TWO CONTESTED sides, going head to head in the wet.

It’s no surprise what the theme of the game is going to be when Carlton meets Port Adelaide for Thursday night football.

As the Blues look to beat a South Australian side at Adelaide Oval for the first time, they’ll be buoyed by their win over the Dockers in Gather Round earlier this year to break their duck.

But Port on its home deck is another matter entirely, having lost just two of their seven games at Adelaide Oval this year, with one of those being to crosstown rivals Adelaide.

If the Blues are to get the job done, Michael Voss made no secret of the fact that their pressure game will need to be at its very best.

Carlton brought the heat last week, but coming up against the best tackling side in the competition so far in 2024, it’ll take a collective effort if the Blues’ heist is to be successful.

Both teams have shown a capacity to score freely this season, ranking in the top five for points scored this year, but conditions could prevent some of the free-flowing football the two sides are capable of.

That could mean opportunities dry up for the two big boys of the forward line, those being Charlie Curnow and Charlie Dixon.

The two namesakes are so important to what their respective teams are trying to do forward of the ball, with Curnow once again leading the Coleman Medal, having kicked multiple goals in every game so far this year and leading the competition for contested marks. The nearest person behind him in the stat is teammate Harry McKay.

But Carlton - and the wider competition - is well and truly aware of what the veteran Dixon can do, and after being managed against North Melbourne last week, the man mountain will have to be stopped by Jacob Weitering and co in defence.

It’s no secret that it’ll start on the ball, with a star-studded midfield battle to take centre stage.

The person who led the response against Gold Coast, who returns to a happy personal hunting ground at Adelaide Oval. Cripps, who averages over 28 disposals at the venue, has been in sensational form once again in 2024, and priced at $872,000 in AFL Fantasy, it’s hard to look past the Carlton skipper as a marquee option in your side.