GEELONG has fallen to Carlton by eight points in their Round 2 clash with Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.

Geelong trailed Carlton at every change before a Jeremy Cameron masterclass saw the Cats close within eight points of the lead but the Blues held on to record a 13.12 (90) to 12.10 (82) win.

MATCH CENTRE - GEELONG v CARLTON

After dropping round 22 by five points to Melbourne and round 23 to Collingwood by a single point, before starting the 2023 season with a draw, Carlton showed the growth they've made across the week by finally winning a single-digit margin game. 

Last season may have ended without a return to September for the first time since 2013, but it was the rebirth of Charlie Curnow after two years in the wilderness.

The 26-year-old kicked 64 goals in 2022 to win the Coleman Medal and was the star of the show again, slotting five goals from 11 disposals and nine marks to lead Carlton to its first victory of 2023. 

It was a shootout between two Coleman medallists at either end of the ground. It wasn't quite Gary Ablett and Tony Lockett from another era, but 2019 Coleman medallist Cameron was the reason Geelong remained in the contest for as long as it did.

The three-time All-Australian was at his clinical best at the MCG, nailing long-range set shots and well-executed snaps like a sniper hitting the target from a mile away, finishing with six goals from 25 disposals, eight marks and 592 metres gained. 

Cameron almost did enough to drag Geelong across the line, but it was Lewis Young who took the game-saving mark on the superstar Cat to end the game.

With no Tom Stewart, Jake Kolodjashnij or Jack Henry, Geelong was always going to have trouble if it didn't stop the supply to Curnow and Harry McKay.

Cameron Guthrie finished as Geelong's leading disposal winner with 25 and alongside Isaac Smith (23 disposals, 464 metres gained) and Max Holmes (23 disposals) were named in the Cats best alongside Cameron.

Geelong will now turn their attention to Round 3 where they'll take on the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium on Sunday 2 April.

Four Coleman medallists on the same ground

Thursday night featured four Coleman Medal winners in the same game – the past four winners – for only the second time in history. Carlton stars Charlie Curnow (2022) and Harry McKay (2021) have won the past two. Geelong premiership pair Tom Hawkins (2020) and Jeremy Cameron (2019) the two before that. The last time that happened was in 1902, well before John Coleman was born, let alone the goalkicking award was named in his honour.

Two more new faces for Cats

Geelong got a first look at Ollie Henry and Tanner Bruhn last Friday night, but on Thursday night, the Cats got their first look at Jack Bowes. The Queenslander arrived at GMHBA Stadium last October following one of the most talked about moves of the Trade Period, given the contract and pick attached. But after missing round one due to a minor calf issue, Bowes was busy early before finishing with 20 disposals and 461 metres gained. Cooper Whyte played his first AFL game after earning a shot following strong form late in the pre-season. The 20-year-old entered the game in the last quarter.

Brothers do battle

They faced each other for the first time in round 18 last year, but there was extra interest on Thursday night given all the recent speculation regarding the contract status of Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning. The Cats have been linked to the 23-year-old, along with a few other clubs already. With Marc Pittonet coming in late, De Koning shared the ruck duties, finishing with 22 hitouts and 11 disposals. Sam De Koning was banged up last week and copped a few hits again on Thursday. The pair engaged in one clash which caught the eye in the first half. They weren't the only set of brothers on the ground, with the Curnows and Guthries teaming up.

CARLTON         2.6      6.8      12.11      13.12 (90)
GEELONG         2.1      5.6        9.6        12.10 (82)

GOALS 
Carlton: C.Curnow 5, Owies 3, Motlop, McKay, Fisher, Durdin, E.Curnow
Geelong: Cameron 6, Henry 2, Rohan, Hawkins, Close, Blicavs 

BEST 
Carlton: C.Curnow, Saad, Acres, E.Curnow, Weitering, Kennedy, Owies, Cripps
Geelong: Cameron, Smith, C.Guthrie, Holmes

INJURIES 
Carlton: Nil
Geelong: Stanley (ribs)

LATE CHANGES
Carlton: Jack Martin (calf) replaced in selected side by Marc Pittonet
Geelong: Nil

SUBSTITUTES 
Carlton: Lochie O'Brien (replaced Jack Silvagni in fourth quarter)
Geelong: Cooper Whyte (replaced Rhys Stanley in fourth quarter)

Crowd: 55,162 at the MCG