A controversial goal review has fallen Carlton's way in the final minute of a pulsating four-point victory over Melbourne that extended the Blues' AFL winning streak to eight matches.

Demons star Christian Petracca's shot from outside 50m was initially ruled touched on the goal line by Caleb Marchbank and officials found insufficient evidence to overturn the umpire's soft call on review.

Melbourne had time for two more entries into a crowded forward line in the final 30 seconds but were unable to find a winning score, with the Blues hanging on for a 9.6 (60) to 8.8 (56) triumph.

It keeps Michael Voss's side in fifth spot with two rounds left to play and means the Demons slip to third, replaced in the top two by Brisbane.

Meanwhile Fremantle embarrassed their local rivals with a massive 101-point win over West Coast.

Earlier, there were crucial wins for Sydney over Gold Coast and Essendon over North Melbourne as they kept their own finals dreams alive, while Brisbane held off an Adelaide fight back to win by a goal.

The Blues are now almost certain to end a decade-long finals drought, having seemed out of contention at the halfway point of the season.

Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, five clearances) and George Hewett (33, eight) stood up for Carlton in an undermanned midfield, while Nic Newman, Adam Saad and Jacob Weitering all played important roles.

Blues spearhead Charlie Curnow booted two goals in the low-scoring contest, taking his tally to 70 in a career-best season that is likely to end with a second Coleman Medal hung around his neck.

Matt Owies also kicked two crucial goals.

Petracca (24 disposals, two goals) almost hauled Melbourne over the line with Jack Viney (31 touches, five clearances) and Angus Brayshaw (31, seven) busy.

Clayton Oliver had 27 disposals and nine clearances on return after an extended lay-off with hamstring issues, while big-name recruit Brodie Grundy (nine touches, 11 hit-outs) didn't have a huge impact after being recalled.

It was Carlton's game early — only without reward on the scoreboard.

The Blues failed to convert their territorial dominance, taking a measly three-point lead to quarter-time from a lopsided 24-4 inside-50 advantage.

It had grown to 27-6 by the three-minute mark of the second quarter when the Demons' quick transition led to a Kade Chandler goal that put them in front against the tide.

The margin never got to double figures either way in a dour first half, with Melbourne livewire Kysaiah Pickett's soaring mark over Alex Cincotta a rare highlight.

Carlton kicked three of the first four goals after the main break but scores were locked at 42-42 by three-quarter time as the arm wrestle continued.

Goals to Matt Owies and Tom De Koning in the opening two minutes of the final term put the Blues in the driver's seat again before Curnow's second gave them an 18-point lead - the biggest of the night.

Goals to Pickett and Joel Smith dragged Melbourne back within a kick before Petracca's late effort fell short.

A crowd of 68,577 was on hand at the MCG, with many fans packing the concourse and bars during a dour first quarter to watch the Matildas' penalty shootout win over France on TV screens.

Carlton look set to break their finals drought as a heart-stopping four-point win over Melbourne keeps their winning streak alive.

Dockers embarrass Eagles by 101 points

Fremantle have secured their fifth western derby victory on the trot after booting 17 unanswered goals on the way to a 101-point trouncing of West Coast at Perth Stadium.

The Eagles kicked the first two goals of Saturday night's match, but it was one-way traffic from that point on as the Dockers soared to the 20.14 (134) to 4.9 (33) victory in front of 51,172 fans.

It marked West Coast's biggest ever derby loss, eclipsing the 75-point defeat to the Dockers in round 18, 2010.

The derby ledger now stands at 32-25 in West Coast's favour, but Fremantle can continue to close that gap over the coming years given the long rebuild that faces the Eagles.

Dockers forward Lachie Schultz won the Glendinning-Allan medal as best afield after tallying five goals, 24 disposals, three clearances and seven inside 50s.

Fremantle ruckman Luke Jackson, who tied with Schultz in the vote but lost on a countback, was also influential with 19 possessions, 26 hitouts, six clearances and a goal.

