THINGS have gone from bad to worse for Carlton coach Michael Voss after his side was thrashed by 50 points by Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.

It was a horror night for Voss and his men who only managed to score one goal before half-time, eventually going down 16.14 (110) to 8.12 (60) in front of a crowd of 30,381.

In contrast, Port Adelaide had no difficulty scoring, with star forward Mitch Georgiades having a night to remember with five goals, placing him third in the race for the Coleman Medal behind Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron and Greater Western Sydney’s Jesse Hogan.

Port Adelaide’s forwards were given plenty of supply from their dominant midfield, in particular Zak Butters (30 disposals and nine inside 50s) and Miles Bergman (25 disposals, two goals).

The defeat makes it two disappointing losses in a row for the Blues, who fell to North Melbourne five days ago. The drubbing will do nothing to quell the scrutiny on Blues coach Voss, with Carlton now almost certain to miss finals in 2025.

In further bad news for the Blues, influential defender Adam Saad was subbed out of the match with concussion following a collision with Port ruck Dante Visentini in the second quarter.

What started as a high-pressure game quickly unravelled when Port began to pile on goals, the first coming through Darcy Byrne-Jones followed moments later by Kane Farrell, who blasted one from long range outside 50.

Highlights: Port Adelaide v Carlton

The Power and Blues clash in round 16 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

Georgiades caused headaches for the Blues defenders, kicking two goals in the first term on Jacob Weitering, while at the other end, Carlton’s main avenue to goal, Charlie Curnow, kicked two behinds.

As the Power continued to extend their lead and without a goal on the board, a frustrated Voss left the coaches box and headed down to the bench in an attempt to get a response from his team.

Georgiades goes big with bag of five

Mitch Georgiades continues his strong form with a five-goal haul against the hapless Blues

There was finally relief for Carlton fans when Lewis Young broke the run of eight Port Adelaide goals with his side’s first with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

Port came out after the break with the same intensity and desperation it had in the first half kicking the first three goals, one through Power games record holder Travis Boak, much to the delight of the home fans.

Goalsneak Willie Rioli, who hadn’t touched the ball in the first half, started to have influence on the game with two goals with his first three disposals as Port Adelaide’s lead extended to a game-high 68 points.

Willie weaves magic twice as Power electrify

Port continues to run riot as Willie Rioli chips in with two eye-catching goals in the third term

Frustrations started to boil over for Carlton players as scuffles broke out across the ground.

Carlton saved some face with three of the last four goals of the game, with Orazio Fantasia and Sam Docherty hitting the scoreboard after battling hard all night.

Nervous wait for Port tall
Port Adelaide big man Dante Visentini will have a nervous wait ahead of him following a bump to the jaw of Carlton defender Adam Saad in the second quarter. The 202cm ruck’s shoulder made contact with Saad’s jaw, resulting in the Carlton defender leaving the ground at the main break. The head-high contact will no doubt draw attention from the Match Review Officer, with Saad to miss at least the round 17 match against Collingwood next Thursday.

Siren brawl erupts after ruckman’s bump on Saad

Dante Visentini may find himself in MRO trouble after clipping Adam Saad high, sparking a scuffle as the second quarter comes to a close

Frustrated Curnow kept goalless
For the second consecutive week, two-time Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow was held goalless – the first time that has happened since 2021. The Carlton key forward had his opportunities on Thursday night, but squandered chances in front of goal and ending his night with three behinds. Curnow is often the barometer for the Blues and Carlton will need him to get him firing if it plans to finish the season with some sort of momentum.

PORT ADELAIDE     5.4    8.10    13.11    16.14 (110)
CARLTON      0.3    1.6     4.9    8.12 (60) 

GOALS 
Port Adelaide: Georgiades 5, Rioli 3, Byrne-Jones 2, Bergman 2, Farrell, Jones, Boak, Visentini
Carlton: Fantasia 2, L.Young, Motlop, Williams, Hollands, Docherty, Cripps

BEST
Port Adelaide: Georgiades, Rozee, Butters, Bergman, Ratugolea
Carlton: Hewett, De Koning, Docherty, Haynes, Fantasia, Motlop

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Carlton: Adam Saad (concussion)

SUBSTITUTES
Port Adelaide: Logan Evans (replaced Jason Horne-Francis in the fourth quarter)
Carlton: Flynn Young (replaced Adam Saad in the third quarter)

Crowd: 30,381 at Adelaide Oval