When it comes to passion for our great game, you could never question Carlton's Heath Scotland.

The Blues veteran, and the Club's reigning Best & Fairest winner, was among the players who led the charge in Carlton's hard fought win over Richmond in Round 21. 

Scotland says it was pleasing so see the team respond, after a disappointing result a week earlier. 

"Last week was a pretty rough week for everybody involved with Carlton," Scotland said. "We were disappointed with our performance, so we'd done a little bit of soul searching.

"It was time for actions and enough of the talk, so as a leadership group the older blokes wanted to lead the way and set the example. The younger blokes really  lifted and it was a really even team performance. Everyone played a part in the win."

The win has kept Carlton's season alive, ahead of a Round 22 showdown with Essendon at the MCG. 

Scotland is no stranger to the old rivalry, and says he's expecting another tight battle. 

"We were disappointed with the last game we played against them (Essendon)," Scotland said. "We felt that we controlled most of the game and didn't get the points.

"It's a big game this week for us, in the context of the season, and we'll be making sure we bring the same appetite like we did against the Tigers."