But don’t expect them to roll out the welcome mat.
The Carlton campaign begins with its customary Thursday night season opener at the MCG against Richmond for whom Malthouse was a 121-game Premiership player, with the Round 3 Geelong match bookended by games against Collingwood and West Coast whom Malthouse coached to the 2010 and 1992 and ’94 Grand Final triumphs respectively.
And as fate would have it, Carlton’s return leg with the Tigers - the Round 21 match at “The G” on Saturday, August 17 - coincides with the Senior Coach’s 60th birthday.
Of Carlton’s 12 home and away matches before the bye, ten are to be staged in Melbourne, with seven of the remaining ten also Melbourne-based.
Factored into Carlton’s draw is;
· 13 night, five day and three twilight games (with a starting time for the Round 23 match against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium yet to be determined);
· six Saturday night and five Friday night games;
· nine Etihad Stadium matches (six of them home), plus eight MCG matches (five home);
· one Monday night match, again involving St Kilda at Etihad Stadium;
· successive matches involving the 2012 Grand Finallists Hawthorn and Sydney;
· one game in each of the mainland states including a Friday night prime time match with the reigning premier Sydney on the SCG in June;
· five road trips - Patersons Stadium (v West Coast, Round four), the Gabba (v Brisbane, Round nine), SCG (Sydney, Round 14), Metricon Stadium (v Gold Coast, Round 18); and AAMI Stadium (v Port Adelaide, Round 23);
· only one instance in which it twice meets a 2012 top-eight placegetter - the fourth-placed Collingwood in rounds 2 and 15; and
· 16 matches involving the club to be screened on the Seven Network, with five on Fox.
Carlton Chief Executive Officer Greg Swann, in an interview for CFC TV, acknowledged that the challenges were on in earnest early and was mindful of the midyear trials also.
“But hopefully we’re 11 and zip by then and can have a bit of a problem to get everybody in,” Swann said.
Swann also encouraged supporters to make sure they have signed up for membership with a home and away reserved seat to make sure they don’t miss out on seeing all the action in the opening rounds.
“We are definitely set for a blockbuster in Round two against Collingwood, but because it is an away game, unless you have a home and away reserved seat you are not guaranteed admission into what is certainly going to be a pretty historical match,” he said.
For details on the Captains Club Reserved and Members Reserved memberships that include a reserved seat, contact Carlton Membership Services on 1300 CARLTON (1300 227 586) or log onto www.iamcarlton.com.au.
Click here to view Carlton's 2013 draw.
