TODD Viney's stint as Melbourne's caretaker coach has gotten off to a disappointing start, with Carlton inflicting a 76-point defeat at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The 21.8 (134) to 7.16 (58) result is the Demons' third loss in a row, and is their third-biggest for the season behind last Saturday's 186-point hammering by Geelong and their round 12 88-point defeat to Collingwood

The game was going to be all about the Demons' response to not only the past week, which saw coach Dean Bailey sacked after their shellacking by the Cats, but also the "bruise-free footy" claims by Carlton players after their round 10 47-point loss to the Blues.

Initially, it seemed as though a lesson had been learned and a steely resolve was in place.

The Demons, aside from some tardiness in attack with Jack Watts, Lynden Dunn and Brad Green all missing gettable goals, were either in front or within a goal for the majority of the first quarter.

But then a horrible incident involving young defender James Strauss late in the first term allowed the Carlton players to regroup while leaving Melbourne to worry about their fallen comrade.

While the Blues lost Dennis Armfield before the game to the ankle he hurt last week, the Demons suffered their own loss when Strauss sustained a horrifically broken leg.

The 21-year-old backman came down awkwardly on his left side after jumping for a mark with Jeff Garlett, and appeared to snap the bones in his lower leg.

He was driven from the field after sustaining the injury, which looked horribly similar to the dual tibia/fibula breaks suffered by Fremantle's Michael Barlow and former Richmond and Western Bulldogs midfielder Nathan Brown, and taken to Richmond's Epworth Hospital.

The Demons had been competitive until then, and even kicked a goal as Strauss was being attended to via Watts, which put them in front for the second time.

But after the stretcher cart was gone, the Blues went on a rampage with 12 goals to one ahead of halftime.   

The second-quarter dominance, led by Chris Judd and his 11-possession, two-goal effort, blew the game out of the water and meant the Blues held a 58-point lead at the main break, with the Demons failing to kick a goal for the term.

Viney put Jeremy Howe behind the ball as a loose man to start the third, and the players seemed to respond to whatever was said at half-time with a much better effort at the clearances and improvement in contested ball.

But still, the Blues managed to win the quarter by nine points to take a handy 67-point lead into the final stanza.

Compounding their injury woes, the Demons lost Luke Tapscott to concussion at the eight-minute mark of the fourth, after he was taken out by teammate Stef Martin's hip.

He was carted off in a neck brace, but had regained consciousness before he left the field. He later joined Strauss down the road at Epworth.  

Quarter by quarter summary - with Murray Belkin

FIRST QUARTER
Viney sprang a surprise early, starting Watts and Aaron Davey forward. Nathan Jones set the example early with a bone crushing collision on Robinson, as Green was gifted a goal from a 50m penalty given away by Robert Warnock. The Demons looked to attack through the middle of the ground, with Watts and Dunn taking strong contested marks deep in the forward 50. The Dees were on top early, with Watts kicking a memorable goal after blind turning and burning off former Demon Brock McLean. The Dees were dealt a major blow when Strauss left the field with a serious leg injury and was replaced by substitute Matthew Bate. Despite their dominance, the Dees were left to rue missed set shots, with two late goals to the Blues, including a sensational coast-to-coast goal finished off by David Ellard, handing Carlton the lead.
Carlton by 12 points

SECOND QUARTER
Judd started the second quarter with a bang with a sensational snap deep in the forward pocket. With the Blues midfield smashing their counterparts in the clearances, Ellard popped up with his third as the Blues began to flex their muscles. With Jack Trengove and Tom Scully struggling to have any impact, Watts was the shining light, moved back into defence and providing some run and stability in the Dees defensive half. But he couldn't stop the run from Chris Yarran and the magic of Eddie Betts and Jeff Garlett, with the trio involved in yet another sensational piece of play as Garlett snapped the Blues' sixth major of the quarter. Judd put the finishing touches on a sensational second-quarter performance by the Blues, laying a big tackle and slotting home their eighth for the quarter, while the Dees could only manage three behinds.
Carlton by 58 points

THIRD QUARTER
A great smother from Jones on the wing led to the first goal of the term to Watts. The Blues continued to stifle the Dees space, as the quick movement through the centre corridor evident in the first quarter virtually came to a standstill. The Blues were making some uncharacteristic skill errors early as Trengove took a strong contested mark under great pressure from Nick Duigan. But again, the Demons were wayward in front of goal. The Blues also struggled in front of the big sticks, kicking five behinds - three of which hit the post - before Bryce Gibbs finally kicked the Blues first major of the term. The Dees battled hard but it was the Blues' relentless forward-line pressure led by Garlett, which proved too much for the Demons to handle as the home side extended its lead to over 11 goals.
Carlton by 67 points

FOURTH QUARTER
Melbourne made a bright start with Dunn kicking a long bomb from outside 50. It was a day to forget for Tapscott, who came off second best in a marking collision with teammate Colin Garland during the third quarter before being stretchered off the ground after ruckman Martin accidently collected him with his hip as he flew across to spoil in a marking contest. With the sting out of the match, Carlton supporters saved their loudest cheer for Warnock, who kicked truly from a similar position where he missed against the Cats earlier in the season. Even defender Lachie Henderson joined the party and became one of the Blues' 14 goal kickers in the percentage-boosting victory.
Carlton wins by 76 points

Carlton                                  6.1     14.2       18.7       21.8 (134)
Melbourne                            3.7     3.10       6.12       7.16 (58)

GOALS
Carlton: Ellard 3, Judd 2, Scotland 2, Walker 2, Garlett 2, Gibbs 2, Robinson, Kreuzer, McLean, Thornton, Betts, Joseph, Warnock, Henderson
Melbourne: Watts 2, Dunn 2, Green, Howe, Davey

BEST
Carlton: Judd, Gibbs, Scotland, Warnock, Ellard, Murphy
Melbourne: Watts, Garland, Rivers, Macdonald, Dunn

INJURIES
Carlton: Armfield (ankle) replaced in the selected side by Houlihan
Melbourne: Strauss (leg), Tapscott (concussion)

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Chris Yarran replaced by Ryan Houlihan during the third-quarter.
Melbourne: James Strauss (leg) replaced by Matthew Bate during the first quarter.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Vozzo, Jeffery

Official crowd: 42, 342 at MCG

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs