Pest ... Hayden Ballantyne was at his irritating best against Carlton. Source: Getty Images
THIS was a statement game.
Carlton, again, failed to make it.
On a season-defining night it was a Blues performance that has defined their season - not hard enough for long enough.
Blues loss fight and match
It is a well-worn phrase, but never has it been more appropriate than to sum up Mick Malthouse's debut season at Visy Park.
A side that has lost more 'coulda, woulda shoulda' games than just about any other in 2013, last night lost to a weakened Fremantle side that was there for the taking at Etihad Stadium.
The Dockers won a physical, sometimes spiteful and see-sawing contest 17.14 (116) to 12.8 (80).Fremantle, without Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin and late withdrawal Garrick Ibbotson, booted five goals to one in the last quarter to keep its top-four hopes very much alive. For the Blues, who lost Andrew Carrazzo to a quad injury in the first quarter, finals are highly unlikely now.
The Dockers play this game like no other. They drag four quarters of football into a battle of desire.
Carlton, desperately needing to claim the scalp of a top-tier side, couldn't match the desire of a visiting team down on personnel.
Ross Lyon's men won the contested ball 153-140, clearances 41-35 and dominated the inside 50s 58-42. It was 31 scoring shots to 20. It was comprehensive.
Marc Murphy was silenced by the game's No.1 attack dog, Ryan Crowley and limited to just 13 touches and zero influence. Murphy had just one kick at quarter-time.
In-form forward Lachie Henderson (two goals) was kept in check by Zac Dawson, but when the Blues lose the microscope often falls on three men.
So often the barometer, forward trio Eddie Betts, Chris Yarran and Jeff Garlett failed to fire - the former two particularly quiet.
Betts, demanding more money than Carlton are willing to pay on a new contract, had seven disposals and no scoreboard impact. Yarran had 12 touches and kicked a behind.
Carlton's electricity instead came from rugged Irishman Zach Tuohy, who was involved in the game's most intriguing match-up with best afield Michael Walters.
Tuohy kicked three brilliant goals, two of them back-to-back 50m bombs to the Lockett end as the Blues made their charge in the third quarter.
But Walters finished kicked a goal each quarter to finish with a bag of four from 17 disposals and was brilliant throughout.
Carlton's twin taggers Jarryd Cachia and Ed Curnow went to work on David Mundy and Stephen Hill respectively and did a reasonable job.
But the slack was picked up by a marauding Nathan Fyfe (31 disposals, seven clearances), typically irritating Hayden Ballantyne (17 and 3.3) and Lachie Neale (24 disposals, 18 uncontested).
This was a game engulfed in trench warfare in the first half before exploding to life in the second.
Carlton sprang out of the blocks to monopolise possession and after Garlett kicked the game's second goal to make it 12-0 after eight minutes the Blues lead disposals 30-12.
But the Dockers would awake from their slumber and worked their way back into the contest with a rugged determination that is becoming their trademark. They kicked the last three goals of the first term to lead by eight points at quarter-time.
The game then descended into slog that meant the highlights came around about as often as a Melbourne taxi on a Saturday night.
Those that came were worth talking about and there were few better than a sizzling Stephen Hill, who took a handball from Walters at speed and drilled one from 35m half way through the quarter.
The Dockers controlled both the contested ball (48-31) and clearances (13-7) in the second term to go into the main break with a nine-point lead.
But any feeling the visitors had this one in that vice-like grip of theirs were soon blown out of the water. The Blues opened the third term with renewed vigour - lead by Tuohy's rugged brilliance - and kicked the first two goals.
It was the first of several momentum swings. Fremantle rattled off five unanswered to lead by 28 points 20 minutes into the third before Carlton responded with another two, the latter from Garlett after the three quarter-time siren.
The last half hour began with the Dockers holding onto a 10-point lead. It appeared a vulnerable advantage, but this had been a war of attrition and this mob don't lose games like this.
Fremantle just kept coming. Carlton, not for the first time, didn't.
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