Carlton took a giant stride towards securing a place in the AFL's inaugural wildcard round on Sunday night, dismantling a battered St Kilda by 44 points at Marvel Stadium in a performance that is rapidly making interim coach Josh Fraser's case for the permanent job. Earlier in the same double-header, the Carlton women delivered a commanding 26-point victory over St Kilda to open the 2026 AFLW season, while Gold Coast ended a damaging 10-game losing streak.

Blues close in on wildcard berth as Saints' finals hopes fade

Carlton's 10th win from 12 matches under Fraser continued one of the season's most remarkable turnarounds. The Blues had managed just a single victory from their first nine games before Michael Voss stepped down as coach in May. Now, sitting in 10th position, they are two games clear of the injury-ravaged Saints with two rounds remaining in the home-and-away season.

The equation is straightforward: a win over the Western Bulldogs next Sunday would lock in Carlton's wildcard berth and further cement Fraser's credentials as a permanent appointment. Media commentary has already moved firmly in Fraser's direction, with his defensive transformation of the side a particular talking point — Sunday's result marked the eighth time under his tenure that the Blues conceded fewer than 80 points. St Kilda mustered just eight goals for the evening, finishing on 62 points.

Francis Evans produced what many observers considered a career-best performance, playing for his third AFL club and delivering 22 disposals, 12 inside-50s, 10 score involvements and a goal. George Hewett gathered 20 of his 26 disposals before half-time, by which point Carlton already led by 25 points. Ruckman Marc Pittonet kicked two goals and got the better of his former teammate Tom De Koning, as well as Rowan Marshall.

The Saints, by contrast, were a walking casualty ward. Star midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera — who had barely trained all week due to a hip complaint — lasted just nine minutes before suffering a left hamstring injury in a chase on the wing. He was ruled out almost immediately, and his season is likely over. Mason Wood followed him to the bench before half-time with a calf injury, while De Koning (right shoulder), Liam Ryan (left shoulder) and Bradley Hill (left knee) played through their own ailments. Hill's continued involvement was particularly striking after he appeared to hyperextend his knee from an aerial contest and had to be assisted from the ground, only to return.

It was a painful night for a club that invested heavily in the off-season, luring De Koning and Jack Silvagni away from Carlton, as well as securing Ryan and Sam Flanders. Silvagni and De Koning were greeted with sustained booing from Carlton supporters throughout. Flanders has already been lost for the season with an Achilles tendon rupture, and De Koning missed more than a month recovering from a punctured lung and broken ribs. The match was also the sixth annual Spud's Game, honouring the late St Kilda great Danny Frawley, which added emotional weight to an otherwise difficult evening for the Saints.

Hill's 31 disposals led all players, while Max Hall finished with 30 touches, two goals and 10 clearances to be among St Kilda's best. St Kilda remain mathematically alive in 11th — they must win their final two matches against Richmond and Gold Coast, and require Carlton and the Bulldogs to both lose their remaining games.

AFLW season opens to a crowd of more than 20,000 at Docklands

The AFLW curtain-raiser proved a worthy spectacle, with Carlton defeating St Kilda 9.12 (66) to 6.4 (40) in front of a crowd that reached an official count of 20,455 by the final quarter — a strong endorsement of the double-header concept, with several thousand fans already present at kick-off.

Carlton, who reached the preliminary final last season, were without key personnel — young forward Sophie McKay (calf), best and fairest winner Keeley Sherar (quad) and ruck recruit Lauren Bella (calf) were all sidelined — yet still dominated the opening half. Young Poppy Scholz ignited the Blues early, brushing past a defender to kick the first goal and spark a run of four unanswered majors.

Skipper Abbie McKay was exceptional, finishing with 32 disposals and nine clearances, supported by Mimi Hill (28 disposals), recruit Claudia Whitfort (27 touches), Irish midfielder Dayna Finn (22 disposals) and Lila Keck, who contributed 21 disposals and two goals. Lily Goss also kicked two goals.

Carlton led by as many as 31 points, but St Kilda refused to capitulate. Amber Clarke delivered two superb fourth-quarter goals — including a skidding soccer from a tight angle just 27 seconds into the term — to cut the margin to 11. But Darcy Vescio and Keck added late majors to seal the result comfortably.

Tyanna Smith was St Kilda's standout with 625 metres gained, eight clearances, 19 disposals and two goals, while Georgia Patrikios gathered 27 disposals. St Kilda's J'Noemi Anderson suffered a hamstring injury during the game.

The double-header format drew widespread praise, with the crowd figures likely to prompt calls for further alignment of the AFLW and men's fixture schedules throughout the season.

What's next

Carlton's AFL side face the Western Bulldogs next Sunday in a match that could confirm their wildcard place. In AFLW, Carlton host Adelaide at Princes Park, while St Kilda travel to face Geelong. Round 1 of the AFLW season continues on Thursday with Hawthorn hosting Melbourne.