Jye Amiss and Sam Sturt booted four goals apiece, with Fremantle winning the inside 50m count 64-35.

Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly booted his team's second goal at the 14-minute mark of the opening quarter.

West Coast's next goal didn't come until the four-minute mark of the final term when Andrew Gaff dribbled one through from close range.

The listless performance marked another low point in West Coast's doomed season, with the Eagles (2-19) to receive the wooden spoon unless they can upset the Western Bulldogs (away) or Adelaide (home) in the final two rounds.

West Coast defender Tom Cole could be suspended for his first-quarter dump tackle on Jye Amiss, while Fremantle veteran Michael Walters could be in trouble for his sling tackle on Alex Witherden.

In a bizarre lead-up to the game, West Coast withdrew Jack Petruccelle due to illness, and then lost defender Brady Hough just seconds before the opening bounce due to the same issue.

Hough's withdrawal was so late that it created confusion on the sidelines, forcing the start of the game to be delayed by two minutes.

It followed on the back of a strange warm-up, with the teams going through their paces while the Matildas' dramatic penalty shoot-out against France was in its final stages on the big screen.

When the derby action finally got underway, West Coast dominated the early stages, with Fremantle's first inside 50m not coming until the 13th minute.

The scoreboard read 14-0 in favour of West Coast at that point, but it was a purple avalanche from then on as Fremantle went on a goal frenzy.

Schultz booted three goals in the opening half, while Jye Amiss added two as the margin blew out to 51 points at the long break.

The Dockers continued to toy with the Eagles in the second half, with the match losing all intensity as the margin continued to grow.

Eagles forward Oscar Allen came off late in the match after appearing to injure his right elbow.

Lions hold on for six-point win over Crows

Adelaide have stormed Brisbane's Gabba fortress but fallen six points short in an AFL loss that could spell an end to their finals hopes.

Brisbane led by 22 points early in the third term but only clung to victory after the Crows rallied in a 15.9 (99) to 13.15 (93) rollercoaster ride on Saturday.

Harry Schoenberg's snap on the run breathed life into the visitor's fourth-quarter charge before Josh Rachele hit the post and Schoenberg had another set shot fall short.

The ball was locked in Brisbane's defensive 50m for the final two minutes but the Lions held on, moving to 15-6 and keeping hopes of a top-two finish alive.

With two rounds to play the Crows (10-11) will need results to go their way to crack the top eight, Matthew Nicks' side valiant in what would have been the first win by a visitor all season at the Gabba and just their second on the road in this campaign.

Ben Keays (19 disposals, two goals, four score assists) was immense against his former team, his relentless running setting the tone early.

The Crows kicked the first three goals before Brisbane found parity through a McCluggage double and they went toe-to-toe like few other sides have managed at the Gabba in recent seasons.

Keays had his second early in the third quarter when he was again first to the contest while Rachele enjoyed his snapped major after being substituted on.

The 33-year-old Walker (two goals, three behinds) took his season tally to a career-high 65 goals while Shane McAdam kicked four goals.

Brisbane had Charlie Cameron's manic third quarter to thank, the small forward booting three and setting up another two.

He expertly guided through Lincoln McCarthy's squeezed shot, then knifed a brilliant, low cross-kick into Cameron Rayner's path for an easy goal.

He missed a shot for his fourth goal as the siren sounded on a back-and-forth quarter that, thanks to his efforts, ended with the Lions up by 16 points.

Brisbane will wait on injury news to veteran forward Jack Gunston, who was substituted off after twisting his knee in a tackle.

A sell-out crowd of 30,107 turned up at the Gabba despite the Matildas' quarter-final against France being played at the same time in nearby Lang Park.

Swans boost finals hopes with win over Suns

Sydney have run away from a brave Gold Coast to secure their fifth consecutive victory and climb into the AFL top eight with a 24-point triumph at the SCG.

