Carlton’s next generation shows plenty as Blues beat St Kilda in JLT clash at Ikon Park
CARLTON young gun Paddy Dow shrugged off a broken tooth to shine as both the Blues and St Kilda showed off their next batch of stars. The Blues won the night and while both teams had reason to smile, the Saints were “rusty”.
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CARLTON’S batch of bright young draft stars last night lodged Round 1 auditions amid the gloom of a dark and windy Ikon Park.
The Blues’ No.3 draft pick Paddy Dow lost half a front tooth in a second-quarter collision, yet seems a lock for the season opener after two classy goals.
Carlton jumped St Kilda early with a five goal first quarter and held them off in a 22-point win.
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Blues fans couldn’t help noticing the eye-catching performance of last year’s No.3 draft pick Dow.
The explosive inside midfielder kicked a pair of goals, one in the goalsquare early and a second on three quarter time to push the lead to 20 points.
Assistant coach David Teague believed post-match the young gun had lost both teeth but Blues staffers later confirmed he had snapped only one of them in half.
Regardless of the dental work, Teague was amazed he had played on without missing a beat.
“When you have a first-round pick put his head over the ball tonight, it means the players have a lot of faith and trust in him,’’ he said.
“I don’t know the details but what I do know is he puts his head over the ball. His contest work and his burst was very exciting.”
Dow admitted post-match his mouth guard had been in his sock.
“I was over on the boundary, I wasn’t looking and (Shane) Savage hip-and-shouldered me in the mouth.”
Zac Fisher and Harry McKay both showed promise for the Blues, while Matthew Kennedy put in a strong showing first-up after crossing from GWS.
New recruit Jarrod Garlett badly jarred his left shoulder in a tackle on Jack Steven but the Blues were last night confident he had not badly damaged the joint.
Harry McKay, a former No.10 pick took a huge pack mark over Levi Casboult and Nathan Brown and then later sealed the deal with a left-foot set shot.
The cameos were enough for Carlton fans to believe they all have a bright future.
Meanwhile the Saints, who held their nerve and picked up two more gun kids at the draft rather than snare an established star at the trade table, also saw a glimpse of their future.
Last night, there was plenty to like about the two youngsters Hunter Clark (Pick No. 7) and Nick Coffield (No. 8) they landed.
Clark booted two goals forward, converting with a clever snap on the left in the first term and then a clutch set shot in the third. He has a hard edge, Clark.
Coffield has some speed and despite a nervous moment early on when he kicked a low pass out on the full on the wing, he looked up to the task across half back. Expect both to press for senior selection in the early part of the season.
“I thought Hunter and ‘Coff’ looked really composed and tough when they needed to be tough,” coach Alan Richardson said.
“I think we won hard ball gets by 12 and both those guys were pretty positive in that space.
“For young men they came in and looked pretty comfortable. At times they looked more comfortable than some of our more experienced players.
“So we think they’ve got some real potential and real talent and they did themselves no disservice tonight.”
Richardson wants his side to sharpen up for its final preseason match against Melbourne next week after a “rusty’ first-up loss.
The Saints have their eyes on a return to finals this year but the coach said there was plenty to work on for the scrappy Saints after a poor first half cost them.
Richardson said the Saints’ inability to cope with the Carlton pressure and disappointing ball use in the windy conditions was “frustrating”.
“We were pretty rusty, there was no doubt about our execution — and full credit to the Blues obviously — but we took a long time to adjust to the conditions,” Richardson said.
“They guys kept thinking they could kick the ball 50m or 60m against the breeze and the forwards thinking it was going to come over the back.
“We had some pretty good looks which we weren’t able to convert.
“So that was frustrating and disappointing. It was the quality of their ball that was the difference in the game, they were able to — from congestion — make a really good play and our stuff was pretty scrappy.
“Obviously a fair bit of work and room to move there.”
Richardson was encouraged by Paddy McCartin’s presence forward of the ball as he bagged two goals but badly missed a set shot from 45m. He also shook off a head knock from the second term, startling the full-forward who has a history of concussion issues.
Richardson said the goal kicker moved well but dropped a couple of grabs he would normally swallow.
“He is a really good mark Paddy and he dropped a couple of marks which he would normally take,” he said.
