A SIX-GOAL second half from Gold Coast has seen Carlton fall by 27 points at Metricon Stadium.

Despite starting the night the better side, a strong final two quarters from the Suns saw the hosts come away with a 6.6 (42) to 2.3 (15) win.

It was a night of firsts in front of goal from a Carlton perspective, with Poppy Schaap and Mua Laloifi registering their first goals in football. However, despite a solid opening two terms, it wasn’t to be for the Game Changers on a wet night up north.

The backbone of Carlton’s first half was its defensive solidity, led by the outstanding Lucy McEvoy: this allowed the Blues to dominate the early possession and territory, despite not earning full reward on the scoreboard.

It was a returning Blue who registered her first career goal that broke the goal drought at Metricon Stadium. Following a contested one-on-one win by Breann Moody, Schaap popped up to kick her first goal in Navy Blue in her second senior game.

Alongside McEvoy, Jess Good was a presence behind the ball in the first half, embracing a new role occupying a key defensive post to thwart a number of Gold Coast forward forays as the host went goalless in the opening two quarters.

It was a game of differing styles on a slippery night at Metricon Stadium following a pre-match shower, with the Suns holding the upper hand in contested possessions (+19) at half time while the Blues dominated the ball on the outside in that period (+20 uncontested possessions, +16 marks).

A Kalinda Howarth goal in the opening seconds of the third term saw the Suns hit the scoreboard, and a further quick-fire double all of a sudden had the Blues on the back foot and negotiating a game-high 13-point deficit at the final change.

While the Blues brought the heat with 59 tackles for the game, the Suns’ ferocity at the contest was the difference in the second half, as a Tara Bohanna goal put the result beyond doubt.

A heart-warming highlight from a Carlton perspective came inside the final five minutes, with club favourite Laloifi registering her first senior goal in her 34th game.

McEvoy produced another solid showing behind the ball, ending the night with a game-high 10 intercepts, while Keeley Skepper continued a promising first campaign in Navy Blue with 11 disposals as a high half forward.

GOLD COAST          0.0     0.3     3.4     6.6 (42)
CARLTON                0.1     1.3     1.3     2.3 (15)

GOALS
Carlton: Laloifi, Schaap

BESTS
Carlton: McEvoy, Hill, Skepper, Good