CARLTON’S VFLW side has put in a dominant display to defeat the Darebin Falcons on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon at Bill Lawry Oval – 4.10.34 to 1.3.9.
The conditions threatened to make it a sloppy contest, but the Blues showed a clean set of heels to gradually work over the Falcons at their home nest.
Contrasting to its last match against Casey where it conceded three goals in the first five minutes, Carlton looked sharp from the get-go.
In her fourth match of the VFLW season, Georgia Gee led the way for the Blues throughout the first term, controlling the stoppages with numerous clearances and tackles.
Celine Moody and Brooke Walker also stamped their authority on the match with some bone-crunching tackles, while Darcy Vescio looked dangerous out of the goal-square.
For all the Blues’ good efforts in locking the ball in their forward 50, they failed to capitalise on their opportunities, kicking five behinds to Darebin’s solitary point in the first quarter.
The second quarter was much of the same, with Carlton struggling to find the big sticks. Frustratingly for the Blues, the Falcons kicked the first goal of the game through Stephanie Simpson, squaring the ledger on the half-time siren – 0.8.8 to 1.2.8.
A tight tussle ensued in the 10 minutes following the main break, with the slippery conditions seeping into play.
The congested battle was snapped by possibly the most unlikely player in Carlton’s Alison Downie. The ruck stood tall, winning a free kick after a crunching tackle and kicking a bullet-like pass to Vescio, who marked strongly and kicked truly for the Blues’ first goal.
It signalled the beginning of a dominant second half for Carlton, as it went on to kick another three unanswered goals through Gee, Moody and Bailey Schultz.
Though there were many standout players, the performance was a complete team effort across the board.
Carlton VFLW coach Shannon McFerran was delighted with the team’s work around the stoppages.
“The pressure around the stoppages was really impressive,” McFerran said.
“The way we moved the footy was clean and our work around the ground was fantastic.”
The loss is the Falcons' first at Bill Lawry Oval this season and is a massive turn-around from the two teams’ last clash, when Darebin ran out a 49-point winner.
McFerran noted that Carlton’s display was much improved.
“It was a much better performance compared to the last time we came down here and played Darebin,” the Blues coach said.
Carlton’s final match is against Essendon at Windy Hill on Saturday 25 August, beginning at 3:00pm.
