Carlton secured a hard-fought victory at the MCG, but the performance left much to be desired. The Blues walked away with the win, though it wasn’t a convincing display.
A major concern for Carlton was their offensive struggles in the second half, managing just one goal across the final two quarters – a drought lasting 54 minutes and 23 seconds.
Zac Williams celebrates after kicking a goal in the final quarter.Credit: Ruby Alexander
The breakthrough finally came courtesy of Zac Williams, who had been deployed as a running defender for much of the contest before being pushed forward in a desperate attempt to locate a goal.
Richmond’s Tom Lynch proved a constant threat, but ultimately couldn’t capitalize on numerous opportunities to put the game beyond reach. Lynch finished with one goal from nine shots, including seven behinds and one out of bounds.
He finally converted a set shot from 15 meters out after earning a free kick for a block by Lewis Young, narrowing the margin to less than a straight kick with just under two minutes remaining.
Carlton responded by replacing Young with Jacob Weitering, who had been among their best performers on the day, to directly match up on Lynch.
The Blues managed to hold on for the win in a tense final two minutes. Inexperience showed for Harry Armstrong, who hurried a long kick into the forward line and found the opposition with an outnumbered attack with a minute left on the clock. A bit more experience could have led to a different decision.
