CARLTON has pulled off a dominant win against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

A seven-goal run in the third quarter pushed the Blues over the line to finish 31-point victors to begin their 2024 season.

The Blues were looking to start their season on a high note after just falling short last season, exiting the competition in the second semi-final. 

There was plenty of AFLW and VFLW talent on the field, with the Blues fielding nine current AFLW-listed players for the trip to GMHBA Stadium.

Notable amongst the inclusions was Maddy Guerin (17 disposals, six clearances and three marks) who made her return to the Navy Blue after missing the entire 2023 AFLW season -  her pure joy to be out on the field was tough to miss.

It was also an impressive display for young Blue, Lulu Beatty (18 disposals, six marks and three tackles) who also spent the entire 2023 season on the sideline. 

There were plenty of fresh faces in the side with Sophie McCarthy joining from North Melbourne AFLW, kicking two goals in her Carlton debut.

McCarthy kicked the first goal for the Blues making an impact straight away, but the Cats slowly fought their way back responding with a goal of their own.

A back-and-forth start illustrated how suffocating the defence was for both sides, but the Cats quickly pulled away to a nine-point lead.

Keeley Sherar (24 disposals, 14 handballs, five tackles and one goal) was an absolute workhorse, able to connect well with the forward line effortlessly.

The Blues brought what is quickly becoming a trademark intensity from the first bounce of the day, hunting the opposition with their tackling pressure and forcing repeat forward-50 entries over all four quarters. 

A momentum change was just the beginning in what was the game-solidifying run of seven goals.

After trailing by two points at the first break, three straight in the second quarter shook the home side as the Blues entered the half-time break up by 12 points. 

It wasn’t until halfway through the third term when Geelong entered their forward 50, leaving all but plenty of time for Carlton to keep possession and make use of their scoring opportunities.

Tackles (60) were important as ever which greeted several turnovers into Carlton’s favour. Keeley Sherar (7), Isla Baldwin (6) and Izzy Khoury (5) were at the charge of the pressure around the ground, with nearly every Blue registering at least one tackle for the game. 

The strong Carlton defence kept Geelong to just one goal in the second half with the ball barely entering Geelong’s half of the field in what was a nothing but a passionate performance by the players. The likes of Octavia Di Donato, Lulu Beatty and Steph Demeo controlled the state of play in the backline for the Blues. 

A fairytale ending gave Carlton four points at the end of the game as they now turn their attention to next week's game against North Melbourne on Good Friday. 

Match summary: 

GEELONG       2.3     3.4      4.4       4.4 (28)

CARLTON        2.1     5.4      9.4        9.5 (59)

GOALS

McCarthy 2, Tait 2, Austin, Sherar, Skepper, Robertson, Vickers

BEST

Sherar, Vickers, Beatty, Demeo, Guerin, Keck