Setanta stars but Blues lose

SETANTA O hAilpín’s red-hot start to the new Aussie Rules season continued unabated yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to give him victory in his grudge match with bad boy Brendan Fevola.

The Carlton Blues forward – who scored a superb hat trick in last week’s season opener at the MCG – followed it up here at The Gabba last night with another scintillating display as his side succumbed late on to the much-fancied Brisbane Lions.

But not before O hAilpín went one better than last week, hitting a stellar four goals – and three behinds to boot – as his emergence from the fringes to become a genuine, bona fide AFL star continued.