Dixon and Lynch pairing dominant until injury ended big Charlie's afternoon

For the best part of two-and-a-half quarters on Sunday afternoon, the combination of Charlie Dixon and Tom Lynch threatened to tear the game apart. Carlton simply couldn’t contain the two of them, who despite ordinary delivery inside 50, made the most of their opportunities. With Lynch playing high, and Dixon closer to goal, the SUNS have rarely looked as dangerous during an underwhelming campaign. Unfortunately, the rage didn’t last for an extended period. Dixon was substituted out of the affair halfway through the third quarter with a recurring ankle injury that brought an impressive afternoon to a sudden halt. Up until that point in time, Gold Coast looked particularly potent in attack, with Dixon plucking four marks inside the arc and kicking 3.2. By the final siren, the well dried up, and without his partner in crime, the forward line structure broke down and Lynch wasn’t able to impact the game like he had earlier in the piece. He finished with 4.0 from 11 possessions and pumped the ball inside 50 on five separate occasions to be one of the SUNS' best contributors, but the effort further highlighted the importance of Dixon and Lynch working in tandem.

Midfield decimation kills SUNS

Gold Coast’s inability to spread has been a major area of concern for the majority of the season. The absence of outside speed and pure class in the engine room has affected the SUNS’ capacity to win the midfield battle, or halve the contest. After an impressive three-game patch against some of the premier midfield divisions in the game – Hawthorn, Sydney and Fremantle – the gulf in personnel was far more even that it had been prior to the bye. No Chris Judd and no Bryce Gibbs helped even out the absence of Gary Ablett, David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara. But despite the more level playing field, Gold Coast were comprehensively beaten in the middle of the ground. Many predicted young gun Patrick Cripps to lead the charge, but he was well held by his first genuine tag in Andrew Raines. Marc Murphy produced arguably his most influential performance of 2015 with a combination of inside-outside class, and Tom Bell played one of the best games of his career. The alarming discrepancies in handball receives (+85), disposals (+130), contested ball (+30), clearances (+22) and uncontested possessions (+100) told the tale on an extremely disappointing day for the SUNS.

Opening term purple patch causes Blues headaches

At the end of the first quarter, the SUNS were well placed having overcome a slow start to post a 14-point lead at the first interval. After conceding the opening two goals, Gold Coast booted five of the next six to swing the momentum in their favour at quarter time. Dixon and Lynch were dangerous, causing Blues defensive pairing Sam Rowe and Simon White headaches whenever the ball came in their vicinity. Lynch booted two goals in the space of a minute, thanks to a 50m penalty from Levi Casboult that brought him to right on the arc. He then produced a moment of mastery when he evaded a couple of opponents before snapping over his shoulder to kick back-to-back goals and kick the SUNS' third goal in four minutes. With Dixon and Lynch firing on all cylinders, Carlton appeared to have made an error in judgement in keeping first-choice key defender Michael Jamison out of the side for another week.

After starting in the substitute's vest, Malceski shows positive signs

The sight of prized recruit Nick Malceski in the green vest was a minor surprise to start proceedings, given the All Australian had played close to 70 per cent of the game against Fremantle after starting as the substitute. His first season at Metricon Stadium has not been what he would of envisaged with injury and form concerns not allowing him to produce anything near his best. With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Malceski replaced the injured Dixon and promptly got involved. Without setting the world on fire on an otherwise dark afternoon for Rodney Eade’s side, Malceski showed glimpses of class and had no trouble attracting the football. Given Gold Coast only accumulated 282 possessions for the entire afternoon, the fact Malceski gathered 12 touches in 31 per cent game time was quite impressive. Only nine of his teammates touched the ball more times than he did. A grim reality that outlines a growing concern in Carrara at the moment. In the last two matches, Malceski has now played close to 120 minutes. His ball use was better than it was earlier in the season, with the rebounding defender using the ball at an elite 91.7 per cent. Nothing is certain in football, but now that he has put more work into his ageing body, Malceski might be destined  for a full game against North Melbourne this weekend.

Reliable Rischitelli produces another four-quarter performance

Michael Rischitelli has been a picture of reliability throughout a bleak first half of 2015. The veteran midfielder assumed the title of stand-in-captain during Ablett’s absence and his all round game has elevated in the process. Again on Sunday afternoon, with minimal support around him, Rischitelli carried the load in the midfield. Gold Coast was comprehensively beaten around the ball with statistics already examined in this column underlining Carlton’s dominance. Despite a lack of support - an unwillingness to work for large portions of the game - Rischitelli willed himself through the encounter to finish with a team-high 25 possessions, nine marks, seven tackles and six inside 50s. With the support crew consisting of just Harley Bennell (24 possessions) and an at times undisciplined Raines who put the clamps on Patrick Cripps, the SUNS' disappointing afternoon will put the blowtorch on an engine room that were comprehensively outworked for the duration of the encounter.