Preview 2026 Rd 3 Carlton vs Melbourne Sunday 29th March 3:15PM ADST @ MCG

[Aphrodite]

Final Team is in …

AFL team selection: Evans returns among two inclusions

Francis Evans returns for his first game of the season this Sunday.

www.carltonfc.com.au

 

[Accidental genius]

I'm dreaming of the Carlton era where it doesn't matter whether we play Sydney at the SCG, GABBA, AO, OO or Geelong at GMHBA. Carlton are an awesome team and feared by all... where a home ground advantage doesn't matter.

Agreed…

Bulldogs very impressive…

Beat lions at the Gabba

Thrashed gws in Melbourne.

Would be an absolute dream for our blues to accomplish something like that.

 

[ITCHY EYEBALLS]

I’d like to see the cp get creative.
It’s seems a stay at home fwd could be back in vogue, I would like to see us try Moir out of the goal square.
Clear out the area ahead of him. Tell him he works within a 40 mt radius of goal. Should suit him as most here think he’s lacking defensively.
Ok, show us your talents one v one.
Highly skilled players often work better in this type of situation.
Out there I know, but would love to see us try something different.

 

[Accidental genius]

I’d like to see the cp get creative.
It’s seems a stay at home fwd could be back in vogue, I would like to see us try Moir out of the goal square.
Clear out the area ahead of him. Tell him he works within a 40 mt radius of goal. Should suit him as most here think he’s lacking defensively.
Ok, show us your talents one v one.
Highly skilled players often work better in this type of situation.
Out there I know, but would love to see us try something different.

Great idea.

Could do this with kemp too I guess.

H can play out of goal square and also provide link up along boundary line when needed.

 

[JustOneTime]

I’d like to see the cp get creative.
It’s seems a stay at home fwd could be back in vogue, I would like to see us try Moir out of the goal square.
Clear out the area ahead of him. Tell him he works within a 40 mt radius of goal. Should suit him as most here think he’s lacking defensively.
Ok, show us your talents one v one.
Highly skilled players often work better in this type of situation.
Out there I know, but would love to see us try something different.

I think the counter strategy is very simple. The extra defender helps vs the one out fwd in the goal square in a 2 v1.

The opposition love that and start their rebound.

 

[Accidental genius]

I think the counter strategy is very simple. The extra defender helps vs the one out fwd in the goal square in a 2 v1.

The opposition love that and start their rebound.

Fixing our f50 entries will fix that issue.

 

[blue healer]

If we fix coaching first then list deficiencies should become a lot clearer.

For example a player that is currently seen to be struggling could possibly become an important cog.

I think this is an underrated post. For at least the last 3 years we have been divided between those who blame it on the coach and those who blame it on the players. I'm pretty sure that the answer is actually somewhere in the middle.

We've tweaked the list every year by dropping off those that are seen as under achievers and adding experienced players from other clubs, this is a vastly different list to that under the last coach. We've also drastically changed our support coaches this year. We're told our culture is crap so this year we've lost two players who have retrospectively born the brunt of responsibility for bad culture, We blamed a lot on Jack Russel, we got rid of him. We blamed LLoyd and we've now got rid of him also.

But even after these changes it would take a super optimist to say that we're finally on the right track, in fact, if current form is any indication this could well be our worst year under Voss.

i personally think we lost the chance to put the player/coach argument to bed when we decided to keep the coach. I think many of our players have, at the very best, stagnated under Voss, In fact I find it really hard to find a young player that has actually developed and my main concern is that the longer we keep Vossy the more the probability that same stagnation will apply to our current crop of kids.

Having said all that I'm not calling now for his sacking, it's too late, we need to sleep in the bed we made and just hope our situation isn't terminal.

 

[JustOneTime]

Having said all that I'm not calling now for his sacking, it's too late, we need to sleep in the bed we made and just hope our situation isn't terminal.

This is the key discussion point. i'm perosonally worried for the next 4 years.

 

[Moon]

As Wright said ... Carlton need more Wins than Losses ... I think that is the bottom line for Voss avoiding the sack.
That's 13-11 which will likely make Top 10 and a Wildcard chance to make finals.

