Carlton v North Melbourne: Kangaroos win handsomely

This was a game that North Melbourne couldn't blow, and in which Carlton couldn't be blown apart. Both clubs satisfied those pass marks, despite the final score. In winning handsomely, the Kangas firmed up their position in the eight.

North, indeed, is an increasingly likely finalist, given that they have 10 wins on the board and a relatively friendly draw. Their conquest of the Blues was solid, not stupendous, but they finished with a flurry. With upcoming games against Melbourne and the Saints, the Roos ought to be finals-bound within a fortnight.

After an entertaining first half, in which the Blues recovered to play some enterprising footy and drew close, North regained the ascendancy from the middle of the third quarter and subsequently cantered to the expected victory by 64 points.

If North simply needed the win, the Blues required a major improvement on their previous showing. They had been at their uncompetitive worst against the Hawks, prompting fears that were sliding back to the early season formline that had put paid to Mick Malthouse's tenure.

The John Barker Blues ticked the competitive box for more than a half. Their resistance lasted until the middle of the third quarter - when they had been within two kicks - but Carlton folk didn't get a happy ending. The margin was a genuine measure of where these teams stand in 2015.

North's supremacy was founded upon their ability to use the ball and find space, their ability to hurt on the spread and find open players, rather than domination of the clinches. 

North recruits Jarrad Waite and Shaun Higgins were prominent figures. The former forward played a Jarrad Waite classic in his 200th game against his old team, mixing brilliance -  a banana goal on the run, some springy marks and a lovely athletic snap - with some trademark blunders. Waite had invited the Carlton folk to boo him, and they obliged.

Jack Ziebell and Todd Goldstein were important, while Nick Dal Santo made his touches count in the third quarter. Lindsay Thomas paid tribute to Adam Goodes with a Aboriginal emblem on his right arm, but was quiet until the final term.

The Blues were well served by Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson and their most impressive kid, Patrick Cripps. Matthew Kreuzer, while beaten by the outstanding Goldstein in the ruck, provided further encouragement with his competitive work around the ground.

Carlton had appeared to be headed for another severe flogging in the opening quarter, when North put on the first four goals and the Blues struggled to retain possession or even to apply serious pressure.

The Roos had too many easy balls, were afforded a worrisome amount of space and had numerous marks inside their forward 50m arc. Brent Harvey, handed the compliment of having tagger Ed Curnow, enjoyed the opening quarter of his 401st game, when Boomer had two goals on the board - including the game's first - and several telling touches.

Waite was playing an effective role as a lead-up forward, while Drew Petrie and Goldstein goaled from impressive grabs. The Blues didn't have many scoring chances, but they gained some momentum - or arrested North's - on the quarter time siren when an improving Blaine Boekhorst sank a long one from outside 50m.

The Blues improved greatly in the second quarter, as they discovered some defensive intent, started to rebound and run with some fluency and found open targets inside their scoring territory, where Lachie Henderson provided an intelligent focal point and Levi Casboult a deep target. 

Cripps and Murphy were instrumental in this second quarter surge, as they began to win disputed balls in the midfield. When Cripps handed off to Zac Tuohy and the Irishman sank their sixth goal - and fifth for the term - the Blues were within a kick.

North would add another before the half-time siren, to Petrie, to shore up their lead. But the tone of the match had completely changed. The Blues led the contested ball count by 10 and a decided edge in the centre clearances (9-4). Skipper Marc Murphy led the charge, with support from Cripps, Kade Simpson and rebounders Tuohy and Sam Docherty. 

Ben Cunnington and Andrew Swallow were both relatively subdued, but there were enough Roos around the ball to compensate. 

They're in the eight. The Blues are poised for a busy post-season.

Votes:

Jack Ziebell (North)         8
Shaun Higgins (North)     8
Todd Goldstein (North)    7
Marc Murphy (Carlton)    6
Sam Wright (North)         6