After winning comfortably against West Coast and North Melbourne, opposition fans were looking towards the Cats to deflate the balloon that had begun to grow at Ikon Park. Come on, you can admit it – there was a genuine belief that the Blues had been gifted a hand by the AFL to get back on their feet by being fed two of the worst teams in the game, back-to-back.
You could read about it on social media, hear it on the radio, and if you are a member of our own Mongrel Punt Facebook group, our esteemed leader may have even posted about it during the week.
However, the Blues gave the AFL community some sad faces, as it was Carlton that ran away with the win after an impressive second and third quarter performance that saw the Blues assume control of the game, and allowed them to hold off the Cats.
For their part, the Cats certainly looked like they would run over the top of Carlton at the start of the fourth quarter, kicking three quick goals to cut the margin from 28 points down to just ten points, as Blues fans had flashbacks to their first month of the season.
Instead, Carlton rallied back with goals to Harry McKay, who returned from a concussion lay-off, and George Hewett, who has been Carlton’s best player this season, sparking them to hold on for an 18-point win.
Big Forwards are back
Last week, without the second of their twin towers, Carlton relied heavily on their smaller forwards to do the damage against North Melbourne. This time, the Blues had both of their Coleman Medallists wreaking havoc for them, as they kicked three goals each, while Jeremy Cameron was having an outing for the Cats, kicking four goals.
Notably absent from this list was Patrick Dangerfield, who has been an excellent addition to Geelong’s forward line. Carlton effectively deployed their new/old/new defensive star, Jack Silvagni, onto Dangerfield and held him to just one goal and 13 possessions.
The duel made for an interesting one as both teams have excellent tall defenders who are usually able to nullify the effects of their opponent’s key forwards.
The takeaway is the same one that has been prevalent since the start of 2023 – if Charlie and Harry both get off the hook, the opposition is in big trouble. They combined for 33 disposals, 19 marks (eight contested, which is massive), and six goals, as they did what forwards have struggled to do against the Cats’ stingy defence.
Batman, Robin, and Superman
Carlton fans have traditionally referred to the pairing of Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh as the team’s Batman and Robin, with Cripps filling the role of the caped crusader, and the younger Walsh playing his sidekick. The two have lifted Carlton in games countless times, but so far this season, they have found a new friend in George Hewett.
Hewett has had an excellent start to the season after being previously outshone by other high-profile recruits, Blake Acres and Adam Cerra, in previous seasons. Hewett is averaging 30 possessions over the first two months of the season and has kicked five goals, going at a disposal efficiency rating of 73 percent. These are elite numbers that Hewett is putting up.
Against the Cats, Hewett had 29 possessions at 86 percent, and his goal in the final quarter helped ice the game for Carlton.
How did Batman and Robin go against the Cats? Cripps had 29 possessions at 72 percent but managed just two behinds, while Sam Walsh was the top possession winner, with 30 and went at 80 percent; a far cry from the first month of the season when Carlton’s stars were butchering the ball left, right, and centre.
As it stands, Hewett would be in line for All-Australian consideration before either of Walsh or Cripps, which I am guessing nobody had on their 2025 bingo cards, but it is funny how a workmanlike midfielder like Hewett, who brings the same effort week in, and week-out, often goes unnoticed until some of those around him fall away. He has been mighty.
Carlton is good down back
Everyone knew exactly how good Carlton’s forwards were, with McKay and Curnow dominating the Coleman Medal between 2021 and 2023. However, the club always seemed to leak goals down back, and while they could score big numbers, they also tended to concede high scores as well.
Even in the first month of the season, when they didn’t win a single game, Carlton’s defence made sure that they didn’t concede a ton of scores. A big part of this has undoubtedly been the two newest additions to the line.
One of these new additions, Jack Silvagni, has followed in his father’s famous footsteps and established himself as an elite defender. Silvagni held Patrick Dangerfield to just one goal for the entire game – yes, that’s right, just one goal. Silvagni also took multiple intercept marks and was vital to Carlton’s team defence, and has been a wonderful partner for Jacob Weitering.