I don't think Carlton will make Top 10 if we lose to teams like Melbourne, norf, * Port ... and we need wins against Freo, Saints and the odd upset and it is difficult to predict which of the better teams we can snag a Win.
13 Wins sounds like quite a few .. use a pencil and keep a rubber handy when choosing those maybe s

 

[Benaly28]

Walsh better prime himself up Kolsytup is waiting.

 

[agro]

Nothing like meeting a team on the rebound- we’re very good at responding to that.

 

[JJBagger]

Nothing like meeting a team on the rebound- we’re very good at responding to that.

Don’t know whether it’s about responding for Melbourne - they just aren’t very good

 

[sweethoney]

Don’t know whether it’s about responding for Melbourne - they just aren’t very good

I don’t think Melbourne are very good. Can’t believe people are melting down thinking we’ll lose this one because the bookies had Melbourne as favourites

 

[teddy-hopkins]

I don’t think Melbourne are very good. Can’t believe people are melting down thinking we’ll lose this one because the bookies had Melbourne as favourites

This is the way the AFL media circus works. You're either the worst team ever or the best based on one weeks worth of evidence.

Everything is driven by this rush to opine.

 

[Lukeblueboy]

Won’t be an easy game that’s for sure.
Be a close one either way imo

 

[Benaly28]

I have a theory which could be completely wrong but I believe in the first game there was so much emotion in it that we lost our way then in the second the pressure of responding to that harsh loss.

We needed a break and now that we know where we’re at it might release that pressure a little and we can play with more freedom.

Time will tell.

 

[The Blue Weirdo]

No excuses for Voss next week.

The new fitness program providing close to a full list(I know, I know) to select from, he just needs to work out how to keep the throttle open.

 

[passmark]

Wasn’t overly warm yesterday but humid for Perth.

Melb looked buggered after halftime and Max is a bit banged up.

There’s really no excuse next with this one. Melb doesn’t have the firepower upfront, down back or in the middle.

 

[Benaly28]

Wasn’t overly warm yesterday but humid for Perth.

Melb looked buggered after halftime and Max is a bit banged up.

There’s really no excuse next with this one. Melb doesn’t have the firepower upfront, down back or in the middle.

But but they beat the all conquering saints……..

 

[Michael Jezz]

If we fix coaching first then list deficiencies should become a lot clearer.

For example a player that is currently seen to be struggling could possibly become an important cog.

List deficiencies first to attract a decent coach

 

[Accidental genius]

List deficiencies first to attract a decent coach

Maybe…

What about…

Decent coach first to attract trades/free agents?

 

[Michael Jezz]

Maybe…

What about…

Decent coach first to attract trades/free agents?

I don't think it works that way, anymore. Tried and failed last year

 

[Accidental genius]

I don't think it works that way, anymore. Tried and failed last year

We hear it all the time….

Tried with Voss …a good coach?

 

[gab213]

I'm dreaming of the Carlton era where it doesn't matter whether we play Sydney at the SCG, GABBA, AO, OO or Geelong at GMHBA. Carlton are an awesome team and feared by all... where a home ground advantage doesn't matter.

That era has never really existed, even in our best days we struggled at grounds like the SCG, Geelong and other interstate venues.. The difference in that era is that we played at Princes Park where we had a big home ground advantage. Nowadays ,we have no home ground advantage

 

[Blue since 72]

Don’t know whether it’s about responding for Melbourne - they just aren’t very good

Watching them against the Dockers (a team who should absolutely finish in the 8 with their list) I tend to agree and I think the Saints probably thought they would cruise to an easy one.

Our key players are mature bodies and they’re blooding a few young guys so we should beat them comfortably but how confident are we feeling as we sit here based off our first two showings?

I would like to see the players come out and play four quarters of footy and if they do that I’d be confident we’d win and win well.

I’ll be extremely pissed off even if we win but play the same way we have in the first two games. Because that will confirm to me that the coaches and the players have all buried their heads in the sand and justified the game style with a “we’re a work in progress”.

 

[Blue since 72]

I have a theory which could be completely wrong but I believe in the first game there was so much emotion in it that we lost our way then in the second the pressure of responding to that harsh loss.

We needed a break and now that we know where we’re at it might release that pressure a little and we can play with more freedom.

Time will tell.

Don’t disagree but unfortunately that just points to a mental fragility the club and supporters can’t afford to put up with.