A FAMOUS win in the west.

Carlton has stormed home with an upset victory over Fremantle, downing the Dockers by four points at Optus Stadium on Sunday night.

Without skipper Patrick Cripps and losing Charlie Curnow early in the first, the young Blues roared and rose to the occasion to steal a memorable win.

Q1 Breakdown:

It was the Dockers with the ascendency through the centre to kick things off, with Nat Fyfe proving Carlton’s main headache. The Blues started to show some speed an intensity controlling contest, but opportunities in front of goal were missed while the Dockers piled on five unanswered goals. The Blues lost a key soldier midway through the term, with Charlie Curnow leaving the ground clutching his knee.

Q2 Breakdown:

Carlton rallied with a makeshift forward line in the second term, with Mitch McGovern spending an extended period off the ground. The Blues’ luck began to turn after Michael Gibbons got Carlton its major first of the day. From then on, the quarter was played in the Blues forward half, winning their fair share of contested ball and recording the first 17 inside 50s of the quarter. At the other end, Carlton’s defence were impermeable, not allowing the Dockers a single inside 50 until midway through the term. Goals to Sam Petrevski-Seton, Paddy Dow and Mitch McGovern got the Blues back within striking distance: the margin at the main break sitting at 10 points.

Q3 Breakdown:

Back in familiar territory this week, Levi Casboult recorded Carlton’s first goal of the third term, before a clutch snap from Matthew Kennedy gave the Blues the lead for the first time. Sam Petrevski-Seton continued to impress, executing a monster tackle as the Blues asserted themselves around the contest. The Dockers were able to quell the Blues’ momentum in the second half of the quarter with two goals in quick succession from Cam McCarthy saw the hosts lead again at the final change.

Q4 Breakdown:

There was plenty of fight from both sides at the opening of the final term. Missed opportunities from Carlton could’ve proved costly, but it was the set shot from Jack Silvagni that got the Blues within striking distance of an upset in enemy territory. It was destined to be an arm-wrestle to the final siren, with the Dockers getting a quick reply off Darcy Tucker. With five minutes to go, Kennedy joined veterans Kade Simpson and Dale Thomas in kicking crucial goals at the death. However, in the end, there was always going to be one hero. In a best-on-ground performance, Marc Murphy showed his class to kick the winning goal in a famous Carlton win.

Moment of the match:

Marc Murphy sealed the deal for the Blues in the west, kicking a last-minute goal to get the Blues the four points. The veteran plugged away at the contest all day, integral in the Blues’ midfield despite the absence of Patrick Cripps. When it came down to the dying stages of the game and it looked as though the Dockers had it all but sewn up, it seemed only fitting the ‘Blue for life’ would have the defining moment.

Three things from the game:

1. The Blues’ young midfield brigade needed to come together in the absence of Patrick Cripps, and they certainly rose to the occasion. Sam Petrevski-Seton and Sam Walsh were huge in the fightback efforts, with 23 and 30 disposals respectively.

2. If you thought the Carlton defence was strong before, it just got a whole lot stronger with the return of Liam Jones. The backline unit of Jacob Weitering, Caleb Marchbank and Jones was at its best in the second term, not conceding a single inside 50 to the Dockers until midway through the quarter.

3. It was some kind of game in Ed Curnow’s first as skipper. Stepping up with Cripps and Sam Docherty out injured, Curnow proved vital in supporting his younger teammates in the middle. With an incredible 16 clearances to go with his 32 disposals, the smile couldn’t be wiped off the face of the winning captain come the final siren.

Match Summary:

FREMANTLE     5.2     6.3     8.8     11.9     (75)
CARLTON            0.3     4.5     6.8     11.13     (79)

GOALS
Fremantle: McCarthy 4, Walters 2, Matera, Fyfe, Cox, Tucker, Switkowski
Carlton: Kennedy 2, Gibbons, Petrevski-Seton, Dow, McGovern, Casboult, Silvagni, Simpson, Thomas, Murphy

BEST

Carlton: Murphy, Curnow, Walsh, Plowman, Kreuzer, Thomas

INJURIES

Carlton: C.Curnow (knee)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Margetts, O'Gorman, Brown

Official crowd: 37,293 at Optus Stadium