AFLW Round 7 Review | Carlton v Fremantle
Written by Helena Petrou
An entertaining battle between Carlton and Fremantle has ended in heartbreak for the Blues as a consequence of a late fourth quarter surge from the Dockers. Fremantle walked away from the game with a 41-45 win over the Blues crushing their finals hopes. Arguably Carlton’s best performance of the season despite the loss saw them dictate play for long periods of the game and come out firing in the first quarter. Stellar performances from Nicola Stevens, Bre Moody and Kerryn Harrington weren’t able to secure the win for Carlton who entered the 4th quarter with a 10-point lead. Carlton now have the highest score against Fremantle for the season, who now sit 1st on the ladder.
First Quarter:
Clean, quick and efficient play by Carlton saw them dominate the entire first quarter kicking 22 points to Fremantle’s one behind. Thanks to Brea Moody’s supremacy in the ruck, Carlton’s midfield were able to control centre clearances to give them the best chance to attack. It was Carlton’s best start to a game for the year with some of their finest football on display. Nicola Stevens kick started Carlton’s scoring for the day following a strong mark one on one in the goal square, which Darcy Vescio soon followed up by threading through a banana from the pocket. A classic pack mark and ripping goal from 40 out courtesy of Tayla Harris extended Carltons lead to 21 points at the closing of the first quarter. The Baggers also played well defensively in the first quarter, quick to rebound any rare forward entry from the dockers, as well as keeping Fremantle gun Kiara Bowers to only 4 disposals. Carlton’s 4 behinds scored in the first term would ultimately come back to haunt them at the final siren. Opportunities arose in the form of Prespakis who wasn’t able to convert her set shot, Gee also unlucky to hit the post.
Second Quarter:
A response from Fremantle in the second quarter was expected, and then delivered. Carlton conceded two quick goals to reduce their lead to 7 points at the half. Carlton failed to record a major in the second term, in the long run detrimental to the game’s overall result. It wasn’t the first time Carlton have remained goalless for entire quarters this season, notoriously known for their slow starts to games. The second quarter shun the spotlight on Carlton’s defenders, particularly Kerryn Harrington. ‘Kez’ collected 10 disposals while keeping Gemma Houghton to just one touch for the opening half. A battle in the midfield saw Fremantle win the quarter’s contested possession tally by 8, after trailing by 18 in the first quarter. Both teams played with physicality and hunger making it an entertaining quarter to watch, but Carlton’s inability to push forward and hit the scoreboard ultimately cost them the game.
Third Quarter:
The third quarter saw some classy goals kicked by Carlton in what had shaped into a real battle. Carlton’s attacking pressure saw them play most of the game in their forward half with the Dockers also having moments forward. Great defensive efforts from the Blues saw Fremantle kick 1 goal and 4 behinds for the term stopping them from gaining a large scoreboard advantage. Carlton did well to sway Fremantle’s momentum, giving them opportunities to attack. Highlights of the quarter included Nicola Stevens laying an important tackle to start a Carlton counterattack which resulted in a goal to Serena Gibbs which elated the home crowd. Georgia Gee wowed the crowd with a clean pickup and snap ending in a goal, a classic to add to her highlight reel.
Fourth Quarter:
The pressure and intensity in the fourth was resemblant of an elimination final, especially for Carlton who needed the win to stay in the finals race. Heading into the final term with an 11-point lead Carlton looked to be on the brink of victory after Vescio set up Stevens for her second goal of the game, extending the margin out to 16 points. The two forward veterans have worked exceptionally well together this season, both have been focal points in attack. Neither Carlton nor Fremantle were lowering the intensity, both sides playing with desperation to win. Despite having led the entire match, Carlton fell victim to a late surge from Fremantle who kicked 3 goals in the last 6 minutes to obtain an epic come-from-behind win. Sabreena Duffy was the star of the moment for Fremantle, kicking a goal from 50m and a dribbler from the goal square to put Freo within 2 points. Gemma Houghton gave Fremantle the lead with four minutes to go after converting her set shot after being kept quiet all afternoon, leaving Carlton and their fans heartbroken at the final siren.
Did you catch:
Jess Hosking wowed the crowd in the first quarter with some elite pattern running, leaving behind 4 Fremantle defenders, 2 crashing into each other. Hosking ended the game with Carlton’s highest tackle count with a total of 6.
Key Players:
Kerryn Harrington (#9):
Harrington backed up her B.O.G performance from round 6 this week with 22 touches and over 480m gained off the half back flank. She set the tone for the game by playing with ferocity from the first bounce. Harrington was the anchor in Carlton’s backline and brought explosive run and carry out of stoppages in the defensive half. She executed the difficult task of taming Fremantle’s star forward Gemma Houghton who kicked 5 majors last week. She kept Houghton to one disposal in the first half and 6 in the second half, while only conceding one goal in the final minutes of the game.
Brea Moody (#16):
It can be argued that Carlton ruck woman Brea Moody has been Carlton’s most consistent player this season, and she performed yet again this week. Moody dominated in the ruck for most of the first half to give Carlton’s midfielders the best chance to attack. Moody collected 19 touches and 22 hit outs, while the entire Fremantle team collected just 17 hit outs.
In summary a very exciting game despite the disappointing result for Carlton. Daniel Harford was quoted after the match saying, “we didn't do too much wrong, but they [Fremantle] did a lot right in the end,” accurately describing how the afternoon played out for Carlton. The Blues now turn their attention to their Friday night game against the winless Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium, where they will look to keep a healthy percentage in the hope it can get them over the line to make finals.
