2 BILLIE SMEDTS returned to the senior side for his first appearance since round 14. The young Cat has been developed as a defender this season and remains a work in progress. He took five marks and collected 13 possessions playing 60% of game time. Smedts was substituted for fellow young defender Jackson Thurlow early in the final term.
DT: 55
SC: 36

4 ANDREW MACKIE gathered 17 disposals playing across half back. Carlton fielded a fairly tall forward line and Mackie was able to adjust his approach to better counter his opponent. He was impressive in the air, taking seven marks, but was limited from making an impact in the attacking half of the ground.
DT: 75
SC: 60

5 TRAVIS VARCOE did not win a lot of the ball early in the match but his defensive pressure was excellent. His willingness to chase and harass the opposition forced several turnovers in the opening quarter and contributed to Geelong’s early dominance. Varcoe found more of the footy as the game progressed and finished with 11 possessions.
DT: 37
SC: 50

7 HARRY TAYLOR took on emerging Carlton forward Levi Casboult in a contest of aerial experts. Taylor is enjoying a rich vein of form and dominated his opponent in the air and on the ground. He  made seven spoils, took eight marks and provided four rebound 50s with his 24 possessions.
DT: 84
SC: 132

9 JAMES KELLY played in the defensive post he has occupied all year despite the absence of senior onballers. He remains an effective member of the Cat’s back six, collecting 22 disposals. He rebounded from the back 50 three times and pushed forward to kick into the attacking 50 on four occasions. Kelly, like the rest of the Geelong defence, enjoys attacking when he can, but took offensive intent to new levels when he attempted a bounce handpass across the goal face and conceded a goal.
DT: 64
SC: 87

13 TOM LONERGAN delivered a strong defensive performance, as he does so consistently. He is never wasteful with possession and Friday night was no exception, effective with 12 of his 13 disposals. Lonergan also took four marks and made five spoils rotating between Carlton forwards Jarrad Waite and Simon White.
DT: 38
SC: 59

14 JOEL SELWOOD was far and away the most influential player on the ground in the first quarter, tallying 10 disposals and kicking a goal. The Geelong captain then felt the squeeze of former Cat Andrew Carrazzo, who successfully restricted him for the rest of the match. Selwood led the Cats with seven tackles and won five clearances with his 21 disposals.
DT: 104
SC: 110

17 HAMISH McINTOSH is one of several Cats producing his best football at the business end of the season. He won 18 hit-outs in an even aerial contest with Carlton’s Cameron Wood and was far superior around the ground. McIntosh took eight marks and collected 16 disposals, delivering the ball inside forward 50 four times and scoring a goal on the run in the second quarter.
DT: 95
SC: 90

22 MITCH DUNCAN has enjoyed his most consistent season and averages 22 disposals as a permanent onballer. In a depleted midfield he was quiet by comparison, collecting just 14 touches. He made the most of his opportunities with ball in hand, winning two clearances and executing with 92.9% efficiency.
DT: 48
SC: 59

23 JOSH CADDY played his best game as a Cat, collecting 28 touches. He provided much needed strength and aggression in the midfield, winning 16 of his possessions in a contest and contributing four clearances and four tackles. Caddy made a big impact when he pushed forward despite being wasteful with his opportunities. He generated two goals by outnumbering the opposition inside 50 and scored one goal and two behinds from set shots.
DT: 108
SC: 140

24 JED BEWS was selected for the seventh game of his short career after a month in the VFL. He didn’t have a great influence offensively, but the young half-back’s defensive effort was unrelenting. Bews was effective with five of his six disposals, took three marks and made five tackles.
DT: 43
SC: 36

25 JARED RIVERS outplayed his inexperienced opponent Simon White, limiting him to just six possessions and a goal. Rivers was most effective in the air, taking five marks and making a game-high 10 spoils. He had 12 disposals, 10 of which were kicks, and executed with 83.3% efficiency.
DT: 58
SC: 80

26 TOM HAWKINS was the most effective big forward on the ground despite registering no goals for the game. It was just the second time this season that Hawkins has been held goalless, although he did have several opportunities, taking six of his eight marks inside 50. The big Cat tallied 15 disposals and contributed one goal assist, playing 100% of game time.
DT: 78
SC: 63

27 MATHEW STOKES returned to top form after an ineffective performance against Fremantle. He provided much needed experience in a depleted midfield and won four clearances with his 24 disposals. Forward of centre Stokes was most influential, contributing four inside 50 and a goal assist.
DT: 65
SC: 86

28 ALLEN CHRISTENSEN tallied 20 touches, spending more time in the midfield than he has in recent weeks. With three of Geelong’s top six goal kickers missing from the side, Christensen was still required to make an impact in attack and he did not disappoint. His first goal put the Cats in front after Carlton took the lead early in the third quarter and his second, from a fortunate free kick, proved the match winner.
DT: 99
SC: 122

29 CAMERON GUTHRIE was given a defensive role on Carlton captain Marc Murphy. The young onballer was relentless in his application, restricting Murphy to 19 disposals for the match. Guthrie gathered 11 possessions and twice kicked the Cats inside 50, but it was his ability to shutdown a dangerous opponent that had the biggest influence on the outcome.
DT: 49
SC: 57

32 STEVEN MOTLOP was the creative spark and goal source that Geelong needed with Bartel, Johnson and Murdoch all missing through injury. The Cats struggled to score at times and Motlop’s three goals, one in each of the first three quarters, helped to keep them in the game. He set up goals as well as score them, taking three of his six marks inside 50 and kicking into the arc with five of his 18 possessions.
DT: 81
SC: 72

33 GEORGE HORLIN-SMITH had the opportunity to play almost the entire game in the midfield and made an impact while he was there. He laid three tackles, contributed three inside 50s and won three clearances. Horlin-Smith also provided one goal assist with his 16 disposals.
DT: 69
SC: 83

39 SHANE KERSTEN struggled to stay involved in the play, placing a great deal of pressure on fellow tall forward Tom Hawkins. He is still a developing prospect, playing in just his eight game of AFL football, and coach Chris Scott said he was happy with Kersten’s structural contribution in his post-match press conference. The young forward took three marks, made three tackles and tallied four disposals for the match.
DT: 29
SC: 19

40 JACKSON THURLOW replaced young forward Jordan Murdoch who was a late withdrawal from the game. Thurlow was the starting substitute, as he was against Port Adelaide in his only other AFL appearance this season. He was activated in the final quarter for Billie Smedts and immediately influenced the contest. Thurlow’s running goal from 50m was the most crucial of his three possessions, reducing the margin to one point late in the game.
DT: 19
SC: 55

44 COREY ENRIGHT was excellent across half-back, surpassing 25 disposals for the fourth time in five weeks. He was 77% effective with possession, a critical turnover when clearing the goal line one of the few blemishes. Enright won the majority of his 26 disposals at ground level, rebounding defensive 50 on four occasions and entering the attacking arc on three.
DT: 76
SC: 105

46 MARK BLICAVS could not have started the game in better fashion, taking a mark inside 50 and converting his set shot before a minute of game time had elapsed. His ability to play multiple roles within a game has been enormously valuable for the Cats and he spent a lot of time in attack on Friday night. He won 13 hit-outs when supporting in the ruck and was effective 17 of his 19 disposals.
DT: 99
SC: 120