Adelaide Crows’ stop-start season continues with loss to the Blues
The Advertiser - Reece Homfray

Adelaide has blown its chance to leap into the top eight after its stop-start season stalled once again with a five-point loss to Carlton at the MCG.

Victory would have returned the Crows to the top half of the ladder for the first time in 12 months but instead the loss denied them any momentum from last week's stirring win over Collingwood.

The Crows fought hard in the final quarter and were in it right up until the dying seconds but couldn't land the final blow.

It means the flame of hope that was reignited last week has again been reduced to a flicker ahead of a tough fortnight against Gold Coast and Fremantle.


Carlton coach Mick Malthouse praises ‘underdone’ recruit Dale Thomas after win against Adelaide
Herald Sun - Jay Clark and Sam Edmund

Carlton coach Michael Malthouse lauded Dale Thomas after the Blues recruit helped ice a gritty win against Adelaide.

Malthouse said the former Pie was six weeks ahead of schedule in his comeback from injury.

The coach revealed Thomas was expected to miss the first six rounds of the season after undergoing major reconstructive surgery on his ankle last year at the Pies.


Kade Simpson proves his worth as Carlton holds off Eddie Betts-inspired Adelaide
Herald Sun - Sam Edmund

Marc Murphy may be the Carlton captain, we obsess over the contract status of Bryce Gibbs and go on about how important Jarrad Waite is.

But if there is a man that bleeds blue more than Kade Simpson, the club doesn’t know about him.

Simpson doesn’t get the recognition or kudos of his more celebrated teammates — which he likes — but this is a man who puts his body on the line each and every week for his club.

Yesterday, as Carlton held off an Eddie Betts-inspired Adelaide by five points to continue its resurgence, Simpson put in a typically lion-hearted performance.


Better ball use turns the Blues into winners
The Age - Jon Pierik

There are many statistics and advanced metrics teams can turn to these days to justify just about anything on the football field. But the bottom line is if you have the ball, and can use it effectively, then winning matches is all the more easier. That was the case a century ago, and remains today.

If Carlton supporters are wondering how the Blues have managed to turn around their campaign, winning four of their past five, with the woeful Brisbane Lions and the likely return of Chris Judd to come on Saturday, there is one statistic that stands out.

Through the opening five rounds, including four straight losses to start a season for the first time since 1989, the Blues ranked last in kicking and disposal efficiency with a differential of minus 7.5 per cent. Since their scrambling win over the Western Bulldogs, the Blues have led the league in disposal efficiency, at plus 3.3 per cent.


How Carlton reset its start line after 22 post-season injuries
The Age - Emma Quayle

Slow starts are not always cancelled out by fast finishes, even for the very best teams. Hawthorn had barely finished celebrating the 2008 premiership when it sent three-quarters of the team off for post-season surgeries, and the club spent much of the next year getting players back, getting them fit, losing others in the process and never looking like a settled side.

The Hawks won just nine games in 2009, never more than two in a row, and not enough to make the finals. “We had 15 post-season surgeries after the 2008 grand final and that in itself is one example of just how difficult it is to prepare properly for the following season,” said coach Alastair Clarkson at the end of his side’s latest (and much more stress-free) summer.

“We just had so many players who didn’t have perfect preparations. That makes it look like they’re tardy in their approach, but they just didn’t have really good pre-seasons because so many of them had surgeries.”


Dale Thomas showing pleases Carlton coach Mick Malthouse
AAP

Mick Malthouse insists his Carlton side will keep improving after seeing the Blues post a gutsy win over Adelaide.

Carlton improved to 4-5 and tenth on the AFL ladder after four winless rounds to start their season.

And chief among those expected to improve is his biggest off-season recruit, Dale Thomas.


Blues building fitness with four wins from last five
The Age - Emma Quayle

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse believes his side is starting to build some collective match fitness, with the Blues’ last-gasp, five-point win over Adelaide on Sunday the club’s fourth win in five rounds after a rough start to the season hit by post-season surgeries.

Malthouse said recruit Dale Thomas was one player starting to build towards full match fitness having arrived at the club after a major ankle injury meant to keep him out for the first six weeks of the season.


Carlton holds out Adelaide for narrow win
The Age - Michael Gleeson

Thirty seconds to go. Carlton up by five points. Paddy Dangerfield has it. And Carlton is in Danger. He is running through half-forward. He takes an extra few steps, considers his choices and knows he must go long. He punts it long to the pack 20 metres out. It spills.

At this point the entire game is distilled to a moment. If Adelaide goals the names of the heroes and the villains change.


Narrow win over Crows keeps Blues alive
The Australian - Courtney Walsh

Carlton's mid-season resurgence continued with a thrilling five-point victory over Adelaide at the MCG last night.

The Blues, written off just six weeks ago after being beaten by lowly Melbourne, now sit just a win outside the eight after coming again to defeat the Crows in a curious clash.