Cripps passes to Darling on the lead just next to CHF, who misses. (Q1 2:44)
Yeo uses good vision to kick sideways from the wing across CHF to Gaff at half forward on the fat side, he goes short to LeCras 40m out on the flank. He gets the first goal. (Q1 3:44)
Phillips marks a Gibbs ball in front of McGovern 40m out near the boundary, and just misses. (Q1 9:34)
Carlton has started well, but their attack is glacially slow as they overpossess out of the backline. (Q1 9:34)
Shuey is pinged for HTB after fending off Gibbs and getting claimed by Phillips 45m out on a slight angle from the Blue goals. Phillips misses everything, OOTF. (Q1 10:42)
Hill marks behind a pack from a long McGovern ball to 30m on a slight angle. He kicks truly. (Q1 15:28)
Shuey’s long ball after a stoppage on the HFF lands behind Kennedy in the square and bounces into the goalpost. (Q1 19:01)
Two Blues tackle Darling after a give from Hill at point blank range to force a rushed behind. (Q1 20:46)
Lycett catches Silvagni high just inside true CHF after a quick rebound around the outer wing following the kick in. But he shanks it horribly, no score results. (Q1 21:42)
Ed Curnow gets a free at a stoppage 35m out on a slight angle for high contact by Sheppard. He goals. (Q1 22:47)
On the balance of general play you would say the Blues are no chance of getting near the Eagles, but you just never know with the Eagles away and Bolton in the coaches box. (Q1 23:14)
Carlton is winning most of the stats due to stuffing around with the footy at halfback to a great extent, but they are losing in contested footy and, of course, the scoreboard. (Q1 25:18)
Jaksch is almost claimed on the HFF with two Eagles challenging from behind, his kick lands in the arms of Silvagni just before the QT siren. Silvagni misses from 40m. (Q1 27:16)
Masten gives to LeCras at CHF after some broken play in heavy traffic in the centre, he turns and shoots wide. (Q2 7:42)
Simpson breaks a line with a gallop up the wing, he has teammates in support, Armfield releases Silvagni to run to 40m on a slight angle and bounce through a goal! (Q2 8:06)
LeCras passes to Darling 40m out on a slight angle after Wellingham intercepts a Gibbs ball to Wright up the other end to start a fast break. Darling hits the left goalpost. (Q2 12:53)
Carlton’s surge in Q2 is off the back of some impressive overlap run from defence, it’s worrying the Eagles. (Q2 13:53)
Schofield marks over Sumner 20m out in front after a higgledy-piggledy passage of play where the Eagles moved the ball in ugly fashion down the HFF. He goals. (Q2 15:23)
Butler spoils Charlie Curnow on the HFF, receives and hits Darling on the boundary 40m out. Darling hits the square, no score. (Q2 17:38)
Kennedy marks at the hotspot in front of Rowe and kicks his first goal. (Q2 19:08)
Those couple of goals will steady the Eagles, who have been challenged but have too much class for Carlton. (Q2 20:03)
Cripps snaps truly from a ball in 15m out on the flank after stripping Kerridge in a tackle and winning the footy himself. (Q2 23:23)
Wright passes to Graham near the boundary 40m out, he misses. (Q2 24:53)
Buckley gets a handball just outside 50m on a slight angle and goes long to the square off a step… the ball sails over everyone for an unlikely goal! (Q2 26:54)
Carlton is still in the game even though it looked during Q2 like they would get swamped. (Half Time)
Gibbs, Cripps and Curnow haven’t had much footy, the Eagle mids are dominating in the centre, but Simpson and Docherty have been dominant at halfback. (Half Time)
The game has settled into a pattern of West Coast dominating field position and Carlton reduced to chancey rebound attacks, which their disposal skills often can’t sustain. (Half Time)
When those score launches from defence for the Blues do come off they look great, as in that Silvagni goal, but too often the rebounds are too slow or break down with clangers. (Half Time)
