A RUTHLESS Carlton spoiled the Gold Coast's debut match in the AFL with a 119-point win at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The game was effectively over at quarter time after the Blues opened up a 50-point lead courtesy of a nine-goals-to-one term.

Despite a more competitive final three quarters from the Suns, the Blues kept their foot on the throat all night and won 26.15 (171) to 7.10 (52).

They had winners all over the park, with captain Chris Judd enjoying his 200th game with 29 possessions and kicking two goals.

He had plenty of mates, with Marc Murphy (36) prolific in the middle and Bryce Gibbs (36) and Chris Yarran (24) running riot across half-back.

The Suns started nervously and Carlton coach Brett Ratten’s ploy of exploiting his opposition's small backline worked a treat.

Ratten loaded up his forward half with tall timber Brett Thornton (four goals), Jarrad Waite (two), Robert Warnock (two) and Shaun Hampson.

Rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt had a difficult debut, starting in defence alongside Thornton and spending time on Warnock (20cm taller), Hampson (15cm taller) and the lightning Jeff Garlett at various stages.

Garlett crumbed beautifully and slotted five goals, while Andrew Walker also bagged five.

Suns coach Guy McKenna dropped two spare men back for a majority of the night but it made little difference as the Blues got the ball from the centre first and consistently had more players around the contest.

Without a pre-season match under his belt Suns captain Gary Ablett struggled under the tag of Andrew Carrazzo who restricted him to 23 touches, most of which came after half-time.

Daniel Harris (29 possessions) and Michael Rischitelli (30) worked hard all night, while Brandon Matera, Charlie Dixon and Harley Bennell were the best of the youngsters.

Impressive forward Dixon grabbed a slice of history mid way through the first quarter when he slotted the Suns' first ever goal.

Influential players
In his new role across half-back, Yarran was a shining light for the Blues. The lightning-quick right-footer chalked up 24 possessions and rebounded the ball with speed and great foot skills. If he can nail down the spot, he adds another dimension to Carlton's attack.

Just as he did many times for the Brisbane Lions last year, Rischitelli toiled hard in a losing cause. While the Suns were being badly beaten in the middle, Rischitelli found the ball 30 times and along with Daniel Harris was head and shoulders above his teammates.

What it means
Carlton came to the Gabba expecting to win, but the ruthless nature of their performance will have fans delighted. Defeating Richmond and Gold Coast in the opening fortnight is not going to scare the league, but they will enter next week's match against Collingwood full of confidence.

Gold Coast got a healthy dose of reality in their debut match. The youngsters were nervous early but showed glimpse of potential as the match wore on. Coach, captain, players and supporters will demand more in coming weeks though.

The next four
Carlton: Collingwood (h); Essendon (a); Adelaide (h); Sydney Swans (a)
Gold Coast: Western Bulldogs (a); Melbourne (h); Port Adelaide (a); Essendon (a)

Dream Team highlight
Carlton: Marc Murphy topped the match tally with 144 points. He was drawn to the ball like a magnet for the entire four quarters and with Judd continually grabbing the opposition's best tagger, you'd expect Murphy to keep racking up the points.

Gold Coast: Harris was thrown a lifeline by the Suns and he made the most of it first up, scoring 96 points. After 149 games for the Kangaroos, the hard-nut midfielder was picked up by Gold Coast and looks a good value pick in the midfield.

What the coaches said
Brett Ratten: I was really pleased with the way we started. I think with the build-up, it is great for our club to be a part of history. They (Gold Coast) have a lot of young kids and a lot of talent; they will be a lot better than that. Guy has a great group and they will bounce back, they will win games of football, there is no doubt about it.

Guy McKenna: You'd have to say in the club's journey it was always going to be a tough ask but it was a step you had to take. I probably expected better, but you've got to weigh that up. Even the leaders themselves, the mature players got swarmed as well, largely due to Carlton's pressure. It’s different playing in the NAB Cup to round two that's for sure.

Key match-ups
Ablett v Judd. While these two rarely went head-to-head, having arguably the game's two best players on the same field was a mouth-watering proposition. It was a battle Judd won hands down. The reigning Brownlow Medallist had 29 touches and kicked two goals, while Ablett struggled to shake the shadow of Carrazzo. Judd summed up his dominance in the third quarter when he tackled a retreating Ablett to force a throw-in next to the behind post. From the ensuing throw-in, Judd roved the pack and snapped a goal.

The crowd
No doubt the AFL and Suns would be delighted with the crowd of 27,914. Other than Charlie Dixon's first goal for the club midway through the opening quarter, unfortunately they didn't have much to cheer for. However the turn-out was more than 4000 more than the Brisbane Lions drew to its season opener last week and it was also a figure that would sell out the soon-to-be-completed Gold Coast Stadium. With plenty of Suns guernseys and scarves dotting the grandstands, all in all, a great first up response.

Carlton     9.5 15.7 21.10  26.15 (171)
 Gold Coast     1.1  3.5  6.8  7.10 (52)

GOALS
Carlton: Garlett 5, Walker 5, Thornton 4, Judd 2, Warnock 2, Betts 2, Waite 2, Curnow, Murphy, Robinson, Simpson
Gold Coast: Dixon 2, Harris, Bennell, Fraser, Matera, Stanley

BEST
Carlton: Judd, Murphy, Yarran, Carrazzo, Gibbs, Thornton
Gold Coast: Rischitelli, Harris, Matera, Dixon, Bennell

INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Shaun Hampson replaced by Dennis Armfield in the fourth quarter.
Gold Coast: Nathan Krakouer replaced by Josh Toy at the start of third quarter.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: McBurney, Nicholls, Kamolins

Official crowd: 27, 914 at the Gabba

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs