BACK on the winner's list at home.

An impressive performance across the whole field gave the Blues their third win of the 2024 VFLW season.

IKON Park witnessed a late-quarter comeback by the Cats, but the third term is where the Blues set themselves up for success in their Round 7 clash.

Four VFLW debutantes took to the field for Carlton: Zoe Hargreaves (12 disposals and two tackles), Holly Ridewood (15 disposals, five marks and four tackles) and Hannah Scott (19 disposals and eight tackles).

Evie Lee also made her Carlton debut, after having moved across from next week's opponents in the Darebin Falcons at the beginning of the year.

Hargreaves, Ridewood and Scott currently play for the Northern Knights in the Coates Talent League, with Ridewood holding the captaincy, whilst Lee is a former Knight who captained the side last year alongside AFLW-listed Lulu Beatty.  

Right from winning the first clearance, the confidence was sky-high

in the Blues’ camp.

A fast start gave them the push they needed to get the ball rolling through a goal from Eliza Wood (21 disposals, four tackles and two marks) within the first three minutes. She went on to kick another goal in that third-quarter push to retake the lead in what was the beginning of Carlton’s momentum shift.

The overall defensive pressure was on another level in the first and third quarters, keeping the Cats to three behinds over those two periods.

Carlton dominated the inside 50s with +16 and tackles with +11. They continued to win their focus areas throughout the game, especially their forward-half dominance where they were able to capitalise and make an impact on the scoreboard.

Ruck Emily Hurley (30 hitouts and 13 disposals) utilised the length of her kick and slotted the eventual sealer four minutes into the fourth quarter. This was Carlton’s third goal in a row in a very back-and-forth game.

The Blues escaped out to a match-high 16-point lead until the Cats responded with some quick goals of their own.

The pressure in the midfield was too much for the Cats as the Blues played a clinical possession game in the last few minutes, locking the ball down.

All the hard work in the third quarter paid off as the home side came out three-point victors.

Match summary

CARLTON                   1.1     2.2      4.3       5.3 (33)

GEELONG                     0.2     2.4      2.5       4.6 (30)

GOALS
Wood (2), Bowey, Hurley, Khoury

BEST
Baldwin, Demeo, Khoury, Ridewood, Mooney, Wood