CARLTON’s winning streak has come to an end at the hands of the reigning premier at Marvel Stadium.

The Blues fell 24 points short to a composed Eagles outfit despite a strong start to the Round 20 clash.

A second-half fadeout proved costly for Carlton, with West Coast executing a clinical win over the young side.

Q1 Breakdown:

It took five minutes for the Blues to notch their first major of the day, with defender Nic Newman drifting forward and stepping up early in the match. The Eagles led the inside 50s early, but that offensive pressure evened right up as Carlton showed it was not to be intimidated by the reigning premiers. West Coast won the contest in the middle initially, with Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli the beneficiaries for the first two Eagles goals. It took the experience of Marc Murphy to steady the Blues, with the contested ball evening up from there. A carbon-copy goal from Nic Newman saw the Blues hit the front, before Sam Walsh showed his class with an outstanding solo goal.

Q2 Breakdown:

The Blues brought their momentum with them into the second term, locking the ball in their offensive 50 early. Carlton had opportunities in front of goal, but wayward kicking saw a stalemate between these two sides until eight minutes into the quarter. Carlton’s inaccuracy proved costly, with West Coast taking its opportunities with a goal through Darling. The major sparked the reigning premier into life, kicking three unanswered goals in quick succession to bolt away from Carlton. The Blues replied with a goal through Michael Gibbons, but it was West Coast with the 20-point lead at half time. 

Q3 Breakdown:

The Eagles continued their ascendency in the third term with two early goals from Jake Waterman and Liam Ryan. Carlton continued to chase West Coast in inside 50 numbers, but a wastefulness going forward proved costly. Gibbons slotted two goals from close range midway through the term to spark the Blues, but the Eagles held them at an arm’s length. While Carlton continued to win the clearances, West Coast controlled the play while costly turnovers from Carlton helping the visitors along. For all their efforts, the Blues couldn’t turn the tide in their favour, trailing by 37 points heading into the final term. 

Q4 Breakdown:

The Blues came out firing in the last term, throwing everything into offence in attempting narrow the margin. Wayward kicking once again proved costly, with their first two score launches amounting to behinds. As was the theme of the day, West Coast made the most of its opportunities when the ball ventured into its forward 50: at one stage, the Eagles had kicked 13.2 since the opening change. A late goal from Harry McKay was reward for a promising performance, while Newman’s personal-best fourth goal saw the Eagles finishing 24 points the better side. 

Moment of the match:

Sam Walsh proved the hero early for the Blues, with his nifty goal in the first term the pick of the bunch. Winning the loose ball on the edge of 50, Walsh gathered, spun around Jarrod Cameron and launch from 50 with the best goal so far of his burgeoning career. With another 31 disposals for the match, it was the highlights from another brilliant performance. 

Three things from the game: 

1. Nic Newman has hit his stride in Navy Blue. The ex-Swan finished with another consistent performance, adding goalkicking to his repertoire despite being stationed across half-back. He combined his four long-range goals with six rebound 50s and 24 disposals to finish among Carlton’s best. 

2. With Mitch McGovern and Charlie Curnow sidelined, there is a lot riding on the shoulders of key forward Harry McKay - but he rose to fill the void. The big man clunked a career-best 11 marks for his efforts up forward, while his late goal was a sign of his undeniable talent.

3. Sam Walsh cannot be stopped. At just 20 games into his senior career, he is already proving to be more than a headache for the best opposition sides. His 31-disposal performance against the Eagles once again showed him as more than deserving of the No.1 selection all those months ago. 

Match Summary:

CARLTON        4.1       6.3       8.6       11.9 (75)
WEST COAST   2.5       9.5       14.7     15.9 (99)

GOALS
Carlton: Newman 4, Gibbons 3, Murphy, Walsh, McKay, Lang
West Coast: Ryan 4, Darling 2, Shuey 2, Waterman 2, Rioli, Cameron, Allen, Petruccelle, Kennedy

BEST
Carlton: Walsh, Newman, Weitering, Mckay, Simpson, Gibbons, Murphy

INJURIES
Carlton: Thomas (illness) replaced in selected side by Schumacher

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Hay, Dore

Official crowd: 32,802 at Marvel Stadium