“But he still ended up having a pretty positive impact, so it was a bit of a mixed bag but I thought we (as a team) really failed to adjust to the conditions.”
NO GIBBS, ANY WORRIES?
When you have a 195cm midfield monster, why wouldn’t you play at him full forward at times?
Bryce Gibbs’ absence will clearly hurt the Blues, but from the first bounce Patrick Cripps pushed deep with Matthew Kennedy starting in the centre square.
Former GWS hard nut Kennedy looked at home throwing his weight around, with fan favourite Zac Fisher adding zip and polish around the clinches.
Then Cripps twice got hold of undersized Saints defenders to mark and goal in the first quarter before moving into the midfield as the Blues kicked into the wind.
Brendon Bolton at least has options now — throw Cripps deep, or isolate Charlie Curnow, or load up with Levi Casboult and Harry McKay as leading targets.
There was real intent from Carlton’s midfield to move the ball quickly into the forward line.
It led to more than one goal from a Blue unmarked in the goalsquare after a lightning chain of possession.
PADDY WHACKED
Saints fans are hoping for a breakout year from the full-forward and he showed signs last night that he can become a sticky-fingered beast. The fourth-year spearhead took one of the grabs of the night pressing up the ground in the first term and then continued to worry Liam Jones with another couple of strong marks in the second and third terms. In all, his performance was one of the most encouraging of the night for the Saints. But the No. 1 pick’s concussion issues continue to be a worry and he looked startled after copping a high knock from Jones in a marking contest in the second term. McCartin could have bagged his third goal late in the third term but sent the 45m set shot way left in the wind. Still, a tick.
ARISE, SIR LIAM
The great pity of Carlton’s shift to the Docklands is that Liam Jones never got to experience life as a Princes Park cult hero.
Jones was last year’s great resurrection tale.
This year he might attempt to rival Alex Rance as the game’s best full back.
In a game brimming with resounding positives for Carlton the remodelled defender, 27 this week, put in a display impossible to miss.
He soared for contested marks, spoiled with relish and in one passage sprinted back with flight to not only intercept a certain goal but take a courageous mark.
Imagine the reaction from the Carlton faithful if he was able to strut his stuff with Princes Park as a home ground like Anthony Koutoufides and so many legends before him.
It allowed Caleb Marchbank and Lochie Plowman to play their defensive roles with a minimum of fuss.
Make no mistake, the Blues will badly miss Sam Docherty this year but with Jones as the springboard he is a star stopper and an offensive weapon.
At just $426,000, Jones is not only a first-choice Blue but a Supercoach contender for your backline.
CAPTAIN’S HEAD KNOCK
Captain Jarryn Geary’s night ended at half time due to a concussion concern. The reliable defender copped a high knock in a second-term tangle and did not reappear after half time. It was likely Geary underwent a concussion test. Ruckman Billy Longer also received some treatment on his groin throughout the match. Slick playmaker Jack Billings did not play last night because of another hamstring problem but is on track to play in the season-opener against the Lions.
THE “OLD” DARK NAVY BLUES
Carlton knows it has a huge list hole with a heap of kids and only a handful of plus-25 stars.
So Brendon Bolton would have been happy to see his senior players all making a contribution in their own way last night.
Matthew Kreuzer was rock solid and threaded an early set shot from the boundary and a late sealer, while Marc Murphy cruised around with class.
Dale Thomas looked to be running on top of the ground again and Matthew Wright (two goals) was dangerous close to goal.
The bonus will be Ed Curnow, prolific early in his return from throat issues and always capable of a lockdown role.
BARGAIN BIN
David Armitage is the man on the SuperCoach watch list after playing only two games last year with some groin problems. At only $310,000, he should make you some cash if he can keep his spot in the St Kilda engine room. He was a constant presence in the centre square last night and had little trouble winning footy, even if there was some rust.
SCOREBOARD
CARLTON 5.3 8.4 11.6 13.11 (89) def ST KILDA 1.0 4.7 7.10 9.13 (67)
Goals: Carlton: M Kreuzer 2 M Wright 2 P Cripps 2 P Dow 2 H McKay J Garlett J Silvagni K Simpson L Casboult. St Kilda: H Clark 2 P McCartin 2 T Membrey 2 J Carlisle J Gresham N Wright.
Venue: Ikon Park
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