West Coast has made it four wins in a row this afternoon at the MCG, albeit unconvincingly, after coming away with a 10-point victory against a fiery young Carlton outfit.
Despite the Eagles pulling off a narrow win, it was the inspiring efforts of the Blues - who came so close to notching up their first win of the season - which proved to be the highlight for the match.
Harry McKay showed himself to impressive up forward for the up-and-coming Blues, leading with four goals to give his side a sniff.
Even though Carlton's efforts were commendable, the mastery of Andrew Gaff was too strong, taking out best on ground with 31 disposals, 17 uncontested possession and six clearances.
But this didn't deter the young Blues' side from wanting to grab their first win of season, with Ed Curnow kicking off the match with first major of the term.
Despite the defensive pressure from Carlton, West Coast replied soon after with a few goals of their own, but the Blues were determined to stay in the game.
Carlton seemed to find momentum compared to their lacklustre first few games; the pressure in their defensive half coupled with their ball movement through the centre keeping scores level for the majority of the term.
But silly mistakes made by the Blues prevented them from converting in their forward 50, allowing the Eagles to get 10 points in front at the end of the first term.
Both sides struggled to convert in the first half, with the Blues' inaccurate 2.1 and the Eagles' 3.5, barely improving going into the second term, with Carlton scoring the first major with seven minutes left on the clock.
Patrick Cripps, Kade Simpson and Ed Curnow were been the backbone for Calrton, yet they were unable to reflect their solid performances on the scoreboard.
With 12 disposals each, their unrelenting force on the Eagles prevented them from halting their transitions up the ground, ultimately keeping the Blues' chances alive.
Determined to keep their momentum going, Harry McKay put Carlton in front for the first time in the match by a point.
Yet the lead was short-lived.
The inexperience by the young Carlton side began to show throughout the third quarter, allowing the Eagles to capitalise with majors to William Rioli and Gaff, putting them 12 points in front leading into the second half.
It was a quick start to the third term by Carlton, dominating with numbers ahead of the ball to allow Zac Fisher and Sam Kerridge to level the scores.
Carlton seemed to have the game under control, appearing clean and efficient in bringing the ball forward through the centre - an attribute which reflected on the scoreboard.
Despite a controversial goal review which went against Carlton, Mark LeCras’ impressive goal was deemed legal and put the Eagles in front once again.
LeCras' major was only the beginning of an influx of West Coast goals, extending their lead with a four-goal term to 28 points at the end of the third term.
Ultimately, their dominance in the forward half could not be stopped by Carlton.
The Blues entered the final term with intent, managing to convert four goals for the quarter.
A crucial goal by the young McKay brought the crowd back to life as Carlton reduced the margin to 16 points midway through the term.
But although they managed to keep the Eagles to one major for the term, the strong and experienced West Coast outplayed the young side through their ball movement and control in their defensive half.
Nic Naitanui, Gaff, Luke Shuey and Elliot Yeo proved to be integral through the centre corridor into the forward 50, taking full advantage of the absence of Matthew Kruezer and Marc Murphy and allowing them to atttain their fourth consecutive win.
West Coast will be looking to make it five wins in a row against Fremantle at Optus Stadium, while Carlton again will be looking to redeem themselves against the Western Bulldogs.
CARLTON 2.1 4.5 6.6 10.9 (59)
WEST COAST 3.5 5.11 9.16 10.19 (79)
GOALS
Carlton: McKay 4, Casboult 2, Kerridge, Fisher, E. Curnow, Petrevski-Seton
West Coast: LeCras 3, Gaff 2, Rioli, Masten, Kennedy, Lycett, Shuey
BEST
Carlton: McKay, Cripps, E. Curnow, Simpson, Fisher
West Coast: Gaff, Masten, LeCras, Shuey, Yeo
INJURIES
Carlton: O'Shea (head)
West Coast: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. HARRY McKAY IS A RISING STAR
Playing his first senior game of the year, Harry McKay proved to Blues' fans he was a force to be reckoned with.
It took him some time to find his bearings after kicking the ball out on the full at a set shot for goal, but he came back strong in the second term, with two impressive goals just minutes apart.
He then slotted a superb banana-kick set shot from deep in the forward pocket in the third quarter, and then another from a free kick with a minute remaining in the match..
McKay was the only multiple goal scorer for the Blues with four goals.
There's a glimmer for Carlton fans, who will be waiting to see how the youngster goes in the coming weeks.
2. CARLTON HAVE POTENTIAL
Carlton came out firing this week, and scoreboard aside, you would think they were the ones winning the match.
Once they got the ball moving, the Blues were clean and smooth in transitioning the ball from the centre into their forward 50.
But what let them down was their accuracy in converting majors.
Despite their experienced players in Marc Murphy, Jacob Weitering, Matthew Kreuzer and Matthew all out of the side, the Blues fought and scrapped to keep the Eagles honest all afternoon.
The Blues certainly lacked some polish and some of their decision-making going forward was questionable, but fans wouldn't have gone home too disappointed with what they’d seen, despite their 0-5 record their worst start to the season since 1989.
3. THE WEST COAST EXPERIENCE
West Coast showed their skills against the young Blues, with their ability to move the ball forward and use advantages effectively far superior to that of their opposition.
Despite historically struggling at the MCG - winning only four of the last 15 games at the venue - the Eagles proved they have the ability to play there well, particularly come toward the end of the season.
But when Carlton upped the defensive pressure, West Coast struggled to respond, allowing the Blues to fight their way back quarter after quarter to keep themselves in touch.
Ultimately, it was the experience of the Eagles in knowing how to capitalise on the mistakes of the Blues which allowed them to take out the win.
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