CARLTON defender Sam Rowe says the Blues' confidence is high ahead of their clash against a red-hot Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday.
Aside from their poor first half against Fremantle in Round 13, the Blues head into the game on the back of a consistent month, having pushed top-eight sides Geelong, Sydney and Collingwood.
They'll face one of their biggest tests yet against the Power, however, who have won five of their past six games.
“We feel like in general we are playing some alright footy. In the last month, bar a really poor half against Freo, we played well against Geelong but lost, in Sydney we played well but lost, and last week we played really well but lost," Rowe told FIVEaa.
“There’s certainly some things we’re pretty clear on that we need to sharpen up, but we’re playing some reasonable footy at times.
“The morale is really good. We certainly haven’t had the year we were after, and we haven’t won many games at all, but we are sticking together really well."
Rowe, who returned to the side to man West Coast star forward Josh Kennedy in Round 5, says there are no ill-effects from the ACL rupture he suffered against Fremantle in Round 9 last season.
“The knee is feeling really good,” he said.
“As far as an ACL recovery, it was almost as smooth as it could be. I was back playing within 10 months, and it’s been nine games back in the AFL this year so far.
“It feels really good and I don’t think about it anymore. As far as everything goes there, it’s sound.”
While this weekend’s game will mark a huge achievement for veteran Blue Kade Simpson, who is set to become the club’s fifth 300-game player, Rowe is set to reach a milestone of his own further down the fixture.
The 30-year-old currently sits on 91 AFL games. With nine games left in the season, he looks set to make the century this year.
“Hopefully if I play the rest of the year, I get it this year,” he said.
“It’s one of those personal milestones. You don’t play for them but certainly I will be proud of it if I get it.”
Carlton faces Port Adelaide from 1.45pm on Saturday at the MCG.