Round 4 – North Melbourne v Carlton: Roos pounce as same old Blues tumble

Round 4

North Melbourne v Carlton

3.15 pm, Good Friday 2026

Marvel Stadium

 

A cricket team-sized contingent of mostly Carlton hopefuls made its way to Docklands on Good Friday for my eldest son’s bucks party celebrations. One flew in from Byron Bay, several took the advantage of free public transport and trained-in from Bendigo, while others drove from distant parts of NSW. Three Melburnians were in the team. We assembled at a favourite Footy Almanac venue in Bourke Street, alive with North Melbourne and Carlton supporters. Just the right place to prepare for the big day and night ahead.

It was my first visit to Docklands, so I was full of curiosity about the venue’s appeal and atmosphere. More than 10 years ago I wrote about Etihad Stadium in my first Almanac post. It was a report based on my observations from afar, from the perspective of a TV screen, and needed to be tested. Was the indoor arena really like a pinball alley? And who might be the pinball wizard today? Harry perhaps, or Larkey maybe?

Pre-match speculation

The heat has been on Carlton for what seems like an eternity. Michael Voss has stood in the sights of those who believe the best way to fix an underperforming footy club is to do away with the coach. But that sort of remedy does nothing to change the list, and possibly also, the ingrained culture of a club.  Alternatively, Carlton’s list managers surely must have questions to answer.

Teams need to learn how to win; how to believe and execute when the inevitable pressure comes on. And the Kangaroos have shown enough already this season to warn –  if you slip up, slow down or don’t believe, they will pounce.

First impressions

A near full house under the Marvel roof creates an atmosphere not unlike an afternoon at the circus. There seems to be be no wide open spaces like the MCG and no distant spectators, undoubtedly created by the ceiling, the rake of the stands and the dark.

As ten canary-coloured officials made their way onto the ground, one in our group suggested they should form a team of their own. And they do – a formidable force in fact, if you disgree with their decisions. As you do.

The match

Seated on the eastern wing we were in for an experience where the ball and its pursuants, for one reason or another, would spend most of the afternoon on the opposite side of the ground. There were moments when the sherrin would arc its way around on our side, but rarely straight up the middle. Did that reflect a lack of courage by the players to take the game on, or was it a tactical manouvre by the coaches? I concluded the reason was mostly a lack of skill by the Roos and Blues players to successfully execute the modus operandi of the Lions, the Swans and often the Dogs, Cats and Hawks.

The Blues started well, seemingly full of resolve to put in the four quarter effort that has been so sadly lacking. They hit the tall timber twice in the first quarter and probably should have had a little more than a one point lead at the first break. Adam Cerra was adding to Carlton’s centre clearance work, and with the absence of North’s Tristan Xerri, Mark Pittonet was getting involved. I thought things were looking good for the Blues as the first quarter break round of drinks arrived for our team.

North Melbourne commenced the second quarter with four scores before the reliable ruckman up foward, Pittonet, booted his second goal. Then, thankfully on our side of the ground, Nick Newman took a long shot and split the middle with a six pointer that drew all his teammates to a spontaneous celebration. Brodie Kemp made it three on the trot and with three more straight after the long break one could sense a calm starting to settle over Carlton’s camp. Perhaps this really would be the week when their cursed second half fade out would be put to bed. Harry and Jagga Smith did their bit to put the Blues 22 points up at lemon time.

At the three quarter time huddle Alastair Clarkson made no bones about his feelings offering more than stern words to several of his players. Would this be the lift the Kangaroos needed? One can only imagine the words and sentiments exchanged in the Carlton camp. Surely they had to be encouraging, emboldening and stiffening.

I asked one of our team – is 22 points enough of a lead? One word was fired back – NO! The intensity of the contest went up a gear at the start of the last quarter. Around us we could all sense the fear in many Blues supporters and the rising belief in the Roos supporters. Cooper Trembath was running amok up forward and the Roos suddenly looked more lethal. Then the moment that almost certainly changed the course of the match happened. Not quite the lone ranger in defence, but the ever reliable Jacob Weitering copped one in the head and was escorted concussed from the ground not to return.

As the quarter lengthened (and it was long) North crept closer while Carlton got stuck in second gear, unable to move the ball cohesively from defence into attack. Five goals in a row to North was not the script Carlton had read. The final three, to Curtis and Sheezel and the sealer from Simpkin, sank the Blues both on and off the ground. The pinball wizards today were in fact the North’s mids and smalls.

CAPITULATION AGAIN was the summary written on the faces of Blues supporters. Roos fans ringing Marvel were deservedly ecstatic. As our team exited the stadium words of consolation were offered to the Carlton supporters among us. More strident sentiments were probably required in the face of yet another fade out flop, but they could wait for another time. After all we had our own celebration to continue and to enjoy. So with that, as one of the chaperones, I declared “That’s enough football. It’s time we headed to a cricketer’s bar.” And that we did, before making our way to dinner at another Footy Almanac stomping ground in North Fitzroy.

 

Post-match questions and answers

Are 48 umpire interventions in a match too many? Certainly yes.

Is Carlton stuck in a cycle of ruminations they cannot escape from any time soon? Probably yes.

Are North on the rise? Undoubtedly yes.

Is Marvel Stadium more a pinball alley than a footy ground? That depends on how you play it.

 

NORTH MELBOURNE                  3.3     5.7     7.9     14.12 (96)
CARLTON          3.4     6.4       11.7        13.8 (86)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Duursma 3, Trembath 3, Larkey 2, Curtis 2, Darling, Zurhaar, Sheezel, Simpkin
Carlton: Kemp 3, Pittonet 2, McKay 2, McGovern 2, Newman, Walsh, Hollands, Smith

BEST
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, McKercher, Duursma, Larkey, Trembath
Carlton: E.Hollands, Pittonet, Kemp, McKay, Hewett

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Carlton: Weitering (concussion)

Crowd: 45,919 at Marvel Stadium

 

Read more from Peter Clark HERE

 

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