ANOTHER nail-biter.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Carlton has drawn for the second week in a row, clawing back an 18-point deficit to finish level with Fremantle in Perth.
The Blues took the lead at the eight-minute mark of the final term, regained it with three minutes to play but were then forced to settle for the two points after a late Dockers behind.
A host of first goalkickers contributed to Carlton’s comeback, with Phoebe McWilliams opening her account for the Game Changers before Imogen Milford and Annie Lee registered their opening majors in the AFLW competition in the second half.
Mua Laloifi was a dominant figure from the first bounce, with her presence in the back half halting Fremantle from running away early, intercepting the opposition's forward entries and gaining valuable territory in wet conditions early.
The first half of the game was all the Dockers, with midfielders Kiara Bowers and Hayley Miller providing Carlton with headaches from the get go.
Abbie McKay and Breann Moody did their best in a slugfest through the middle, with Moody dominating the hitouts for the entire game (31 hitouts), and McKay finishing with 29 disposals and 10 clearances (both career bests) as well as eight tackles.
Making the Blues' fightback more difficult was the loss of McWilliams (foot) and Amelia Velardo (concussion) to injury, but some positional changes from Daniel Harford and his coaching staff changed the flow of the game.
In the absence of Maddy Guerin, the experienced Elise O'Dea spent more time in the middle alongside captain Kerryn Peterson, while the switch of both Lee and Lucy McEvoy to the forward line late in the match proving to be decisive.
From late in the third term, the ball lived in Carlton’s forward 50, which ultimately saw the visitors snatch the lead halfway through the final term. The Blues began to get more territory, ending the game with more inside 50s than the Dockers and giving their forwards greater opportunity in front of goal.
Repeat entries and efforts from the likes of McKay, Keeley Skepper and Keeley Sherar saw the ball pinging back into the 50, with O’Dea flying the flag physically for her younger teammates.
Doing her NAB AFLW Rising Star nomination chances no harm, Skeeper was incredibly important in transition, providing a link from the forward line by pushing up the arcs, while Mimi Hill (11 third-quarter disposals) was instrumental in her team's comeback.
Final-quarter goals from the ruck duo of Jess Good and Moody looked to put Carlton in the position of its first win in the west, but a missed set shot from a free kick in the last minute meant it ended in a scoreboard stalemate for the Blues for a second straight week.
FREMANTLE 2.0 4.0 4.1 5.2 (32)
CARLTON 0.0 1.0 2.0 5.2 (32)
GOALS
Carlton: Good, Lee, McWilliams, Milford, Moody
BESTS
Carlton: Laloifi, Moody, McKay, Hill, Skepper, Peterson
