there was the thought that perhaps the game could be pinched. However, the siren sounded less than a minute later and Carlton had fallen short by 14 points. Lachie Fogarty improved as the game went on for the Blues, finishing with 30 disposals, eight tackles and seven clearances.
Three things we learned:
1. Brodie Kemp can do it at both ends: the third-year Blue collected 20 disposals and a season-high 10 marks, as well as slotting a goal after being sent forward in the last term. He was one of the Blues' best on a disappointing day.
2. The breeze played a significant role in the match, with 76 of the game’s 97 inside 50s going to the grandstand side of Williamstown Oval. It was an important coin toss to win for the Seagulls, who got the fast start kicking with the breeze in the opening term.
3. The loss means the Blues fall outside of the top four, but still hanging onto a place in the top eight with two games remaining. Carlton has a bye next week, followed by a trip to Casey Fields to take on the undefeated Demons before a final-round showdown with Collingwood at IKON Park.
CARLTON RESERVES 2.0 2.6 3.6 8.10 (58)
WILLIAMSTOWN 5.4 6.4 10.6 11.6 (72)
GOALS
Carlton Reserves: Cahill 2, Dow, Handley, Kemp, Maher, Martin, Moschetti
BEST
Carlton Reserves: Fogarty, Kemp, Leiu, Cahill, Durdin, North
Tarquin Oakley is a student at La Trobe University, undergoing his Bachelor of Media and Communications (Sports Journalism). He is currently undertaking an internship at the Carlton Football Club as part of its partnership with La Trobe University.
