‘Dog shot’: Tempers flare as Blues thumped, disappoint again

Tempers have erupted at Marvel Stadium as Brisbane blew away an insipid Carlton outfit as the Blues lost a third match in four games.

Lachie Neale reacts to being struck by Carlton's Nic Newman.

Tempers have flared as Brisbane blew away a timid Carlton side at Marvel Stadium to relegate the Blues to their third loss of the season.

Carlton failed yet another major test in their quest for finals legitimacy after being brushed aside by Brisbane to the tune of 26 points at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, and it saw Nic Newman put himself in hot water for a forearm to the jaw of Brisbane’s Lachie Neale.

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A player can be heard on the broadcast describing the hit as a “dog shot”, which gave away a free kick and may land Newman on report.

"That's a dog shot" - Newman collects Neale with a forearm/elbow to the chin. Anything to worry about here?

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The first quarter was an entertaining shootout as both teams booted five goals apiece in an electrifying opening, but the Lions quickly stamped their authority on the contest thereafter, kicking seven of the next eight goals to lead by 41 points late in the third quarter.

Carlton sprang back to life in the final term, and got within 19 points after time on, but it was too little, too late as Brisbane ran out 15.10 (100) to 11.8 (74) winners.

Small forwards Charlie Cameron (four) and Zac Bailey (four) were the chief destroyers in attack, combining for eight goals.

Five of the goals (three to Bailey and two to Cameron) came in the decisive third term, as Cameron got the better of his match-up against Newman, who headed into the game as one of the best negating small defenders in the league.

However, down the other end of the ground Brisbane defender Jack Payne (nine marks) was a colossus on Charlie Curnow, blanketing the Coleman Medal leader who kicked a career-high nine goals last week, while Harris Andrews kept Harry McKay quiet as well.

Oscar McInerney (16 touches) was dominant in the ruck with 10 clearances while Josh Dunkley (33 possessions) easily won his battle with Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps (17), and finished the game with 13 tackles, six clearances and 14 contested possessions.

The match underwent a drastic transformation after quarter-time as Brisbane’s forward pressure ramped up to another level, and Carlton wilted.

The Blues broke down badly across half-forward and the ball lived in the Lions’ forward half for large portions of time.

But Carlton were also let down by frequent and costly turnovers, with 66 of Brisbane’s first 75 points coming from that score source, as well as substandard ball use, particularly the foot skills of their midfielders who gave Curnow and McKay little hope of having an impact against their red-hot direct opponents.

The match got testy at times, with flare-ups across the ground throughout the night. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

As they did against St Kilda a fortnight ago, Carlton dominated the contested possessions (155-132) and disposals (394-337), but skill errors meant that huge advantage counted for little.

A record home-and-away crowd for these two sides of 45,548 attended, but a large chunk left before three-quarter time and Carlton’s efforts in the middle two quarters were too much to bear for the fans who stuck around as a chorus of boos rang out around the stadium.

Prior to smashing West Coast last round, the Blues had lost back-to-back games against top-eight threats Adelaide and St Kilda in disappointing fashion, and they have once again succumbed to an in-form team.

It’s a concerning theme that has defined the opening third of Carlton’s season. After losing their final four matches last year and missing the finals by 0.6 per cent, their only win of note so far in 2023 has been against Geelong, who were struggling in the early part of the season.

Meanwhile, the Lions have temporarily moved to the top of the ladder heading into the weekend and they now beaten Carlton four times in a row for the first time in 15 years.

The performance seemed to disgust Blues fans, who were pictured on the broadcast leaving at three-quarter-time with Carlton down by 40 points.

Brian Taylor noted on commentary that the exodus was visible around the ground.

“Blues have gone home in droves, the earliest I’ve seen them go home in a long time,” said Taylor.

– with NCA NewsWire