I’m not sure we all saw this coming. Jack is a swingman, and can fill a variety of roles, but he is no longer a kid, and now has the physical stature to lock horns with powerful forwards and not be pushed around. Further, he is now more careful with the footy when he collects it, playing within himself, and not forcing the issue. A heart-and-soul player at the club, his impact cannot be measured by numbers alone, but when you can, it is always nice to give Silvagni a very well-deserved nod.
The second addition has been Nick Haynes, who crossed over to Carlton in the off-season from the Giants. Haynes started the season with shockers against Richmond and Hawthorn, with many Carlton fans wishing to ship the veteran defender back to the Giants for a refund. Now, many of those same Carlton fans are eating humble pie, as Haynes has grown into his role and looks much more secure down back. Haynes took 13 marks, most of them coming from intercept possessions, and is really starting to look like the player the Blues were hoping he’d be.
Bailey Smith needs helpers
When the Cats did fight their way back into the match, the man at the front and centre of the action was their recruit, Bailey Smith. He was on the receiving end of much booing from Carlton fans, but that didn’t stop the star Cat from gathering 29 possessions and kicking a goal during the game.
However, Smith was one of only four Cats who got above 20 possessions. Geelong’s next-best possession getter for the game was Shaun Mannagh, who had 26 possessions for the game. This resulted in the Cats losing the possession battle to Carlton by almost 70 across the game, and despite this, the Blues still managed to lock on three more tackles.
Zac Williams injured again
Zac Williams is becoming a player we talk about having a career of what could have been if not for an array of injuries. He has missed significant chunks of games due to injuries each season since 2019, when he was still at the Giants.
Williams hurt his calf early in the game after taking a mark in the first quarter and was subbed out of the game. Williams’ replacement, Carlton substitute Cooper Lord, didn’t set the world on fire with his extended opportunity, but he still saw more of the ball than small forward Jesse Motlop, who has also suffered his fair share of injuries.
Given how well Williams and Carlton’s small forward brigade have been with him up and healthy, Blues fans will be crossing their fingers that the injury is not too serious and that we will be able to see him out on the ground again soon.
Duncan is waiting in the wings
Cat’s veteran Mitch Duncan is only four games off from reaching game 300, an impressive milestone for the old fella. Cats’ coach Chris Scott has said that Duncan still needs to earn his place, something that he hasn’t been able to do so far this season across Geelong’s seven games.
Duncan last pulled on the hoops for Geelong in the Preliminary Final against the Brisbane Lions, where he started as the sub and only got brought onto the ground in the fourth quarter as the Cats went down to the Lions by 10 points.
The veteran midfielder was held out of the Geelong VFL side that went down to Carlton’s VFL side by four points, and was named as one of three emergencies for the game alongside Ted Clohesy and George Stevens
Perhaps a recall to the team to add some more balance and poise with the footy in-hand isn’t far off?
Tom de Koning has another big game
After a quieter game in Carlton’s thrashing of North Melbourne, Tom de Koning was back in peak form against his brother’s side yet again. Seemingly reminiscing back to the last time he lined up against his brother, TdK covered the ground very well yet again against the Cats.
De Koning managed to win 20 possessions alongside his 39 taps for the game, many of which were to the advantage of his midfield teammates. He also managed to hit the score with only a single goal, but was also involved in eight scoring build-ups during the game.
It’s numbers like these that will continue to attract interest from rival clubs and will make Carlton even more desperate to secure his services going forward.
Make no mistake, this was a statement win for the Blues. It was the Carlton Football Club emerging from a period of doubt and making the footy world sit up and take notice. Geelong at the ‘G are a formidable force, and after knocking over the easybeats of the competition, the Blues got what they needed, by taking down a contender.
Confidence has been restored to the group, and in a league that is built on runs, the Blues’ three-game win-streak is a foundation they’ll need to build on next week, as they tackle the Crows on the road.
As for the Cats, they have a date with the Magpies. The hits just keep on coming!
