Carlton beat Saints by 61 points - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Carlton beat Saints by 61 points

By Roger Vaughan 10/05/2010 11:06:10 PM Comments (0)

Carlton have ended their nine-year AFL losing streak against St Kilda, crushing them by 61 points on Monday night at Etihad Stadium.

The Blues used their pace to put the Saints on the back foot from early in the first term and they cruised to a 20.9 (129) to 9.14 (68) win.

Captain Chris Judd again starred with 24 possessions for Carlton, while Eddie Betts kicked five goals, four of them in the final term.

Jeff Garlett and Jarrad Waite also kicked four goals apiece for the Blues.

The game became a procession in the final term as the Blues scored six goals to two.

Carlton had lost their last 12 games against St Kilda, most recently beating them in August, 2001.

A talking point ahead of this game had been whether the Blues could use their pace to break St Kilda's renowned defensive pressure.

The Saints had used tempo football to perfection in their last game to shut down the Western Bulldogs' renowned running game and win by three points.

But Garlett, the quickest man on the ground, kicked his four goals in the first half as the Blues ran St Kilda ragged and took control.

Carlton led by 21 points at quarter-time and the game would have been over then, but for their scoring inaccuracy.

The Saints reduced the margin to 14 points early in the second quarter and briefly looked in contention.

Then Carlton kicked three goals in five minutes to break the game open for good.

Rival sides will look at this game with interest, noting how well Carlton were able to break the Saints open.

Andrew Carrazzo tagged Nick Dal Santo out of the match and key defender Michael Jamison was outstanding on key forward Justin Koschitzke.

The Saints' inability to kick goals emphasised how much they will miss captain Nick Riewoldt, who needed hamstring tendon surgery after the round-three win over Collingwood.

Riewoldt is out of action for three months.

Waite was recalled for this match and kicked three-straight goals in the first quarter.

But he will come under video scrutiny for an incident in the third term, when he tangled with Saints defender Zac Dawson.

Adding to the Saints' bad night, veteran ruckman Steven King hurt his hamstring in the third quarter.

It has been a big three weeks for the Blues, who have now beaten last year's grand finalists.

They upset Geelong a fortnight ago, but Collingwood smashed them last weekend by 53 points.

"It is a confidence boost for us, but the middle game is the reality check - when we switch on and come with a great approach to the game, we get a good result," said coach Brett Ratten.

"When we're just off a bit, we fall away and I think you've seen that.

"To turn it around (against St Kilda) is a plus for us."

Ratten singled out Carrazzo for praise, saying the midfielder had sacrificed his own game to dramatically reduce Dal Santo's impact.

While giving full credit to Carlton, Saints coach Ross Lyon said his team's effort had simply not been up to scratch.

"I am taking a deep breath - I certainly spoke (to) the players, that effort isn't what we're about and what we stand for," Lyon said.

"There were a lot of things, but really we were never in the game ... we never really looked like it.

"It was the last thing I expected coming here, I haven't felt like that for a long, long time - the aim is to turn it around quickly."

While rival teams will pore over this match, looking at how the Blues beat St Kilda so well, Lyon will back his team's successful game style.

"I don't think it's about an 'off night' - let's pay real credit to Carlton here," he said.

"I suppose I watch a lot of footy and I see a lot of opposition, I see a lot of other teams that are going well - I still think we're at where the game has gone with team defences.

"I'm not really concerned, it's about application and execution."

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

0 Comments about this article

Post a comment about this article

Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.

« All sports news