THE unlikeliest of allies.

Carlton’s reserves side was topped up with six players from Essendon in the weekend’s scratch match against the Western Bulldogs.

With the majority of the side filled with Blues, it was another solid contest for Carlton’s reserves, with a number of players putting their hands up for selection.

Paddy Dow comfortably had the most centre clearances on the ground, using his mix of speed and strength to full effect in a strong showing.

For the third consecutive week, it was a Matthew Owies hat-trick in attack for the Blues, with the forward combining his usual impact on the scoreboard with a number of pressure acts inside forward 50.

After missing two weeks with a calf injury, David Cuningham built into his return in the second half of the game on the Gold Coast, while Cameron Polson continued his promising form with a polished performance in defence.

He was joined by Callum Moore, who featured across half back after a five-goal performance in the ruck a week ago against Fremantle.

Sam Ramsay followed up his best performance of the year with some impressive moments, including a last-quarter goal: he was joined on the scoreboard by fellow draftees Josh Honey and Fraser Phillips.

Watch the video above for the full highlights from the game: a full player-by-player review will come tomorrow.

GOALS: Owies 3, Honey, Lang, Moore, Phillips