From the official VFL website
Reported by Brendan Rhodes
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A review of all the action from Round 4 of the 2023 Smithy’s VFL season.

CARLTON vs RICHMOND

CARLTON 1.4 5.7 5.11 9.14 (68)
RICHMOND 2.3 4.6 5.9 8.11 (59)

CARLTON was forced to fight all the way to claim its second victory of the Smithy’s VFL season when it saw off an undermanned but plucky Richmond by nine points at IKON Park on Friday night.

Richmond fielded just four AFL-listed players, only one of which who has played at the highest level, in Thomson Dow.

The Tigers also blooded four VFL debutant but took it right up to a Blues’ team with 12 listed and five former AFL players, with the home team never able to feel comfortable as the visitors kept coming until the final siren.

Richmond even led by 10 points early in the second term before two goals from Ned Cahill and another from Lachie Fogarty gave Carlton a lead it would not relinquish, even though the margin was only two points at the last change.

The Blues kicked four of the first five goals of the last term to get out by 19 points at the 25-minute mark and looked to have finally broken through, but Garrett McDonagh and Lachlan Johnson responded within three minutes to set up a nervous finish.

Carlton had 84 more disposals, 37 more marks, 22 more inside-50s and a whopping 62-13 hitout advantage, but McDonagh (29 possessions, seven marks, two goals) and skipper Lachlan Street (21 disposals, eight marks) lifted their young teammates and Cam Olden (20 disposals, six tackles, nine clearances), Dow (20 disposals, five marks), Sam Banks (18 disposals, two goals) and Mutaz El Nour (21 disposals) came to the party.

But they had no answer to Alex Cincotta (37, eight marks, 11 inside-50s), who continually turned them back and pumped the ball into attack, while their undersized forward line was no match for Sam Durdin, who took a stunning 16 marks on his way to 26 disposals and five rebound-50s.

Brodie Kemp (31 disposals, 11 marks, four rebounds), Jaxon Binns (30 disposals, 11 marks, five rebounds) and Liam McMahon (25 disposals, eight marks) were also prominent, while Paddy Dow (27 disposals, six tackles, nine clearances, one goal), Lochie O’Brien (27 disposals, nine marks, one goal), Fogarty (23 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances), youngster Heath Ramshaw (25, disposals six marks, five tackles) and big man Alex Mirkov (51 hitouts) saw plenty of action.