Match

Geelong Cats vs Carlton

Commentary / 20 Jun 2020

Pre Game

00:00
Geelong and Carlton have met on 220 occasions at this level, with the Blues enjoying a 117-101 winning record between the sides (two matches have been drawn). In contrast, over the past 11 encounters the Cats have won ten of them by an average of 32 points.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:47
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Eddie Betts)
01:05
Carlton is off to the perfect start with a centre clearance to Ed Curnow resulting in a mark to Eddie Betts who converts. This helps reverse the trend of the Blues' slow starts, previously being outscored by a total of 73 points in the first ten minutes of games since the start of 2019 (ranked 17th).
07:14
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Harry McKay)
09:32
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Marc Murphy)
10:35
Carlton has made an impressive start to this game, with 12 more uncontested possessions than Geelong. The Blues have better controlled possession through 65 per cent effective kicking, in comparison to the Cats at just 47 per cent.
12:33
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Rushed)
14:43
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Levi Casboult)
16:06
Carlton's ball control and efficiency inside 50 is testing Geelong. The Blues have spent seven per cent more game time in possession than the Cats, scoring from five out of nine entries (56 per cent) inside forward 50.
18:30
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Michael Gibbons)
19:50
Cats Interchange - Luke Dahlhaus and is possibly out for the game.
19:52
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
21:13
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Mitch McGovern)
21:36
Carlton is off to a flyer as McGovern puts it 26 points in front. The Blues have generated 11 of the past 13 forward 50 entries.
23:29
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Joel Selwood)
23:57
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Joel Selwood)
25:47
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Eddie Betts)
26:36
Carlton's efficiency inside forward 50 has been a real feature of its first quarter performance. The Blues have scored from 53 per cent of its forward 50 entries, well above their season average of 38 per cent (ranked 12th).
27:30
Carlton takes a 25-point lead to the quarter time break, taking 21 more marks than Geelong for the quarter. This marking the Blues' biggest such lead at the first change against the Cats since 1986, and their largest at GMHBA Stadium since 1978.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:40
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Cameron Guthrie)
02:26
For the second successive term the quarter has started with a goal to the River end in the first minute of play, with Cam Guthrie dribbling it home for Geelong. Only 39 per cent of the Cats' kicks inside their forward half have been effective, compared to 72 per cent by the Blues.
03:32
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Mitch Duncan)
05:08
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Rhys Stanley)
05:43
Two of Geelong's three goals have come directly from free kicks due to Carlton infringements. In their first two matches this year, the Blues had only conceded two behinds in total as a result of free kick infringements.
07:17
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Rushed)
08:40
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Mitch McGovern)
09:08
Mitch McGovern has his second as the Blues kick their third goal from five marks inside forward 50. Carlton has now won three extra intercepts than Geelong, and has outscored its opposition by 11 points from scores generated from intercepts.
10:35
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Harry McKay)
11:31
With his fifth clearance and third from the centre bounce (both game-highs), Patrick Cripps have launched the Blues' second goal launched from centre clearances. Carlton had previously only scored seven points launched from centre bounces in its first two games this season.
14:19
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Harry McKay)
15:18
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gary Rohan)
17:29
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gary Rohan)
18:35
After 16 attempts, Geelong has finally been able to transition a possession chain from defensive 50 to forward 50 unbroken (six per cent), ending in a goal to Gary Rohan. The league average transition rate from defensive 50 to forward 50 is 17 per cent.
19:49
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Joel Selwood)
21:12
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Levi Casboult)
21:49
The Blues' kicking game continues to pay dividends, with their kick-handball ratio of 2.3 considerably higher than that of the Cats (1.2). As such, Carlton has taken 28 more marks than Geelong, with five taken by Levi Casboult.
22:31
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
24:44
Some of Geelong's key performers have had little impact in the first half. None of Patrick Dangerfield's six kicks have been effective, and Tom Hawkins is yet to take a mark or register a kick.
25:15
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Patrick Cripps)
27:19
The Blues took 55 marks to half time, 35 more than the Cats (20), which is by far the biggest discrepancy between two teams in any first half so far this season.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
01:30
Cats Interchange - Sam Menegola and is possibly out for the game.
02:13
A key factor in Carlton's lead has been its ability to capitalise on Geelong's midfield turnovers. The Blues have launched five goals from 21 intercepts in the midfield zone, while the Cats have managed just eight points launched from their 20 midfield zone intercepts.
04:40
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Jack Martin)
08:09
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Patrick Cripps)
08:18
Patrick Cripps now has two goals to add to his game-highs in disposals (17), contested possessions (11) clearances (eight) and centre clearances (five). He has now twice won five or more centre clearances in a first half this season, and is the only player to have managed the feat at all.
11:55
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gary Rohan)
13:02
Gary Rohan has been the one shining light in attack for Geelong. The forward has taken three of the Cats' four contested marks, with two of those taken inside 50 resulting in goals.
15:10
After no marks and no kicks to half time, Tom Hawkins now has two marks inside 50 this quarter. The Cats are playing a more direct style since half time, increasing their kick-handball ratio from 1.3 in the first half to 2.2 this quarter.
19:57
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Michael Gibbons)
20:19
Carlton's work to slice through Geelong on the counter attack has been a feature of its play this quarter. The Blues have won 11 midfield intercepts for the term, and on three occasions have found an uncontested mark inside 50 resulting in a goal.
23:09
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
23:34
The Blues' defensive prowess in the air has limited the impact of the Cats' tall forwards. Carlton has taken four additional intercept marks and applied eight more spoils than Geelong, with Liam Jones (10) and Jacob Weitering (four) leading the spoiling effort.
24:40
The siren has sounded to end Q3.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
02:08
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Harry Taylor)
05:17
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
07:43
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jed Bews)
10:20
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Jack Silvagni)
13:12
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
14:37
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gryan Miers)
14:47
It has been all Geelong this term, averaging 110 metres gained per turnover in comparison to Carlton's 67 metres for every turnover. For the Cats, Mitch Duncan (seven disposals and 105 metres gained) and Zac Tuohy (six disposals and 153 metres gained) have been effective.
17:17
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
20:05
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Mitch Duncan)
21:55
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gary Ablett)
24:11
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tom Atkins)
24:28
Geelong has enjoyed 90 per cent time in forward half in the past 12 minutes, with the last ten successive forward 50 entries. In that time the Cats have won four more clearances, had 21 more disposals and committed three fewer turnovers than the Blues.
27:28
The siren has sounded to end Q4.