Geelong jumped Carlton at the MCG on Saturday night and had the Blues under the pump before the first break, leading 28-8 with two minutes to go in the opening quarter of their round 12 AFL clash. Ollie Dempsey was central to the early damage, grabbing the ball in the forward pocket and snapping it onto his boot for a goal that was not reviewed by the ARC.

That decision drew quick attention from the commentary box. Garry Lyon said Dempsey should have had three goals, before adding that Davey Rodan did not see it. The Cats kept the pressure on through the second term as Carlton tried to settle, with Flynn Young snapping a goal early in the quarter and Jack Ison winning a free kick against Tom Stewart before converting for the Blues.

By 19 minutes to go in the second quarter, Geelong still held a narrow 28-9 edge, but Carlton had edged back into the contest and the scoreboard tightened again when the Cats led 29-22 with 15 minutes left in the term. Shannon Neale also returned to the game during the second quarter after taking a painful knee to the hip, giving Geelong another forward target as the match opened up.

The shape of the game made Geelong’s first-quarter surge look no accident. The Cats were described as brutal on turnover and especially effective through the corridor, and they also took six contested marks while Carlton managed none. That left the Blues chasing the ball and needing Harry McKay and Brodie Kemp to lift ahead of it if they were going to reel the Cats back in.

Carlton’s response came in bursts, but the early mismatch had already set the terms. Geelong’s ability to win territory and punish mistakes gave it a base on the scoreboard, while the ARC miss on Dempsey’s first score added another layer to a night Carlton would feel it had to keep chasing. If the Blues could not find more support around McKay and Kemp, Geelong looked capable of making the margin grow again as the game wore on.