Footy fans were treated to an old-fashioned shootout as Carlton bested Essendon 123-107 in a high-scoring affair on Sunday at the MCG.
The historical rivals traded blows all afternoon with the ball moving freely from end to end throughout.
Essendon started the game well before Carlton brought them back at half-time with the margin remaining tight until the Blues began to pull away late.
Ultimately, Carlton had a little too much class for the Bombers with Sam Walsh continuing his remarkable season thus far with 33 disposals and a goal.
Jacob Weitering and Darcy Parish were both standouts in their 100th games while forwards at either end enjoyed the ball coming in at speed with Cale Hooker (5 goals) and Harry McKay (4 goals) being the main beneficiaries.
Essendon’s medical sub went unused while Carlton have injury concerns with Paddy Dow (eye) being subbed off in the second term and Mitch McGovern (hamstring) coming from the ground late.
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Young Carlton trio affirm star status
Carlton are set for the future with star midfielder Sam Walsh flourishing into a genuine match winner and bookends Harry McKay and Jacob Weitering truly imposing themselves on the competition.
Walsh, 20, was always billed as a future star since being drafted but few would have foreseen how impressive he would be in just his third season.
Sam Walsh sidesteps and goes with the checkside 🌟#ColesGoals | #AFLDonsBlues pic.twitter.com/L4ZmFSgexc
— AFL (@AFL) May 2, 2021
While Weitering and McKay are slightly older at 23 they’re now the players Carlton powerbrokers would have hoped they could become.
McKay may just be the favourite for the Coleman medal and Weitering and Walsh look set for maiden All-Australian blazers in 2021.
If these three continue their upwards trajectory who knows where they can take the side.
Plenty to take from the game for Essendon
The result probably indicates where both sides are at stages of their development.
Essendon and Carlton have both undertaken significant rebuilds, but the Blues are at least one extra season down the track.
Darcy Parish was again impressive with 26 disposals after his ANZAC Day performance and they were well in the contest up until the final siren.
The Bombers are better than a handful of sides in the competition at present and that’s impressive in itself after many predicted a dire season following the departure of several key players.
Ben Rutten’s system appears strong and the club will be better off going forward with their young stars now possessing big game experience from the past fortnight.
What’s next?
In Round 8 Essendon meet the Giants in Sydney while Carlton will test themselves against a strong Bulldogs outfit on Sunday.
FULL SCORE
Essendon: 6.4, 8.7, 12.8, 16.11. (107)
Carlton: 4.2, 8.5, 14.7, 19.9. (123)
GOALS
Essendon: Hooker 5, McDonald-Tipungwuti 4, Stringer 3, Jones 3, Smith
Carlton: McKay 4, Betts 3, Owies 3, Cunningham 2, Fogarty 2, Cripps, Curnow, Walsh, McGovern, Saad
BEST
Essendon: Darcy Parish, Cale Hooker, Zach Merrett, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Andrew McGrath, Jake Stringer
Carlton: Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay, Patrick Cripps, Ed Curnow, David Cunningham