The Carlton Essendon rivalry is one of the greats in Australian sport that is what makes a loss to the Bombers hurt that little more. Just look at the carry on in the Essendon coaches box after the siren sounded – boys it is round 3! Seriously, much as I hate to admit it, the victory was no doubt one of Essendon’s best in recent times. Let them celebrate we need to learn and move on, quickly.

Look at the stats from the game and we won in most areas. Certainly the start was good and a better return on the scoreboard may have blown the game open before quarter time. But as Ratten said after the game our lack of conversion gave Essendon a chance to get back into the game and they obviously took that chance.

So was it bad kicking or was there more to it?

Some have been suggesting the added media attention and focus on Carlton led to ‘getting ahead of ourselves’. I don’t believe this would be the issue and certainly hope it wasn’t. However it was alarming to see too many Carlton players in ‘downhill skiing’ mode, running forward of the ball making the Blues vulnerable when a turnover occurred, that didn’t happen in the first two rounds. There was no cheating in the first two weeks of the season, every possession was earned.

When you are a big club like Carlton and you have had six or seven poor years, the excitement is sure to build much quicker than it is deserved. Two wins to start the season was surely in perspective within the club but outside, from supporters and the media, it was like Carlton had won ten in a row and were certainties for the top four. As Chris Judd put it so well at this week’s media conference, “…we started with a good victory and a supporters were talking back to back premierships”.

Let’s face it expectation and learning to live with success is part of development. This team has continued to develop in the last couple of seasons, even starting with learning how to win. Now we face the next challenge, coping with the added pressure of winning when we are expected to and to live with the hysteria that comes from supporters and the media when a sleeping giant like Carlton was finally stirs.

Perhaps it was a combination of a few factors but the important issue from last Saturday night is that we all learn.

And there is no greater challenge for the Carlton Football Club than the one we face on Saturday; Sydney. The Swans have won the last 11 matches against Carlton with the Blues last win against Sydney being round 8 in 2000 at Visy Park. Indeed the only current Carlton player to have played in a winning Carlton side against Sydney is Brendan Fevola.

Making the challenge even greater is the venue, the SCG. Carlton has lost the last 8 matches against the Swans in Sydney, six at the SCG (1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2006 & 2007) and two at Stadium Australia (2002 & 2003). The last time Carlton enjoyed a successful match at the SCG was in 1993, round seven when the Blues defeated Sydney by 44-points.

You may remember those days, David Parkin was in his third season in his second stint as the Carlton coach, Stephen Kernahan was captain, Andrew McKay was in his first season at Carlton, Craig Bradley won the Best & Fairest, Brett Ratten was in his third full season in the AFL, there was a final six and Carlton played Essendon in the Grand Final. Brett Ratten remembers the game as he played on a wing!

It was in round four last year that Carlton rose to the occasion to defeat Collingwood to ensure the Blues longest losing sequence of matches was not broken. On Saturday Carlton has the opportunity to erase another record that is far from flattering for our great club. It is this type of statistical record that Carlton needs to break to help form the winning culture we are all striving to see back at the Carlton Football Club.

The timing of the game may well be in the Blues favour as the Blues have never lost a Saturday afternoon game against Sydney in Sydney. Indeed the Swans have never played a ‘normal time’ Saturday afternoon game at the SCG. The closest they have come to a traditional Saturday afternoon game at the SCG was in 1997 against Footscray when the game started at 4:40pm. Here’s hoping a change of time for this game will be the catalyst for a change of fortune in Sydney for the Blues.

It is time we corrected another historical record that does not sit well with our proud club.

Lessons learned, now bring on the Swans.