The Swans were given a scare early by a determined Suns outfit that led for much of the contest until the hosts surged late in the third term to set up their 18.6 (114) to 13.12 (90) win on Saturday.

Midfielder Chad Warner sparked the match-turning period with a long-range left foot snap from the boundary, while a red-hot Will Hayward soon stretched the margin with his fourth goal for the Swans.

Warner was immense throughout and gathered 28 disposals with 15 contested and seven clearances, as James Rowbottom and co-captain Luke Parker offered plenty of support for the Swans.

Hayward was the most damaging forward on the field, though the sharp-shooting Swans will also be buoyed by their spread of goalkickers and the growing threat of twin towers Logan McDonald (three goals) and Hayden McLean (two).

Isaac Heeney booted two majors and looked sharp in the first half as the Swans struggled to keep pace with the Suns, while Nick Blakey (24 disposals), Tom Papley (24) and Jake Lloyd (23) were important with their run and carry.

The latest victory in a five-match streak propels the Swans (11-9-1) into the top eight and last year's runners-up will now hope to finish the weekend in the finals places for the first time since round five.

The Suns (9-12) started brightly and looked set to push the in-form Swans all the way until their third term lapse, while they will rue missed opportunities early in the final term that only yielded five behinds.

The young on-ball brigade of Matt Rowell (25 disposals), Sam Flanders (23) and Noah Anderson (22) battled hard, as co-captain Touk Miller (22) firstly limited emerging Swans star Errol Gulden's influence then made his own impact at the stoppages.

Goalsneak Malcolm Rosas was lively and booted three goals for the Suns, while Jack Lukosius and Levi Casboult both added two.

The Suns have now lost nine of 11 matches on the road this season, only defeating Richmond and West Coast away from home, as their hopes of a first-ever finals berth again faded away.

Gold Coast will be back at home to host Carlton next Saturday, while Sydney will look to continue their late-season surge when they travel to face Adelaide that night.

Bombers spoil Cunnington's farewell to keep finals hopes alive

Essendon have denied North Melbourne great Ben Cunnington a fairytale farewell from the AFL, with the Bombers surviving another major scare to hang on by nine points.

For the second Saturday in a row at Docklands Stadium, Essendon were made to work hard against a bottom-two side following last week's one-point escape over West Coast.

In a tight and tense game where neither team led by more than 15 points, the Bombers prevailed 13.8 (86) to 12.5 (77) to keep their finals hopes alive ahead of the last two rounds of the home-and-away season.

North cut the lead to three points with three minutes remaining but Archie Perkins calmly slotted the matchwinner from 25 metres out for Essendon with 50 seconds to go.

The Bombers (11-10) will need to defeat GWS (away) and Collingwood (MCG) in the next fortnight to book a top-eight place.

Cunnington, a cancer survivor, was on limited game time but provided an unforgettable moment for long-suffering North supporters when he booted the second goal of his 238th and final AFL match.

The 32-year-old was mobbed by every single one of his Kangaroos teammates after slotting the 97th goal of his career when he gathered and kicked truly from 40m out in the first quarter.

Cunnington (24 possessions, 10 clearances) stepped up again in the final quarter, snapping his second goal to reduce Essendon's lead to nine points.

Star forward Nick Larkey (five goals), Harry Sheezel and Luke Davies-Uniacke tried to will North over the line for Cunnington, but Essendon had too much class with their season at stake.

Hard-running Bomber Nic Martin (three goals, 32 disposals) was clearly best-on-ground, while Kyle Langford continued his career-best season with an important three-goal performance.

The result extends North's losing streak to 19 - their worst run since 1932 when they failed to win for 33-straight games.

North Melbourne defender Ben McKay, who is poised to join Essendon as a free agent during the off-season, had one of the best games of his career under the eye of his former Kangaroos coach Brad Scott, who is now in charge of the Bombers.

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