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CARLTON did not bring their A-game to Docklands on Saturday, but did enough to almost lock down fifth spot in seeing off Melbourne in what was an entertaining, if not always hotly contested, match.
Seven goals to Brendan Fevola highlighted the 57-point victory, with small forward Jeff Garlett and gun midfielder Bryce Gibbs also terrific as the Blues geared up for September with a 24.9 (153) to 15.6 (96) win.
But Richard Hadley looks to be lost for Carlton's finals push after he fractured his left arm in the second quarter.
Ball players from both teams were off the leash thanks to a lack of tagging that promoted a free-flowing game. The result was end-to-end football that saw the forwards at both ends profit.
After a fairly even first term, the Blues got out to a five-goal break in the second and then kept slowly widening the gap for the remainder of the match to seal the points.
With the top four now out of reach, the win puts Carlton in provisional fifth place – a spot it will play off against Adelaide for next week.
Fevola, who also kicked seven last time these teams met, had one in each of the first two terms, but booted four in the third and then another in the last to give him 81 for the year.
Garlett lit it up for the Blues –not only did he kick four goals, but he was smart and creative with and without the ball in just his ninth game of AFL football.
Gibbs was on fire, racking up 24 in the first half before finishing with 34, Marc Murphy had it 37 times and Andrew Carrazzo 35, while Chris Judd an off first half – mixing brilliance with some skill errors – before finishing with 33.
Demon Mark Jamar, a late inclusion for Nathan Jones, celebrated his inclusion with a career-best haul of five goals.
In his penultimate game for the Dees, Russell Robertson did his best to attract suitors with a lively five-goal performance.
Neville Jetta gave the Melbourne faithful plenty of hope for next season, showing plenty of class in his two-goal, 24-disposal game, while James McDonald and Aaron Davey were also useful.
Melbourne began with a tall forward line with Robertson, Jamar, Paul Johnson and Jake Spencer sitting in or rotating through the forward 50, and it worked quite well with the Demons starting the opening term the better.
The Blues responded late in the opening quarter to take a 13-point lead into the first break, and again kicked six goals to four in the second term to establish a comfortable buffer.
The third term was when Fevola came to life, adding four goals himself and setting up another for Eddie Betts with a clever third-man-up tap from a boundary throw-in.
Only the margin and Fevola's final tally were of interest in the last quarter. The Coleman Medal fancy added another early in the term before what little air that was left in the contest was completely let out.
Next week, Carlton play Adelaide at Docklands on Saturday in a game that could decide home ground advantage in the first week of the finals for either team, while Melbourne finishes its season against St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday.
DETAILS:
Carlton 6.3 12.5 18.9 24.9 (153)
Melbourne 4.2 8.3 12.4 15.6 (96)
GOALS
Carlton: Fevola 7, Garlett 4, Simpson 3, Houlihan 2, Scotland 2, Betts, Carrazzo, Gibbs, Kreuzer, Murphy, O’hAilpin
Melbourne: Jamar 5, Robertson 5, Jetta 2, Johnson, Jurrah, Moloney
BEST
Carlton: Gibbs, Murphy, Fevola, Judd, Garlett, Carrazzo, Houlihan
Melbourne: McDonald, Jamar, Sylvia, Jetta, Bate, Davey, Robertson
INJURIES
Carlton: Armfield (ankle) replaced in selected side by Anderson, Hadley (suspected broken arm)
Melbourne: Jones (illness) replaced in selected side by Jamar, Petterd (adductor), Whelan (hamstring)
Reports:
Nil
Umpires: Farmer, James, Pannell
Official crowd: 37,433 at Docklands
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
