Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Dempsey has marked a pass from Ollie Henry after a Blues turnover and he’s booted his first goal of the night.
The Cats wingman is a constant goal threat and that turnover should remind the Blues that they can’t afford to give these Cats turnovers as they will feast on them.
Cats 9, Blues 7 with eight mins to go in Q1.
Will Hayward has booted the first goal for the Blues and their fans are roaring.
In the lead-up, the Cats lost tall forward Shannon Neale after he took a knee to the hip during a marking contest.
Neale has hobbled off and gone down the race, he may not be able to return which would be a huge loss for the Cats but time will tell.
Blues 7, Cats 2 with 13 mins to go in Q1.
Former player turned goal umpire David Rodan is in the spotlight just moments into this match after Geelong’s Ollie Dempsey appealed for a goal.
Dempsey reached for a ball on the goal line and palmed it down onto his shin where it went through the goals.
But Rodan, who was knocked over on the play, called a behind and didn’t ask for the arc to review it.
It looks like Dempsey knocked the ball onto the top of his shins but after the Nick Watson decision last night, there is a lot of conjecture on decisions that deny goals.
For mine, I reckon Rodan was right but time will tell.
Cats 1, Blues 0 with 16 mins to go in Q1.
Tonight is Carlton’s annual “Carlton Respects” match, which aims to shine a light on the scourge of family violence and violence against women.
Their players will wear orange socks and the club had a moment before the game where they asked fans to “shine a light” on the 79 women who lost their lives to violence last year.
Both sides will also join fans to honour the memory of Neale Daniher, who died earlier this week.
This explanation is from Blues media:
Carlton Respects
The Carlton Football Club is proud to this week celebrate 10 years of its flagship community initiative Carlton Respects, culminating in tonight’s clash when the Blues take on the Cats at the MCG. Carlton Respects has grown into one of the AFL’s most recognised community initiatives, aiming to stop violence before it starts. Since launching in 2016, Carlton Respects has reached tens of thousands of Australians through education, awareness, and community action. The players will once again wear orange socks and a dedicated guernsey to raise awareness of the social cause.
Interim Blues coach Josh Fraser is adjusting to the extra duties around coaching an AFL side while he has forecast more player changes to come.
Fraser has made some waves with the Blues since taking over from Michael Voss as he has used Harry McKay in the ruck at times, given Jagger Smith more time in midfield and moved Adam Cerra to the wing.
But he plans to swing more players into the side from the VFL team in the weeks to come.
“We have been mindful in the way we do it and we haven’t wanted to turn the world on its head as well as we have a few weeks to see what that all looks like,” Fraser told Kayo Sports.
Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield has revealed how he was convinced he could benefit from starting the game on the bench.
A laughing Dangerfield told Kayo Sports that some hard truths from Cats assistant coach James Rahilly convinced him that a later entry to the game could benefit him after some lean games to start the season.
“I’ve abused Rahls [assistant coach James Rahilly] plenty for starting me on the bench last week but his response was pretty clear and valid – it was you haven’t touched the ball in the first 10 minutes for the last three games,” Dangerfield told Kayo Sports.
“So we will get the same output from you on the bench. I enjoy the challenge and as an explosive athlete, it helps to play in spurts.
“I feel like the run has been good and I’m working into form.”
The AFL has backed the contentious call to disallow Nick Watson a half-time goal at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, saying the small forward failed to kick the ball “over the man on the mark”.
Watson took his kick after the half-time siren and split the big sticks with a curling drop punt, but the umpires ruled the ball dead because Watson had moved off his line and effectively played on.
It was a decision met with bemusement by Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, who said after the game it did not make sense to penalise Watson given he had not gained any advantage by veering closer to the boundary line and making the angle more acute.
Footage uploaded to social media taken from behind Watson at the time of the incident appears to show the man on the mark was incorrectly lined up with the left-hand goal post, potentially causing the Hawthorn sharpshooter to veer right to kick towards the centre of the goals.
Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie says premiership forward Tyson Sengle is in a good spot as he continues training towards a return to the field.
Stengle hasn’t played this season as he deals with personal issues and the Cats have been loath to talk about Stengle’s situation due to the uncertainty around a return to the field in 2026.
During his press conference this week, Cats coach Chris Scott asked Mackie to answer questions around Stengle and he said the player was on an individualised training program.
When asked by Kayo Sports tonight whether Stengle’s training was trending in a positive direction, Mackie responded in the affirmative, albeit without a clear return date.
Carlton caretaker coach Josh Fraser has credited the club’s recent wins to a natural evolution and he’s embracing the chance to further showcase the Blues’ progress in tonight’s clash with Geelong at the MCG.
The Blues have posted morale-boosting wins against the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide since Michael Voss stood down as coach following the round-nine loss to Brisbane.
Carlton’s second-half fadeouts were a big reason behind their 1-8 start to the season, which ultimately cost Voss his job.
The Blues have shown more resolve under Fraser, but the former Magpies ruckman says foundations already set were a big part of their recent success.
