THE Carlton Reserves redeemed themselves against Collingwood, turning a one-point loss in Round 3 to a resounding 83-point triumph at IKON Park.
After a tight first half, the Blues took home their third win of the season with an emphatic third quarter, prevailing 20.13 (133) to 7.8 (50).
Jaxon Binns (47 disposals, three goals) dominated the possession count, while Cooper Lord (23 disposals, seven tackles, two goals) was strong once again. Playing his 50th game for the VFL Blues, Ned Cahill also produced three goals, as did Zavier Maher.
Quarter one:
It was a quick start from Collingwood, scoring the first goal of the game following a Carlton turnover, but the Blues showed a great appetite to fight back. Playing across half-back, Heath Ramshaw pushed forward to get the first goal for the Blues, while good work on the last line from Dom Akuei led to Alex Mirkov scoring the next. Against former Carlton Reserves captain Ben Crocker, Brodie Kemp started strongly, with an intercept mark ending in Luke Nelson kicking his first of the game. With quarter time approaching, good movement from the Blues saw Harry Lemmey convert the last goal of the quarter, with the Blues taking an 18-point lead into half time.
Quarter two:
At the start of the second quarter, Collingwood came out with determination to regain the lead after a great first quarter from the Blues. Despite conceding the first two goals of the quarter, the Blues were once again able to respond, with good work from Kemp and Lewis Young ensuring the Blues could get the ball going their way. A goal to Ashton Moir from the pocket extended the Blues’ lead, while Zavier Maher and Jaxon Binns soon followed with clever goals to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Marc Pittonet was putting his stamp on the game in the middle of the ground, while Rob Monahan had some strong moments in the contest, as the Blues maintained a 19-point lead at the main break.
Quarter three:
While the second quarter was a tale of two halves, the third term belonged to Carlton. The Blues came out firing in the third quarter at IKON Park, extending the gap on the scoreboard in quick fashion. The milestone man Ned Cahill kicked two goals in two minutes, followed by Cooper Lord snapping truly from the pocket not long after. Binns won a one-on-one contest in the forward pocket before slotting his second, while first use of the middle ended in another through Hudson O’Keeffe. The Blues’ defence stood tall when called upon, while selfless play saw both Binns and Cahill secure their third goals - all of Cahill’s came in the same quarter - as Carlton piled on 8.7 to just two behinds in a commanding display. Cahill’s goal on the three-quarter-time siren extended the Blues lead from 19 to 72 points at the final change.
Quarter four:
Starting the last quarter, the Blues continued to push Collingwood and keep busy in their forward 50. Good work from Ramshaw ended in Maher kicking his third, before Moir and Lord both became multiple goalkickers with their second goals. The Blues had kept complete possession of the ball in their forward 50, as Mirkov topped it off with another goal to extend the lead to a game-high 91 points. Although Collingwood continued to fight, the damage was well and truly done as Carlton recorded its biggest win and score of the season - despite leading goalkicker Liam McMahon missing through suspension - in an 83-point victory.
COLLINGWOOD VFL 1.2 5.4 5.6 7.8 (50)
CARLTON RESERVES 4.2 8.5 16.12 20.13 (133)
GOALS
Carlton: Binns 3, Cahill 3, Maher 3, Lord 2, Mirkov 2, Moir 2, Nelson 2, Lemmey, O’Keeffe, Ramshaw
BEST
Carlton: Binns, Maher, Hayes, Ramshaw, Nelson, Cahill
Photo credit: Tiani Photography
