Blues beat Tigers by 31 points - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Blues beat Tigers by 31 points

By Adam Cooper 19/06/2004 10:21:51 PM Comments (0)

Eight goals from Carlton full-forward Brendan Fevola sunk a despondent-turned-resurgent Richmond at Telstra Dome, as the Blues won tonight's AFL game by 31 points.

Fevola kicked six goals in the first half - five of them in the second quarter - to knock the stuffing out of the Tigers, who then remarkably turned a 52-point deficit into an unlikely thrust towards victory.

But it was only to be deflated by Fevola's eighth and match-sealing goal.

Carlton eventually won 18.16 (124) to 14.9 (93), but it was an agonising watch for Blues fans in the second half as the Tigers peeled back a massive deficit and could have even pushed closer as Carlton could not land the killer blow until late in the game.

Tiger Andrew Krakouer's third goal 20 minutes into the last quarter cut the margin to 19 points and a miracle comeback was still alive.

But Fevola kicked one off the ground - his eighth - and Scott Camporeale added another to give Carlton three successive wins for the first time in three years.

Fevola was the clear difference between the sides, and his five goals in the second term spoke volumes in the match as a whole.

While Carlton gained more and more confidence the longer the first half went on, the more it seeped out of Richmond, whose players stood hands on hips and heads after a listless and undisciplined effort.

Yet from nowhere, the Tigers kicked eight goals in the third quarter and Matthew Richardson's goal on the three quarter-time siren kept dreams of a fairytale comeback alive.

An equally-remarkable free kick count of 16-1 in the Tigers' favour in the third quarter also helped, but the damage had been done well before.

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