V *Carlton vs the old enemy, Essendon*, in a Round 11 clash.
Where?
At the MCG.
When?
Sunday 2nd June.
Why?
To utterly crush their spirit while simultaneously raising our own.
Last time they met
Round 8, 2018 Carlton 14.7.91 def * 10.18.78 - On a wet, sloppy MCG, Carlton out-muscled and outlasted the injectors in a tight battle, eventually winning by 13 points. With Merrett restricted by Ed Curnow, Cripps dominated their midfield, eating them alive with 27 disposals, eight clearances, seven tackles and two goal assists in a BOG performance.
Formline
Carlton have been involved in a few close losses and have been generally competitive with exception vs GWS and North. The gap between their best and worst is still larger than Brendan Goddard's index finger, unfortunately, much to the frustration of Carlton supporters. Last round's loss to the Saints puts them at 1-9 and two games clear on the bottom, something they'll need to work hard to amend in the 2nd half of the season starting with this game. Essendon* have had better results, a 4-6 record but still way below expectations, being almost as flaky as Carlton. Despite a last quarter comeback, Richmond overshadowed them and losing two key players didn't help. More on that later.
What can we expect?
This will entirely depend on which team shows up, as on a good day both teams can play attractive, attacking football but there have been more dour, stagnant games. Despite Carlton having the recent wood on * (3-2 in the past 5 games), there have been some head-scratchers (primarily R23, 2016). Generally these games are unpredictable as the favourite usually doesn't win, it does not matter where they are on the ladder. Look for periods of manic pressure with instances of idleness and plenty of skill errors - let's face it, it's going to be a bit ugly due to their skill level being down in recent times. A tight scrap, however, might go Carlton's way as they have the best contested ball player in the competition, * not really having anyone capable of stopping him.
A typical Cripps game vs *, gobbling up their midfield as he avoids two taggers
We have already mentioned Cripps, his record vs * speaks for itself, not to mention his current standing as one of the best players in the competition. Charlie Curnow is starting to get over his knee niggle, providing the midfield do their job he will have the opportunity to dominate. Kruezer in the ruck makes the players stand taller, his A-game rivals the best ruckman in the competition, something akin to the first half vs the Hawks will make Essendon* wish he was another Cain Ackland. Weitering has been a rock down back for most of this season, cutting off plenty of attacks and will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief with the absence of Stringer and Daniderp... err, Daniher.
On the side of the disgraced drug cheats, Merrett poses a big threat in the midfield and if let off the hook, can cause a lot of damage. McDonald-Tipungwuti is another player that can cause havoc, fast and creative, Carlton have had lots of problems with small forwards for the past few years so he might be the difference. In defence, Hooker is ever-reliable but also acts as a swingman so could possibly replace Stringer up forward and snag a few.
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Daniher, Stringer and Shiel are key to * winning, they will pose a lot of... glares from the sidelines
Final verdictDaniher, Stringer and Shiel are key to * winning, they will pose a lot of... glares from the sidelines
A battered and bruised * would make Carlton lick their lips, especially with their current outs. Daniher, Stringer, Shiel and Smith are massive losses to their line-up, taking away a lot of firepower and run (the positive is that there'll be no possibility of a headclash between Daniher and Kruezer). With Jones possibly coming back for this game, it would look like a mere formality. But games between these two clubs never are, especially when both teams sometimes run around like headless chickens. The ultimate difference is that they have no one to stop Patrick Cripps, as depleted as their midfield is now, and may struggle to score a large enough score. With that said though, effort still has to be applied here. Make every bump hurt. Make every tackle stick. Keep them second guessing. Make their captain live up to his Shortsteppel moniker (he can still have a giggle after the game).
Carlton have to win this game, not just to avoid another spoon but to instil some pride in the jumper. To create a platform for which to get confidence and start playing attacking, attractive football again. We've seen it done vs Bulldogs, Hawks and Collingwood. They should be able to do it here. Bolton will have to show some tactical nous, some inspiration... otherwise he'll be fed to the dogs, like his long-lost sadistic cousin. But really, a win against the old enemy, putrid drug cheats who besmirch the integrity of the competition is on its own a huge incentive. End their season, show them no mercy. Show them that they're no where near a finals side!
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Let's turn this...
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... into this!
Prediction: That Carlton usually lift against this scum, with no one able to stop Cripps and the significant outs, should enable the Blues to get over the line. Carlton by 18 while making funny jabs to *.Let's turn this...
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... into this!
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