CARLTON have gone down fighting to the Sydney Swans in front of a packed Marvel Stadium in round three. 

Despite their resilience shown by the Blues, the Swans were ultimately made the most of their opportunities in front of goal to head home with their first win of the season. 

Sam Walsh once again showed true class, finishing with a team high 28 disposals and a goal, while Liam Jones was outstanding in defence, limiting Lance Franklin's impact on the game.  

The Breakdown

Q1 Breakdown:

It was a see-sawing affair in the first term with eight lead changes. Carlton led the Swans in clearances 11-8 in the opening term, booting most of their five goals from centre clearances. Sam Walsh was everywhere with eight disposals and two clearances in the opening term, but the highlight came when he kicked his first ever AFL goal half way through the quarter. The Swans got the upper had late with a goal from Will Hayward and took a three-point lead into the second quarter.

Q2 Breakdown:

Sydney came out with all the momentum to start the second quarter, able to lock the ball in their forward half. The Blues defenders did well to stand up under constant attack, with the Swans entering their forward fifty 31 times to Carlton’s 24. The Swans pulled away to enter the main break with an 18-point lead. The highlight came from Mitch McGovern who miraculously kicked the ball over his head to lock in a certain goal of the year contender.

Q3 Breakdown:

The Blues came out with a noticeable increase in their intensity following the main break. However, the Swans continued to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, building on their half-time lead. Liam Jones began to get the best of the contest against Franklin, forcing the star forward into uncharacteristic errors throughout the term. Late goals to Ed Curnow and Harry McKay put the game within reach for the Blues heading into the final term.

Q4 Breakdown:

Carlton started the final term on the backfoot after Mitch McGovern was removed from the game as a precautionary measure to manage a slight hamstring complaint. The ball was locked in the Blues forward line for the majority of the term, as they tempered Sydney's ability to move the ball freely. Ed Curnow's fourth goal of the day brought the Blues to within 16-points halfway through the final quarter. However, a fourth goal to Sydney's Isaac Heeney was ultimately enough for the Swans to head home with the four points. 

Moment of the match:

There were plenty of spectacular goals to choose from, but none were better than Sam Walsh’s first career goal. It was clearly a big moment for the 18-year old, who looked to enjoy every moment of the celebration with his teammates.

Three things we learned:

  1. Harry McKay will continue to cause problems for the opposition defenders. The tall forward took six contested marks and moved well up the ground to provide a target for his teammates.
  2. Ed Curnow looks to be settling into his new role up forward. Curnow hit the scoreboard for four majors, including a contender for goal of the year.
  3. Liam Jones' competitiveness and willingness to fight until the very end is important to everyone around him. Jones played on Franklin for a total of 109 minutes, and was able to keep him goalless in the second half. 

Up next:

Carlton hit the road to take on the Gold Coast Suns next Sunday afternoon.

CARLTON     5.4     6.5      8.9     10.14     (74)
SYDNEY       6.1     9.5     11.9     14.9     (93)

GOALS
Carlton: E.Curnow 4, Cripps, Murphy, Walsh, McGovern, McKay, Fisher
Sydney: Heeney 4, Franklin 2, Hayward 2, Papley 2, Parker, Blakey, Kennedy, Sinclair

BEST
Carlton: Cripps, E.Curnow, Walsh, Jones

INJURIES
Carlton: McGovern (hamstring)
Sydney: Hayward (broken jaw), McVeigh (quad)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Mollison, Power

Official crowd: 39,290 at Marvel Stadium