Australian Football

Match Report

Two sides from outside the top eight that had shown recent good form met at Carrara on Saturday night, with the Gold Coast Suns, winners in their previous two matches, hosting Carlton, which was coming off one of its best wins in recent seasons, in which it knock the Giants from the top of the ladder. In wet and slippery conditions, the home side started favourites but it was the Blues who started well and led for most of the night before responding to a late Gold Coast challenge to record its fifth win of the season, a result which incredibly sees them now only a game plus percentage out of the eight.

The Suns' woes were compounded by a serious injury to playmaker Michael Barlow, who broke his leg badly in a sickening last-quarter accident and had to be stretchered off. Medical staff have put a recovery timeline of three months on the injury, obviously ruling the ex-Fremantle midfielder out for the remainder of 2017.

Samo Petrevski-Seton, who had been rested for Blues' monumental win over GWS, quickly made up for lost time by kicking the first goal of the match at the four-minute mark to give the visitors a seven-point lead. Gold Coast responded soon after through Alex Sexton but from there until quarter time, Carlton looked the far superior side. After a behind to Levi Casboult, the Blues kicked goals through Dale Thomas and the Curnow brothers, one each to Charlie and Ed. The Suns' only response was a behind to Michael Barlow at the 10-minute mark, and it was Carlton ahead by 21 points at the first break.

Carlton continued to control the match early in the second quarter, but failed to translate that onto the scoreboard. Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni and Dale Thomas all had chances to extend the Blues' lead significantly but all three kicked behinds. As if often the way, the Suns took their chance when it finally came their way, with Jack Martin goaling after a mark to cut the margin to three goals at the 11-minute mark, and then Jarryd Lyons snapping a great goal less than a minute later to reduce the deficit to just 12 points. Carlton's defence settled from there, though, and the Blues found the big sticks through Blaine Boekhorst and Thomas in the latter part of the term to go into the half with a comfortable four-goal lead.

The early minutes of the third quarter saw the Suns squander their own chances, with Tom Lynch and Barlow both kicking across the face of goal with set shots. Matthew Wright made them pay with a goal at the nine-minute mark and when Casboult added a behind two minutes later, Carlton led by a game-high 29 points and looked the winner. From there, though, the match took a dramatic and unexpected turn. A turnover from the Blues' defence saw Brandon Matera kick his first goal, which sparked a Gold Coast resurgence. The Suns followed up with goals to Seam Lemmens, Lyons and Barlow, and when the three-quarter time siren sounded, Carlton's lead was just three points.

Gold Coast had an early chance to grab the lead in the final term, but a snap from Aaron Hall missed. Both sides defended grimly for the next four minutes before Jack Silvagni broke the deadlock with a mark and goal which put the Blues eight points clear. A free kick and goal to Jack Martin cut the margin back to two points but Carlton responded again with a mark and accurate kick from Bryce Gibbs, who was playing a great game for the visitors.

For the next 10 minutes, though, the Suns looked the more threatening side, and goals to David Swallow and Martin saw them take a narrow lead midway through the quarter. It was at that point that Barlow sustained his season-ending injury. Whether that affected his teammates mentally is debatable but the tide turned undeniably Carlton's way from there. A great snap from Gibbs under pressure restored Carlton's lead, and the Blues look control from there, adding 2.2 to nil to extend their lead to a comfortable 16 points. Peter Wright kicked a late goal for the Suns but Carlton prevailed by 10 points to record its fifth win of the season.

Bryce Gibbs was a towering presence for the Blues, and a vital part of the victory. He collected 43 touches, the second-highest total of his 221-game career, and laid 10 tackles. For the Suns, Jarryd Lyons played a great game, kicking two goals and picking up 24 disposals.

The Blues will now face Richmond (sixth, 7-5) at the MCG next Sunday. The two sides met in the season-opener in March, with the Tigers winning comfortably, but Carlton is a much better side now and will fancy its chances of causing an upset. Gold Coast (14th, 5-7) will travel to Melbourne on Sunday to take on 10th-placed St Kilda (6-6). A win at Docklands would keep the Suns' finals hopes alive.

GOALS
Gold Coast: Lyons, Martin 2; Sexton, Matera, Lemmens, Barlow, Martin, Swallow, Wright
Carlton: Thomas, Gibbs, Silvagni 2; Petrevski-Seton, C.Curnow, E.Curnow, Boekhorst, Wright, Lamb

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Lyons, Ablett, Rosa, Lemmens, Witts
Carlton: Gibbs, Murphy, Docherty, Simpson, Jones

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Lyons, Barlow, Ablett, Saad, Lemmens, Swallow
Carlton: Gibbs, Docherty, Murphy, E Curnow, Simpson, Thomas

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Barlow (lower leg)
Carlton: Nil

UMPIRES: Meredith, Harris, Ryan, Mitchell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Luke Darcy, Hamish McLachlan, Matthew Richardson, Brad Sewell