It was Hayden Ballantyne’s turn to feel the heat in Perth last week after a shocker against the Hawks. He had booted just 10 goals from 12 games before Saturday night and again found the going tough against Dylan Buckley. Ballantyne broke free for a mark and goal late in the first term but injured his right shoulder shortly after when his fierce tackling attempt on Carlton captain Marc Murphy backfired. He reappeared with his shoulder strapped for the start of the second term but looked to be favouring it from then on and was subbed out at half-time. He finished the game with four disposals and 1.0.

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Former WA under-18 captain Brad Walsh only found his way on to Carlton’s list via last year’s rookie draft, but that is a well-worn path by recent stars from the west. Matt Priddis, Dean Cox and Aaron Sandilands are among those who started as rookies before developing stellar careers. Walsh, 18, didn’t take long to have an impact at VFL level and was called up for his debut against Fremantle, the club he trained with on his way to the draft. He started as the substitute but came on 17 minutes into the third term and got a kick straight away on a ground he knows pretty well. Another who was very familiar with Domain Stadium was former Subiaco player Simon White who did the impossible – kept Brownlow medallist-elect Nat Fyfe quiet. 

He has had a long wait, but Jonathon Griffin finally got another chance to team up with goliath Aaron Sandilands for the Dockers. Griffin only played one match last year, when Sandilands was missing, and Saturday night’s clash with the Blues was his first game for 2015. He and Sandilands last played together back in round 23, 2012, but after watching Ben McEvoy and David Hale help destroy them last Sunday, the Dockers thought it was worth another go. Griffin got off to a dream start, booting a goal from a tight angle in the first quarter although that proved to be his only kick of the first half. The rain arrived at the long break and Griffin’s overall impact by the end of the game was moderate.

Carlton conceded 20 goals the last time they were in Perth in a round 2 flogging from West Coast, and while they didn’t keep ladder-leading Fremantle totally quiet, they showed they’ve come a fair way in recent weeks. And it was the efforts of young-ish players such as Dylan Buckley, Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty that provided the most hope for the future. Cripps didn’t have his best night but some of the things he does makes him looks dead-set future captain material, while Buckley is rugged, calm and used the ball well. Docherty is robust and has a long Blues career ahead of him.

GAMEBREAKER: The Mayne man up forward

Many of the world’s soccer greats were on the other side of Australia but the Perth fans got their World Game fix from wispy-haired Docker Chris Mayne with an acrobatic effort late in the third term. Mayne launched his right boot at the tumbling ball and connected mid-air in the goalsquare to give the home side a handy break at three-quarter time. With Ballantyne off injured and Michael Walters held to one goal, Mayne took his chance to step up as the ‘Mayne man’ in front of goals. His four-goal haul took his season’s tally to 18 and was critical to Fremantle’s victory. His soccer work also inspired old-stager Luke McPharlin to launch his own long ball from the defensive goal square during the last term after a fumble in the wet.