Match

Melbourne vs Carlton

Commentary / 02 Jun 2023

Pre Game

00:00
Tonight is only the second time that Carlton and Melbourne have met on a Friday night. The previous occasion was in Round 10, 2011 when the Blues won by 47 points. Carlton has won five of its last eight Friday games after losing the previous 14, while Melbourne has lost its last four Friday night games.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:54
Melbourne is the No.1 ranked team in the opening ten minutes of games in 2023. The Demons have only trailed twice after the first ten minutes this season.
01:22
The first score of the game to the Demons was sourced from a forward half intercept. Melbourne averages the second-most such intercepts and 34.2 points per game from this source (ranked fourth).
04:24
The opening goal of the game to Christian Petracca and Melbourne was sourced from a chain that started in the defensive midfield. The Demons have scored from 18.7 percent of such chains this season (ranked No.1).
08:38
The first goal of the night for the Blues has come from a forward 50 stoppage. Melbourne has conceded more of these goals this season than any other team.
12:14
Carlton has an early 7-1 lead in forward half tackles including 4-0 in the forward 50. This pressure has contributed to the Blues having six of the last seven inside 50 entries of the game.
12:38
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Rushed)
14:28
Melbourne has recorded a kicking efficiency of only 43 percent to start this game, with the pressure of Carlton a factor in this. The Demons are ranked in the top-4 for kicking efficiency differential this season.
16:01
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Alex Neal-Bullen)
16:14
An opportunistic crumb and goal from Alex Neal-Bullen gives the Demons their second goal of the night from a stoppage in the defensive midfield. Melbourne has an early lead in loose ball gets including 4-2 in crumbs.
18:54
Melbourne has won the last seven clearances of the game. The Demons are ranked only 14th at winning clearances this season.
19:57
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Sam Docherty)
22:40
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Kade Chandler)
23:08
Carlton has an early 5-1 lead in forward half intercepts, but both teams have scored one point each from this source. The Blues have taken just one forward 50 mark from their first 11 entries.
26:50
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Kysaiah Pickett)
27:05
All three goals for the Demons now have come from chains started in the defensive midfield. Melbourne averages a competition-high 22.1 points per game from these chains.
28:18
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Kysaiah Pickett)
29:45
Carlton is the No.1 ranked team this season for winning contested possessions, but in the opening quarter Melbourne won clearances 13-9 and post-clearance contested possessions 24-16, including crumbs 10-2.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:50
Patrick Cripps won the first possession at five stoppages in the opening quarter but was only able to convert one of these into a clearance and was not involved in any scores for the Blues.
03:07
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Trent Rivers)
03:12
Christian Petracca has been prominent for the Demons tonight winning a game-high five ground balls, three clearances, and his four score involvements include one assist and one goal.
04:33
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Kade Chandler)
04:42
Melbourne has now kicked 1.4 from set shots tonight. The Demons have recorded a shot at goal accuracy of 55.7 percent this season (ranked No.1).
06:39
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Jack Silvagni)
07:33
Melbourne now leads 6-1 in forward 50 marks displaying a better connection between its forwards and midfielders. However, inaccurate set shots at goal have prevented this from being converted into a significant lead.
07:49
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
09:07
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Charlie Spargo)
09:48
The Demons have generated the last nine forward half intercepts in this game, with the last of these leading to the goal to Charlie Spargo. This was the first goal of the night for either team from this source.
11:15
Lachie Hunter has averaged 4.9 score involvements per game this season but has already been involved in five scores tonight with his ability to be a link in offensive chains important.
12:49
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Jesse Motlop)
13:54
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Harry McKay)
14:14
Harry McKay has kicked 2.0 from his set shots at goal tonight, while all the other players on the ground have kicked a combined 2.7 from set shots.
18:23
The Demons are the No.1 ranked team in the time-on period of quarters this season. In the first quarter, Melbourne outscored Carlton 8-0 during this period.
19:24
Melbourne currently leads 20-2 in points scored from defensive half chains with Carlton finding it difficult to move the ball fluently against the Demon defence.
21:25
Jake Lever averages 9.2 intercept possessions across six career games against Carlton, which is his third-most against any opponent. Lever has won a game-high six intercepts tonight.
22:41
Since Round 9, the Blues have recorded a shot at goal accuracy of only 32.3 percent, which is ranked last and well below the AFL average of 47.2 percent. Tonight Carlton has kicked two goals from seven shots at goal (including misses).
23:20
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Jacob van Rooyen)
23:44
A third goal tonight for the Demons that was launched with a clearance in the defensive midfield. The AFL average is just 4.1 points per game from such chains.
26:56
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Harry McKay)
28:19
The last time that Carlton scored less than 17 points in the first half of a game against Melbourne was in Round 3, 1964 when restricted to just 1.3.9.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:32
