Forget Cripps, Curnow and Walsh - the unsung Blues heroes driving Carlton's premiership push
The Blues have truly stood up and are a genuine flag threat in 2024 and they have their younger brigade of troops to thank for it.
The Carlton Blues have defeated the Gold Coast Suns by 35 points at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, notching up their second win of the season.
Gold Coast could not back up their brilliant win against Sydney last weekend, they scored three goals in the opening term but it took them an hour to score another.
Carlton weathered the early Gold Coast storm and from there became the dominant side up at Metricon.
Skills were poor in the greasy conditions, but the effort and pressure from the Blues in the third term, allowed them to kick away with a seven goal to one quarter.
The usual suspects for Carlton – Patrick Cripps (38 disposals, one goal, 11 tackles) and Marc Murphy (36 disposals, one goal, eight clearances) – were prolific, but it was the involvement of their young players that resulted in the win.
Ten goal scorers contributed for the Blues, with Paddy Dow and Darcy Lang the only multiple goal scorers (two goals each).
Jarrod Witts was solid in the ruck for Gold Coast with 60 hit-outs, Jarryd Lyons (29 disposals, 11 clearances) found plenty of the ball in the middle and Steven May (17 disposals) went forward in the second half, scoring a goal in the final term.
David Swallow hit his head hard on the turf in a tackle by Patrick Cripps in the first quarter, he stayed off the ground with concussion for the remainder of the game.
Jacob Weitering is the only injury concern for the Blues: he bravely collided with Steven May in a marking contest and hobbled off with a knee injury. He gave the thumbs up to medical staff following assessment and returned to the ground to shake hands, not as serious as first feared.
Next up for the Suns is a game on the big stage – the MCG – against Melbourne, and Carlton host GWS at Etihad Stadium, both games are on Sunday afternoon.
Final Score
Gold Coast 5.14 (44)
Carlton 12.7 (79)
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The Blues have truly stood up and are a genuine flag threat in 2024 and they have their younger brigade of troops to thank for it.
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