Meanwhile, Kennedy has looked out of touch and the other forwards have been wasteful, such as Darling’s three behinds from gettable shots. (Half Time)
Brendan Bolton’s got the Blues playing 2016 footy, unlike the Malthouse gameplan, but the cattle are just not good enough with disposal skills to keep it up. (Half Time)
For their part, West Coast would be happy to bank the four points and maybe get some extra percentage late. (Half Time)
Phillips roves a pack on the HFF, the Eagles run away from him, he dithers, then misses badly as the West Coast defenders seemingly knew he would. (Q3 0:32)
LeCras has Kennedy over the back of Rowe to mark 40m out on a slight angle on a fast break from halfback. JJK misses left. (Q3 2:31)
LeCras catches Armfield HTB 30m out on the flank after the Blues get in trouble trying to run out of defence, Plowman not getting rid of it quickly enough. LeCras goals. (Q3 6:59)
Cripps gets a 50m penalty on Docherty for timewasting to bring him from the wing to 25m on a slight angle for a charity goal. (Q3 13:32)
Weitering marks a Charlie Curnow ball from the HFF to the square over McGinnity for his first goal in senior footy. (Q3 15:47)
Patrick Cripps catches Masten HTB on the wing, Shuey pinged 50m for timewasting to bring him to 25m on a slight angle. Cripps misses, disappointingly. (Q3 18:20)
Charlie Curnow marks a Sumner ball in front of Wellingham 30m out on a slight angle on the end of a fast break around the outer wing from halfback engineered by Kreuzer. He goals. (Q3 20:17)
Yeo receives from Jamie Cripps and goals from 25m on the flank with a running checkside. (Q3 24:10)
Shuey is over the back of Docherty to gather a long LeCras ball and run into the open goal after a turnover in midfield causes a fast break. (Q3 26:00)
LeCras has Yeo over the back yet again after a terrible turnover on the wing by Jaksch, another counter attacking goal for the Eagles. (Q3 28:08)
Wright marks on the boundary 20m out and screws through a lovely set shot checkside for a goal. (Q3 30:03)
Darling misses a set shot form near the hotspot. (Q4 0:59)
Darling marks on the HFF and kicks his fifth behind in a row with a poster. (Q4 3:29)
Gibbs marks unopposed and converts a set shot from the hotspot. Too late you’d think, even with 15 minutes of game time to play. (Q4 6:29)
Jamie Cripps marks over the back of Simpson near the hotspot on a fast break up the guts, and goals. (Q4 7:34)
Silvagni roves and misses under heavy pressure from near the behind post. (Q4 9:42)
Sumner misses from a long-range snap off a slight angle. (Q4 10:26)
Kerridge jumps over Hutchings to clunk a long Plowman ball from the wing to 40m out in the corridor. He goals. (Q4 11:50)
Kennedy goals from a set shot from mid range to go further in front in the Coleman Medal race. (Q4 15:15)
Gibbs goes short from CHF to Patrick Cripps at the hotspot on the end of a fast break. Cripps makes no mistake. (Q4 16:35)
Weitering marks in front of a pack 25m out on the flank and goals. 7:00 to go, surely the miracle can’t happen? (Q4 18:24)
Patrick Cripps gets a free on Priddis under a pack near the hotspot, but misses a very gettable set shot. (Q4 20:09)
Masten marks on the wing, Simpson gets there very slightly late, the ump pings him for a 50m penalty. Masten lines up from 40m on a slight angle as the crowd boos…. no score. (Q4 23:35)
Clock ticks under 3:00, ball on the Eagles HFF. (Q4 24:50)
Rowe starts a rebound switch from the HBF, but McGovern mops up the Ed Curnow bomb inside 50. (Q4 26:39)
Simpson intercepts on the wing and goes to Silvagni on the HFF, he gives quickly to Gibbs who snaps truly from 50m! 1:10 to go. (Q4 27:07)
Goal and a point in 70 seconds? Funnier things have happened in footy. (Q4 27:51)
Lycett to Priddis from the bounce, Docherty roves and starts a rebound, Simpson to Gibbs, Silvagni marks on the wing, long ball to the HFF, stoppage, 27 seconds. (Q4 28:20)
Armfield receives behind the stoppage but kicks OOTF from 50m on the flank. That’s the ballgame. (Q4 28:50)
