CARLTON has made in two wins in a row recording a scrappy victory over the GWS Giants in Round 3. 

The Blues had plenty of opportunities to blow the game open throughout the day, with inaccuracy in front of goal allowing the Giants to stay in the game for much of afternoon. 

Charlie Curnow's second goal pinned against the boundary late in the final quarter would ultimately give the Blues the win and hand them their second win for the 2023 Toyota AFL Season. 

Captain Patrick Cripps inspired with a career-best 42 disposals, while Nic Newman played his role on the dangerous Toby Greene - restricting the Giants captain to just five disposals and one goal in a superb defensive display. 

Quarter one:

It was as free-flowing as football gets in the opening term, with both the Giants and Blues going goal-for-goal over the course of the first quarter. It was Carlton’s small forwards who did the damage on the scoreboard in an otherwise wasteful first term for the visitors: Corey Durdin opened proceedings, Jack Silvagni converted truly and Matthew Owies kicked two from the goal square. The Blues struggled to deal with the Giants’ offensive transition, despite the best efforts of captain Patrick Cripps (13 disposals) at the contest. Blake Acres and Ollie Hollands got up and back on their respective wings, but only unable to convert from four of their 10 scoring shots for the term, the Blues trailed by three points at the first change.

Quarter two:

The Blues were forced to make an early change, with Owies - after his bright start - subbed out of the game for Lochie O’Brien in the opening minutes of quarter two. Despite Jake Riccardi opening the scoring, it was a more assured defensive showing from the Blues, with scoring drying up at both ends. The recipient of a 50-metre penalty, Sam Docherty converted truly from long range in a similar manner to the team’s last trip to Giants Stadium. It proved to be the catalyst for the Blues, whose renewed sense of vigour and physicality paid dividends in the second half of the term. Adam Saad and Mitch McGovern were aggressive against their direct opponents, Adam Cerra accumulated 10 second-quarter disposals while Jesse Motlop laid a crunching tackle against Stephen Coniglio before converting the set shot. The moment of the half was saved for the final minute, where Ed Curnow found brother Charlie — the Coleman Medallist did what he does best from 55, giving the Blues a two-goal half-time buffer.

Quarter three:

A busy opening to the term saw Cripps motor to 30 disposals for the game, after 25 to the main break. Cerra was stationed largely across half-back in the third term, providing a cool head behind the ball as well as setting the Blues up with his offence. The first 10 minutes largely lived in Carlton’s forward half, but in a similar vein to the opening two quarter, the visiting team was unable to put the score on the board in a meaningful way — the Blues could only muster five behinds in the opening 18 minutes. Save for a Riccardi goal late in the quarter, the Blues were able to quell the majority of the damage, still holding a seven-point lead into the last break.

Quarter four:

After holding the Giants at bay for the second half, the Blues found themselves behind inside the opening 12 minutes after back-to-back goals from Toby Greene and Brent Daniels. Losing their shape forward of the footy, Carlton was in desperate need of a response after what had been a goalless second half for the Blues up until that point. That was left to Motlop, who enjoyed another great personal night at Giants Stadium after last year’s debut. Carlton’s backline stood up under heavy pressure, not least Nic Newman, who was one of Carlton’s very best opposed to Giants captain Greene. Lewis Young had some big moments on centre wing as the Giants looked to press, with his intercept leading to a mark, snap and goal from the tightest of angles via the boot of Charlie Curnow.

Three things we learned:

1. When the Blues need a lift, you can always rely on the captain. This might not so much be a new learning, however, it was definitely a reminder of how important Cripps is to the Blues' midfield mix. The captain lifted at several stages throughout the game, proving to be too much for the Giants' midfielders at times. The midfield bull registered career-best figures of 42 disposals, 20 contested possession and 13 clearances in an inspiring display. 
2. Defenders don't often get the credit they deserve. Today is not that day. Nic Newman played a starring role in a scrappy affair at Giants Stadium. Given the tough job of playing on one of the most dangerous players in the league in Toby Greene, the smart defender held his own, effectively shutting the Giants' captain out of the game. Newman managed to restrict the usually lively Greene to just five disposals and one goal. 
3. Carlton's small forwards add much-needed depth to the Blues' forward mix. The combination of Jesse Motlop, Corey Durdin and Matt Owies add energy, poise and pressure while also hitting the scoreboard when required. The trio combined for five goals, 17 score involvements and eight tackles. While the injury to Owies will hurt the group's dynamics, it does open the door for someone else to join the mix. 

SUMMARY

GWS GIANTS      5.3     6.5      7.9         9.10 (64)
CARLTON           4.6     7.11     7.16       9.20 (74)

GOALS

Carlton: Owies 2, C.Curnow 2, Motlop 2, Docherty, Durdin, Silvagni

BEST

Carlton: Cripps, Newman, Docherty, Cerra, Acres, Motlop, McGovern