Fremantle’s second half onslaught enough to avoid shock loss to Carlton after strong start

CARLTON led by 13 points at half time and looked headed to an upset win over Fremantle but Ross Lyon’s team had other ideas and put their foot down in the second half to run out big winners as the Blues failed to capitalise on their strong start.

Fremantle kicked 10 goals to three in the second half to run away convincing winners.

BRENDON Bolton said he was “filfthy” about Carlton’s third-quarter collapse against Fremantle on Sunday night, that has all but assured the Blues of the first wooden spoon of his reign.

The Dockers added seven goals to none in the defining period of the match, as Carlton went down by 29 points at Perth Stadium despite winning the other three quarters by 14 points.

Bolton has taken the Blues from 14th to 16th to a likely finish of 18th this season, across his three years in charge.

“We don’t like where we are, what it says. The ladder doesn’t lie. We’ve got an incredible amount of hard work to do,” he said.

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“We feel when we get all our guys through another strong pre-season, we’re only going to grow and move forward. We can’t change what’s happened. All we can change is the next two games and aim for two more wins.”

Having twice led by 19 points during the second quarter and still by 13 points at halftime, it all fell apart for the Blues in the third stanza as the Dockers took a grip on the contest.

“Habits are actions repeated over and over and over again and that’s what’s required in AFL footy and for three quarters I thought we did that,” Bolton said.

“I’m absolutely filthy, as are our players, with the third quarter. Seven goals is unacceptable in a quarter. Three quarters just doesn’t cut it. Our players’ consistency needs to grow and that’s what they’re learning.”

Bolton blamed positioning mistakes at stoppages during the third-term carnage, but said the Blues could not be faulted for effort.

Fremantle kicked 10 goals to three in the second half to run away convincing winners.

“There was lots of things that we liked in three quarters, just looking here the (total) contested possession (141-127) was well in our favour so we’re hard enough and we’re having a crack enough,” he said.

“We tackled pretty well, I think we may have won that stat (59-56). So there was a lot of what you call effort indicators that are strong. But we just need to mature as a group in terms of being able to nail what we want to nail for longer periods.”

The Dockers were driven by excellent games from midfield pair Lachie Neale and Ed Langdon as they avoided an upset loss which could have plunged the club into crisis mode.

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The ever-consistent Neale had a game-high 34 touches, 10 clearances and a goal, while Langdon ran all day for his 31 disposals to go with a goal. Langdon emerged unscathed from a frightful third-term collision when he bravely charged back with the flight in front of Harry McKay and teammate Michael Johnson.

Cam McCarthy returned to form with three goals, while livewire Michael Walters ended the game on the bench with a hamstring injury and his season could be over.

The Blues started well but it all went pear-shaped.

Patrick Cripps led from the front for the Blues, having three score assists to go with his 32 disposals and eight clearances.

There was plenty to like about the visitors early, who won just their fourth opening quarter of the season as Charlie Curnow set the tone. They continued to pose some problems for the Dockers during the second term.

Led by Cripps, who had 18 of his touches in the first half, Carlton dominated the contested ball battle (plus 24 for the half) and edged Fremantle in the clearances.

Young ruckman Sean Darcy was controlling the hitout battle against Matthew Lobbe, who went it alone after the withdrawal of Matthew Kreuzer. But Lobbe was more than making up for it with some useful touches around the ground and he converted a fortunate free kick from a ruck contest just before halftime to leave the visitors in the driver’s seat.

Lachie Neale had a game-high 34 disposals. Picture: Getty

The Dockers turned the contested ball battle on its head in the third term and punished a series of sloppy Carlton errors, with Tommy Sheridan’s goal at the nine-minute mark putting them in front for the first time.

The floodgates had opened and the wheels were completely off just before three-quarter time when Cameron Polson was caught holding the ball.

Having taken a brave mark going back with the flight, the Carlton youngster undid his good work after being caught unaware from behind by a cat-like Walters as the umpire called him to play on.

The ball spilt to a grateful Shane Kersten who ran into an open goal and kicked Fremantle’s seventh unanswered major for the quarter. The home side added 7.3 to 0.2 for the term, the Freo’s biggest quarter of the season.

Carlton managed to get the first two goals of the final term to briefly raise the question of a comeback, which was soon snuffed out.

FREMANTLE 1.4 5.7 12.10 15.11 (101)

CARLTON 3.6 7.8 7.10 10.12 (72)

QUARTERMAINE’S BEST

Dockers: Neale, Langdon, Mundy, Wilson, McCarthy, Walters.

Blues: Cripps, Thomas, Simpson, Petrevski-Seton, Lobbe, Kerridge.

GOALS

Dockers: McCarthy 3, Ballantyne 2, Cox 2, Giro, Grey, Taberner, Sheridan, Neale, Mundy, Langdon, Kersten.

Blues: Wright 2, McKay 2, C.Curnow 2, Murphy, Thomas, Lobbe, Lang.

INJURIES

Dockers: Walters (left hamstring).

Blues: Kreuzer (elevated heart rate) replaced by Graham.

UMPIRES: Haussen, Margetts, Whetton.

CROWD: 40,028 at Perth Oval.

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