Carlton AFLW fell to North Melbourne by 53 points on Saturday at Arden Street.

By Sarah Black, AFL Media

Carlton AFLW’s three-game winning streak has come to an end at the hands of North Melbourne, the Blues going down by 53 points on Saturday at Arden Street.

The Kangaroos were commanding in the 12.7 (79) to 4.2 (26) victory.

Carlton’s pressure was excellent in the first half and it took some very neat skills by hand and foot for North Melbourne to work its way out of contests.

Once on the outside, the Roos glided across the field, Amy Smith and Tess Craven waxing lyrical on the wings and comfortably covering the absence of Taylah Gatt, out for an extended period with a syndesmosis injury suffered last week.

Rising first-year Poppy Scholz was swung from defence to attack in the second term, and had an instant impact, kicking the Blues’ first goal for the game.

But Carlton continually coughed up the footy in its defensive zone, with 31 of North Melbourne’s first 34 points coming directly from turnover.

Roo Ash Riddell continued to accumulate the ball at will, tying the disposal record with 43 (held by herself and Ally Anderson), while Jas Garner put in a well-rounded performance, tackling hard and being a presence all over the field.

Stand-in captain Mimi Hill (seven tackles) and Dayna Finn (six tackles) led the way for the Blues with 24 disposals each.

There’s another Scholz in town
She’s flown under the radar a bit, both within her draft class and in the shadow of older sister Matilda, but Poppy Scholz is building a fine debut AFLW season. Drafted as a tall utility who can play on all three lines, Scholz the younger has spent most of her year in defence, but was switched early to provide a target in attack. She has excellent hands overhead, a sense of timing beyond her years, and sharp skills to round out the package.

Up next
Carlton hosts Fremantle at Ikon Park in the twilight slot on the same day.

NORTH MELBOURNE              2.2     5.3     8.5     12.7     (79)
CARLTON                                0.1     1.2     2.2      4.2     (26)

GOALS
North Melbourne: O’Loughlin 2, Randall 2, Garner 2, Riddell, Shierlaw, Craven, Bruton, Bogue, Smith
Carlton: Bohanna 2, Scholz, S.McKay 

BEST
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, Smith, Craven, Bruton, Tripodi
Carlton: Hill, Finn, Cordner, Fitzgerald

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Carlton: Nil

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Vikki Wall (elbow), replaced in selected side by Amy Gavin Mangan
Carlton: Nil

Crowd: 2,633 at Arden Street Oval