The Blues took to a pristine Visy Park earlier today for the Club's final intra-club hit out prior to the commencement of the 2013 NAB Cup.

With new coach Mick Malthouse casting a watchful eye, the Carlton playing group was split into two sides, the Navy Blue team and the White side. Unlike the first intra-club game that was played earlier in the month, the two sides were evenly split which ensured a tight and entertaining contest.

As expected, a number of seasoned stars were absent from the team sheets with Marc Murphy, Eddie Betts, Andrew Carrazzo, Lachie Henderson, Matthew Kreuzer, Heath Scotland and Kade Simpson all rested while Jarrad Waite and Chris Judd missed with injury although both are expected to be fit for round one.

As the game commenced I was hoping for two things. Firstly I wanted to see all the players get through the match unscathed and secondly I was hoping to see evidence of improvement from players across the board. By the conclusion of the match, I was pleased to announce that both my wished were granted.

All the players got through the match unscathed with the only concern being a knock to the head to Rhys O'Keeffe in the second quarter. He was rested for the second half as a precaution along with Robert Warnock who has had his workload managed by the club this pre-season.

In a pleasing aspect for Blues fans, there were plenty of players showing positive signs throughout the match. Joining in the Twitter conversation with @CarltonFC, I did my best to document all of the games highlight and goals, while also answering the questions of intrigued fans who weren't able to make it to the game.

The majority of questions centred around the clubs younger players with plenty of fans wanting to know about the performances of players such as Tom Bell, Matthew Watson, Dylan Buckley, Kane Lucas, Levi Casboult and Nick Graham.

All of the youngsters showed plenty of promise, however it was once again the strong form of Watson, Lucas and Graham that was most pleasing. After impressing in the first intra-club match, the three youngsters took another step towards possible round one selections with strong showings.

Watson has had a terrific pre-season to date and it's really showing on the field with the key defender repelling numerous opposition attacks on goal while also setting up plenty of the play for his team thanks to his lethal left boot. Expect him to play a key role down back for the Blues this season alongside Michael Jamison, Nick Duigan, Jeremy Laidler and Lachie Henderson who were all hampered by injuries last season.

Being a first round draft pick in the 2009 NAB AFL draft, there has always been plenty of pressure on Kane Lucas to perform and after a few frustrating seasons, the wait may finally be over. Playing on a wing for the white team, Lucas found plenty of the ball to again be amongst the top ball winners. His run and carry is his greatest strength and while he still has some work to do on his kicking, he has certainly improved that aspect of his game.

Every AFL draft seems to produce a bargain player, someone who somehow flew under the radar but has an immediate impact despite being drafted so late. It's only early days, however if current form is anything to go by, Nick Graham may be that player from the 2012 draft. The Gippsland boy has made a big impression on everyone at the club this pre-season with his hard running and attack on the ball being real highlights. With Malthouse having a history of giving youngsters an early opportunity, don't be surprised to see Graham feature throughout the Blues 2013 campaign.

Of the senior players to impress, Brock McLean was again perhaps best on ground while Mitch Robinson and Jeremy Laidler also shone. McLean recorded 22 disposals and three goals to join Robinson (23), Laidler (23) and Graham and Lucas (17) as the games highest possession winners.

The White team ended up running away with the match in the final quarter to win 11.7.73 to the Navy team's 9.4. 58. While the scoreboard was irrelevant on the day, the match practise could prove to be invaluable once the season commences. The Blues will now take some time to recover before taking on Sydney and Greater Western Sydney in Blacktown on February 24th in what will be the opening of the clubs NAB Cup campaign.