Carlton averages a competition-high 8.4 marks on the lead per game this season but did not record any such marks in the first half tonight. An early mark on the lead to Harry McKay has given the Blues an early goal this quarter.
01:22
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Harry McKay)
01:42
The goal to Harry McKay was the first of the night for either team to come from a centre bounce clearance. Carlton averages 9.7 points per game from this source in 2023.
03:52
Since Round 8, the Demons have lost only 16.4 percent of the one-on-ones they have defended, which is ranked second defensively. Melbourne has lost two but won four of the nine such contests tonight.
04:07
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Max Gawn)
06:01
Paddy Dow has entered the field for his first game of 2023 after starting as the substitute. The last game Dow played was in Round 22 last season against Melbourne when he was an unused substitute.
07:09
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
08:14
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Ed Langdon)
08:32
Charlie Curnow is yet to be involved in a score tonight for the Blues. Only Christian Petracca has been involved in more scores this season than Curnow who averages 8.4 score involvements per game.
10:27
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Harry McKay)
12:04
The Demons have conceded a score from only 5.9 percent of opposition defensive 50 chains this season (ranked No.1). Carlton has scored just one point tonight from 27 such chains.
13:56
Melbourne averages 34 points per game from 26 forward half intercepts. Tonight the Demons have generated 27 such intercepts but scored only nine points from these opportunities.
14:42
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Jake Bowey)
16:30
The Demons now lead forward 50 marks 11-4 with Bayley Fritsch taking four of these marks. Melbourne also leads 40-21 in forward 50 disposals with an inside 50 count of 11-3 this quarter providing many scoring chances.
17:55
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Charlie Spargo)
21:18
Jake Bowey leaves the field with a game-high eight intercept possessions (including three intercept marks), two of which have launched scores for the Demons.
21:55
Demons Interchange - Jake Bowey off due to an injury.
23:10
The goal to Blake Acres was the first of the night for the Blues to be launched from the defensive half and only their second goal from a turnover. Melbourne has conceded only 38.8 points per game from intercept possessions this season (ranked No.1).
24:55
SCORE GOAL - Blues (Charlie Curnow)
25:23
A second centre bounce goal this quarter for the Blues gives them a return of 3.1 this quarter from just six inside 50 entries while Melbourne has scored a wasteful 1.5 from 13 forward 50 entries.
26:27
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Bayley Fritsch)
26:58
Melbourne now leads 39-9 in points scored from defensive half chains following the last goal to Bayley Fritsch and continues to look dangerous on counter attack.
30:30
The Demons have generated a season-high 32 forward half intercepts tonight but scored an equal season-low ten points from this source with the Carlton backs regularly having to defend repeat inside 50 entries.
31:51
Melbourne again had the better of post-clearance contested possessions (26-16) in the third quarter and dominated forward 50 disposals (21-3), but with some inaccuracy was outscored 17-19 during this period.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:10
Melbourne has outscored its opponents by a total of 154 points in the final term this season (ranked No.1) and has only been outscored in this period once (Round 10 against Port Adelaide).
01:36
The Blues have conceded a total of only 56 points from opposition forward 50 stoppages this season, which is the fewest in the competition. Carlton has defended nine such stoppages tonight and conceded just one point to Melbourne from this source.
04:49
Carlton has now scored two goals from forward 50 stoppages which continues to be a problem for Melbourne. The Demons have now conceded 25 goals from this source in 2023, which is six more than any other team.
07:29
Jacob Weitering grabbed an equal career-high seven intercept marks last week against Sydney and has backed that up with another four such marks tonight and a team-high eight intercept possessions.
08:54
Melbourne leads 24-13 in shots at goal tonight (including misses), but has a return of just 3.9 for shots more than 30 metres from goal with another three shots failing to score.
11:54
Melbourne now has a massive 40-13 lead in forward half intercepts but leads only 10-8 in points scored from this source. This is the most such intercepts any team has generated in a game this season.
12:25
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Max Gawn)
12:49
While the Demons have struggled to convert forward half intercepts into scores, they have scored 4.1.25 from ten clearances in the defensive midfield. The Blues have scored only one point from six such clearances.
13:56
SCORE BEHIND - Blues (Rushed)
15:18
Christian Petracca has won a career-high nine intercept possessions tonight and has also recorded game-highs for both contested possessions (15) and pressure acts (23).
17:53
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Kade Chandler)
18:29
Patrick Cripps is averaging just four score involvements in his last four matches, which is half his average in the first seven rounds. Cripps has so far been involved in four scores again tonight for the Blues.
19:36
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Max Gawn)
20:05
Melbourne has scored a wasteful 5.10 from its set shots at goal tonight while Carlton has a return of 5.5 from its such shots at goal.
23:29
Since quarter time, Melbourne leads the tackle count 42-26 with Carlton only able to record tackle efficiency of 54 percent during this period compared to 72 percent for the Demons.
25:17
Melbourne finished with 29 more contested possessions than the team ranked No.1 in this measure, dominated forward half intercepts (40-16), and recorded double the forward 50 disposals (58-29).