The game as it stands 

The Blues are looking to make it five wins on the trot when they take on the Eagles on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium. 

Unfortunately, what was an impressive win over Port Adelaide left Carlton with a few sore bodies, with Harry McKay, Adam Cerra, Patrick Cripps and Jack Martin all coming out of the clash with West Coast clash.

Jordan Boyd will also miss due to suspension. 

This sees two youngsters in Ollie Hollands and Lachie Cowan - the Blues' first two picks from last year's draft - return to the line-up, with the duo making a solid impact for the side in the early rounds of the 2023 season. 

Ed Curnow will also come into the side to inject some much-needed experience with the absence of Cerra, Cripps and Matt Kennedy in the midfield, while Josh Honey enters the side for Jack Martin. 

As Michael Voss preaches a 'next-man-up' mentality to the Blues, the intent will remain the same regardless of the bodies who run out on game day.

Key match up

Oscar Allen is looming as a dangerous force for the Eagles, with the 24-year-old equal fourth on the Coleman Medal leaderboard. 

After an impressive outing last week against the Port Adelaide forward line (six intercept possessions, five spoils), Jacob Weitering is likely to take the role on Allen, aiming to negate his influence in front of goal. 

Allen and Charlie Curnow are two of only three players who have kicked a goal in every game this season for their respective sides.

Player to watch

Mitch McGovern has been at his best in the defensive half this last month, delivering a career-high nine rebound 50s, along with eight spoils and seven contested possessions against Port Adelaide in Round 18. 

With his aerial game always a strength, McGovern's concerted effort to impact contests in the defensive half and use his skills to generate offence was on display last weekend.

Whilst brother Jeremy won’t be on the field, the younger brother will still have something to prove against the Eagles. 

Goss from Voss

With a few senior players out of the side, some emerging Blues will get the opportunity to fill some critical roles. 

AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss was particularly keen to see Lachie Cowan return to the back six, lauding his team-first mindset - and recent VFL form - at his press conference on Friday. 

“I love Lachie: he’s raw but at the same time, he’s got such power and he’s got great size about him,” Voss said. 

“You’ll never have to worry about his toughness, he’ll put his body on the line and he goes back with the flight and hopefully can get a bit of run and dash.

“Being able to get back in the back six or seven, it’s been tough to get back into because they’ve been pretty settled but with ‘Boydy’ out, it gives him an opportunity to come in.” 

Things we love to see 

It’s the last week of the ‘Kids Go Free’ campaign across the competition, which has brought heaps of Junior ‘Baggers to the football each week. 

This week, kids can collect a free Junior ‘Baggers flag, partake in face painting, play inflatable footy games, and create individual footy cards outside Gate 7 from 12:15pm (AEST). 

With a family-friendly timeslot, the kids will be out in full force yet again to cheer on the Blues as they take on the Eagles. 

CARLTON has recorded its fifth consecutive win over 50 points, accounting for West Coast by 71 points at Marvel Stadium.

Led by a 10-goal performance from the brilliant Charlie Curnow, the Blues were brutal in the first half, kicking 15 of their 21 majors for the contest in the opening two quarters.

Nursing some sore bodies late, with Jesse Motlop, Jack Silvagni and Sam Walsh all coming from the ground and not returning. However, the likes of George Hewett and Sam Docherty led from the front as the Blues now look to a clash with the old enemy under Friday night lights.

Quarter one

In the absence of some prime ball movers for the Blues, attention immediately turned to who would be lifting their midfield load. The answer to that was Sam Docherty, who started at the centre bounce and had four disposals inside the opening three minutes. The protagonist the last time these two sides met, it wasn’t long before Charlie Curnow hit the scoreboard — albeit in the most unconventional of ways, with an attempted pass trickling through for a goal. Sam Walsh had an electric start, using his sheer will and tenacity to outhunt his Eagles opponents, accumulating 11 disposals in the opening term. The Blues’ pressure once again allowed them to dictate proceedings, but stand-in captain Jacob Weitering stood up brilliantly behind the ball when the Eagles attacked. The home side piled on nine goals in the opening term for what was the Club’s fourth-highest score in a first quarter, with the only blemish coming in the form of a jarred right knee to Jack Silvagni, who was subbed out for Lewis Young.

Quarter two

A goal from a free kick saw West Coast open its account with the first of the second term, but order was restored not long after that from a Navy Blue perspective. George Hewett motored to 16 disposals at the half-time break, while the Blues’ runners were prolific in the second term, as Matthew Cottrell and the returning Ollie Hollands accruing eight disposals each. Carlton had 40 more disposals than its opponent, but it was what the team was doing without the ball that was just as crucial, managing to out-pressure the opposition (+9 tackles). Despite the absence of Adam Cerra and Patrick Cripps, Carlton’s midfield was well on top (+15 clearances), giving Carlton’s forwards every opportunity. Curnow, unsurprisingly, was the main beneficiary, kicking seven goals to the half-time break as the Blues fell just short of a first-half ton. 

Quarter three

A hamstring injury to Walsh sustained in the closing stages of the second term meant the midfield gun would take no further part in the game. Jesse Motlop also didn’t return to the game after a calf injury: at one point, with Alex Cincotta undergoing a head injury assessment and Young with a blood rule, the Blues had zero available rotations on the bench before their returns. With fewer rotations and some better ball movement from the Eagles, the margin was whittled down, with the Eagles winning the term. Curnow sat on nine goals at the final change, with Carlton leading by 75 points at the final change.

Quarter four

While all eyes were on whether the reigning Coleman Medallist could reach double digits, it was Paddy Dow who provided the opening highlight of the term, weaving through traffic to register his first goal of the season. It turned into a scrappy affair at Marvel Stadium, with the result beyond doubt early in the piece. As the Eagles added some late consolation, the crowd full of Junior ‘Baggers got their wish when Curnow snapped home for a career-best 10th. 

Three things we learned

1. He wasn’t going to be denied again. After being stranded on a career-best nine goals the last time these two sides met, Charlie Curnow achieved double digits on the scoreboard with a late snap. It simply brought the house down at Marvel Stadium, who cheered on every Carlton forward foray that went in the Coleman Medallist’s vicinity.

2. With some key experience out, attention turned to how the Blues would counteract some of those absences. That was answered emphatically in the opening minutes, with Carlton piling on four goals inside the opening minutes. It was Sam Docherty and George Hewett who led from the front in that regard, winning contested possessions at will throughout the entire afternoon while combining for 19 clearances. 

3. Carlton did its work early, kicking out to an 82-point lead at the main break. With some soldiers down in the second half (Motlop, Silvagni and Walsh didn’t return), it was a high-octane running game for the Blues in the final two quarters with limited rotations. That was best demonstrated by the efforts of the running men in Matthew Cottrell, Ollie Hollands and Blake Acres, who ran 17.2, 17 and 16.4 kilometres respectively.

CARLTON                 9.5     15.8     17.11      21.14 (140)
WEST COAST         0.2     2.4        5.8        9.9 (63)

GOALS
Carlton: C.Curnow 10, Motlop 2, Cuningham, E.Curnow, Dow, Hewett, Newman, Silvagni, Walsh

BEST
Carlton: C.Curnow, Hewett, Docherty, Weitering, De Koning, Kemp