CARLTON: 4.3, 9.7, 10.13, 16.13 (109)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 3.0, 7.4, 11.4, 13.8 (86)
GOALS
Carlton: Henderson 6, Waite 4, Gibbs 2, Yarran, Judd, Wood, Graham
North Melbourne: Thomas 4, Harvey 2, Cunnington 2, Greenwood 2, Dal Santo, Petrie, Ziebell
BEST
Carlton: Simpson, Gibbs, Henderson, Waite, Murphy, Yarran, Wood
North Melbourne: Swallow, Wright, Dal Santo, Greenwood
INJURIES
Carlton: Everitt (knee), Thomas (ribs), White (hamstring), Menzel (knee/ankle TBC)
North Melbourne: TBC
What Happened
How do you solve a problem like North Melbourne? Dead set, they’re the greatest enigma since the Da Vinci Code. Brilliant a fortnight ago when they outgunned Hawthorn, the Kangaroos produced another shocker as they slumped to a 16.13 (109) to 13.8 (86) loss to Carlton.
This wasn’t just any loss either. Like their four-point defeat to Brisbane three weeks ago, the Kangaroos were beaten by a team that simply wanted it more as their lack of intensity against a lesser opponent was exposed again.
Making it sting just a little bit more, the Blues were all but out on their feet in the final term as injuries hit hard, with Andrejs Everitt (knee), Dale Thomas (ribs), Simon White (hamstring) and Troy Menzel (knee) leaving Carlton with virtually no one on the bench in the final term.
Yet, instead of Carlton losing their run, the Blues booted six goals to two in the final quarter, three of them coming from the boot of Lachie Henderson, who finished with six for the night.
For Henderson, it was a case of answering the challenge in style. The forward’s errant kicking had played a major role in the third term as Carlton kicked 1.6 to North Melbourne’s four goals straight as the Kangaroos reduced a 15-point half-time margin down to just three at the last change.
North looked like they were set to jump out of the blocks in the final term as they attacked at the start. But a brilliant diagonal clearing kick from Bryce Gibbs in defence set up a Blues attack as Henderson trapped Ben Cunnington in a good tackle.
Challenged by coach Mick Malthouse at three-quarter time to make the most of his chances, Henderson buried that first set shot to kick the first goal of the final term.
And, he didn’t look back from there as he kicked a further two goals for the term, with Jarrad Waite kicking two of his four goals for the quarter as well.
It may just have been a career-saving performance for Waite as he was a late inclusion for Brock McLean (hip). Seemingly on the outer after being dropped to the VFL, Waite returned hungrier than ever, taking some massive clunking marks and setting the tone as Carlton kicked away to an early 20-point lead in the first term, despite conceding the first goal to Lindsay Thomas.
But the Blues managed to hold North at bay from then on, defying the injuries to get the job done as Mick Malthouse finished a very tough week on a brighter note.
But the big question is, where does this leave North? Once again, they’ve dropped their bundle and lost to a team they should have beaten. And, this time, it’s exposed them to a serious challenge from below in what’s shaping as an intriguing battle for the final eight.
Fallout
The fallout for the Kangaroos could be massive in terms of making the eight. For Carlton, the injuries could seriously hit them for the rest of the year. Troy Menzel’s leg got caught under him and he appeared a disconsolate figure on the bench in the last quarter. Hopefully he hasn’t done his knee yet again. There were plenty of other injuries as well for the Blues but at least the side will take heart from one very spirited performance. Mitch Robinson was also reported for rough conduct against Leigh Adams, but may get off.
Hope he's in my fantasy team
It’s not often a late inclusion is a Fantasy superstar. Waite had 19 possessions, took 11 big marks – he took a superb one in defence to cut off a late North attack – before running all the way down the field to run on and score his fourth goal – while kicking four. Another big performer was Cameron Wood. In a great tale, the ruckman, delisted by Collingwood in 2012, returned from the VFL to get the better of Todd Goldstein.
What's next
Carlton head to Perth to take on Freo in a fortnight’s time, while North Melbourne will have to rebound against Geelong. Knowing them, they probably will.