Carlton have once again blown a lead to crash to another crushing defeat that will see the pressure on coach Michael Voss ramp up to the extreme.
The Blues were leading North Melbourne by 21 points midway through the final term, but conceded the final five goals to slump to a 10-point loss.
Coming into the match, all the talk was about Carlton’s second-half fadeouts and captain Patrick Cripps addressed the issue when he prepared to come out for the third quarter.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
At that point the Blues lead by three points.
“It’s all through action now. I can say all I want to you right now, but we’ve got to prove it,” Cripps told Channel 7.
“We’re well aware of it (second-half fadeouts), but we’re going to go at it.“
Initially, it looked like the Blues would banish their demons as they kicked the first three goals of the third term to jump out to a 20-point lead.
They added another two for the quarter to take a 22-point advantage, but it was a familiar story for the long-suffering fans as they watched another golden chance go up in a smoke.
The Kangaroos kicked seven majors in the last quarter to storm home with Harry Sheezel kicking the go-ahead goal before Jy Simpkin sealed it minutes later when they capitalised on another Carlton turnover.
It gave North (3-1) their best start to a season under Alastair Clarkson, and their second win in nine attempts in their Easter marquee fixture.
Sheezel (24 disposals), Caleb Daniel (27), Luke Davies-Uniacke (22), Finn O’Sullivan (21) and Luke Parker (20) were all influential, with Zane Duursma and Cooper Trembath kicking three goals each.
Another week of fierce scrutiny looms for Carlton and coach Voss after their latest flame-out resulted in a 1-3 start to the campaign.
It was the 11th time since the start of 2024 the Blues have lost after leading at half-time.
George Hewett (22 disposals), Ben Ainsworth (21) and Patrick Cripps (21) fought hard, Brodie Kemp kicked three goals and Marc Pittonet cashed in on Tristan Xerri’s absence in the ruck.
But their efforts weren’t enough in a loss made worse when vice-captain Jacob Weitering was forced out early in the last quarter after a serious head knock.
A first half littered with errors from both sides featured six lead changes, with seven of the game’s 11 goals to that point from free-kicks or 50m penalties.
Carlton were lifted by a goal from Nic Newman, who marked his first game since 2024 in style and helped his side to a narrow three-point advantage at the main break.
The Blues kicked the first three goals of the second half to open a 20-point lead and rode the first serious challenge as North fought back.
Harry McKay (two goals) ensured Carlton took momentum into the final term with a team-lifting major after the three-quarter time siren.
Weitering suffered a gash to the back of his head and was concussed by an accidental knee from Zane Duursma in a marking contest.
North’s late fightback was irresistible as they piled on five goals in 21 minutes to claim a stunning victory.
– With AAP
