TAKE a look at these lesser-known facts as Carlton prepares to face Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium on Sunday:
- Last year’s drought-breaking win over Hawthorn was Carlton’s first in its last 15 attempts, but it’s not the greatest winning streak between these two clubs. The Blues won their opening 25 fixtures against the Hawks between 1925 and 1938: it’s their most consecutive wins against any opposition of all-time.
- The chances of Sunday’s game resulting in a draw are incredibly slim, if history is anything to go by. This weekend’s game will be the 166th between the two teams, and there hasn’t been a draw in any of them. It ranks second for most games without a draw for any active fixture, behind Geelong and South Melbourne/Sydney.
- Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson will run out as teammates for the 238th time on Sunday, tying with third-placed Craig Bradley and Stephen Kernahan across the Club’s history. Murphy and Simpson have played the most games together of any active partnership in the AFL.
- Simpson is the only current Blue who has featured in multiple wins over Hawthorn in the Carlton guernsey. He enjoyed wins over the Hawks in the fifth and eighth games of his career, before having to wait until his 285th game to get the four points over them again.
- Eleven players who will front up for the Blues on the weekend have arrived in the last three national and rookie drafts. Five players are from the 2015 draft class: Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, Matthew Kennedy (via Greater Western Sydney) and Jack Silvagni.
- Inclusion Levi Casboult’s four goals against Hawthorn in 2014 are the most of any current Blue against the Hawks.
- Matthew Lobbe will be the 11th player to make his Carlton (not AFL) debut against Hawthorn: the last to do so was another former Port Adelaide player, Greg Bentley (Round 6, 2009).
- Liam Jones’ 29th consecutive game this Sunday is the most of any Blue. By comparison, Hawthorn’s Isaac Smith has played 81 without interruption.
- Sunday will see the best two clearances players in the competition go head-to-head. Tom Mitchell is ranked first with 128, while Patrick Cripps is second with 118.