The young Blues held their own against the Demons last Sunday, but will they be able to match it with the youthful Giants from Greater Western Sydney?
The Blues managed to farewell their retired champion Chris Judd with a victory last weekend, in what was an emotionally-charged game at the MCG.
The win was Carlton’s fourth of the season, leapfrogging the club over Brisbane to reclaim 17th spot on the ladder and hopefully avoiding the wooden spoon.
Carlton will be striving to continue its good form and notch up two wins in a row when the Blues take on Greater Western Sydney this Saturday afternoon at Spotless Stadium.
The last time these two sides met was back in Round 7 at Etihad Stadium and no doubt it was a day Blues fans would like to forget, with the visitors recording a 78-point victory.
Ed Curnow was Carlton’s best with 31 touches, while the Giants’ Stephen Coniglio had 32 disposals and Jeremy Cameron kicked five goals.
That win saw GWS even up the ledger between the two teams, with two wins each from four encounters.
GWS has lost four of its past five matches, with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of cross-town rivals Sydney – 6.8 (44) to 20.13 (133).
Speaking during the week, GWS coach Leon Cameron said his team can’t afford to dwell on its poor performance and must make amends against the Blues on Saturday.
“We play Carlton who were terrific against Melbourne last week – they’re finishing off this year on a good note,” Cameron said.
“They’ve got some good young talent and players who are playing some really good footy so it’s a huge test.”
GWS has made six changes to its line-up with Joel Patfull, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Jonathan Patton, Andrew Phillips, Nick Haynes and Rory Lobb going out and Adam Kennedy, Devon Smith, Adam Tomlinson, Lachie Plowman, James Stewart and Tom Downie coming in.
Meanwhile, Carlton has made three changes to its team for this Saturday’s game. Ruckman Cameron Wood, Chris Yarran and Brad Walsh return to the side, with captain Marc Murphy, Andrew Carrazzo and Kristian Jaksch missing due to injury.
With 19 players on the injury list, Carlton’s interim coach John Barker said it has made the week “tough”, but it will give younger players an opportunity.
"We've got a core group of quality players…we just need to build under them," Barker said.
"The Giants are a quality outfit – we're looking forward to the challenge."
Carlton’s Sam Rowe and Tom Bell will each play their 50th AFL match this Saturday as will Greater Western Sydney’s Lachie Whitfield.
The Blues and the Giants battle it out on Saturday afternoon at Spotless Stadium, with the match kicking off at 1.45pm AEST.
