It’s US v arch-rival Essendon as we battle for the Madden Cup on Sunday afternoon at the home of football: the MCG.
Round 6
Carlton v Essendon
Sunday 1 May
MCG, 3:20pm AEST
Head-to-head:
Played 242
Carlton 121
Essendon 115
Draws 6
Last time the sides met:
Round 3, 2015, MCG
Essendon 16.9 (105) d Carlton 11.18 (84)
Forecast for Sunday afternoon in Melbourne:
Partly cloudy with a possible early shower – top of 19 degrees.
Milestone: Matthew Wright
Matthew Wright will play his 100th AFL game this weekend against Essendon.
Wright played 94 games for the Adelaide Crows before arriving at the Blues as a delisted free agent at the end of 2015. After being picked up by Adelaide in the 2010 rookie draft, the inside midfielder-forward made his debut in Round 4, 2011 against Port Adelaide, and was elevated to the senior list at the end of that same year.
Ring of Honour:
Carlton’s dual premiership player Peter ‘The Buzz’ Bosustow will ring the historic old Blue bell at the top of Carlton’s race 15 minutes prior to the first bounce, before being inducted into the Carlton Ring of Honour on Sunday afternoon.
After making his debut for Carlton against Richmond in Round 1, 1981, Bosustow went on to play 65 games in the Old Dark Navy Blue. Remarkably, Bosustow won two premierships in his three years (1981, 1982) and was the Club’s leading goalkicker in 1981 – booting 59 goals. In that same year he also won both the Mark and Goal of the Year awards.
'The Buzz' is back! (Photo: AFL Media)
Madden Cup
There’ll be more than four points at stake this Sunday afternoon at the ‘G, as Carlton and Essendon battle for the Madden Cup. The Madden Cup is named in honour of brothers Justin and Simon, who between them played 710 games for Carlton and Essendon.
Carlton premiership ruckman Justin Madden ran out 287 times in the navy blue jumper and played in two grand final victories (1987,1995). He was also named Carlton's best and fairest in 1985 and 1991.
The Blues and the Bombers have played for the Madden Cup since 1997 – the same year that Justin Madden retired.
Game-day poster:
The first 1,864 people through the Hyundai Engine room, located in-between Gates 2 and 3 on the concourse, will receive a limited edition hand-numbered match-day poster. Those lucky enough to be given a numbered poster which corresponds to a player’s number, will also notice it’s been personally signed by that player.
For more information about the posters, click here.
Members’ guernsey:
Carlton players will don their 2016 Members’ Guernsey when they take on Essendon this weekend at the MCG. The names of more than 500 members will make up the guernsey.
Match-day partner
Carlton is proud to have Hyundai as its Round 6 match-day partner. Make sure you check out the Hyundai Engine Room located on the concourse in-between Gates 2 and 3 for your chance to collect a limited edition game-day poster. There’s also a boot-to-boot challenge, selfie wall and superboot of loot activities to keep you busy.
ZTE Match Day Moments:
ZTE Match Day Moments has returned in 2016! Don’t forget to have your photo taken with one of our friendly staff for your chance to appear on the big screen and win a ZTE Blade V Plus!
Community Champion:
Carlton’s ‘Community Champion’ this week is former Blues player Gary Higgins. Higgins, who played seven games for Carlton in 1975, is working exceptionally hard to prevent and raise awareness around family violence in country Victoria. He started his own campaign #SayNo2FamilyViolence which players learnt about during their community camp to Maryborough this year.
Through a new club initiative, Carlton will acknowledge one of its supporters at every home game this season, recognising their work in gender equality, cultural inclusion or developing grassroots football in the community. All of these fields play a vital role in educating, growing and providing better experiences in our local community.
Sunday Funday: Kids entry free & a kick-to-kick on the G
The AFL’s Sunday Funday is back for 2016, with kids under 15 gaining FREE entry to this week’s game. Also, make sure you bring your footballs to the game on Sunday, as there’ll be a kick-to-kick after the match on the MCG. It’s your chance to run onto the hallowed turf and kick the footy.
What’s on:
- 12:30pm - Gate 3: Ticket windows open
- 1:00pm - Concourse: Merchandise stands open
- 1:00pm - Concourse: The Hyundai Engine Rooms opens, make sure you head down between Gates 2 and 3 for your chance to collect the limited edition match-day poster
- 1:15pm - Public gates open
- 1:15pm - Concourse: Membership stand opens
- 3:02pm - On-field: Captain Carlton and Navy Nina make their entrance on board Blue Betty for the first time in 2016
- 3:07pm - On-field: Dual premiership player Peter Bosustow will ring the iconic Blue Bell before being inducted into Carlton’s Ring of Honour
- 3:20pm - Game starts
- Post-match - Kick-to-kick on the ‘G
Merchandise:
Want to wear what the team wears? The Carlton Shop is your one-stop-shop for our new 2016 Carlton merchandise including guernseys, scarves and polos. Visit our marquee located at Gate 3 – we’ll be open from 1pm.
Alternatively, you can also shop online.
Membership:
To celebrate the upcoming match between archrivals Carlton and Essendon, the Blues are offering their faithful an exclusive membership deal. With any purchase of a three-game membership this week, you’ll also receive two bonus general admission tickets to Sunday’s clash at the MCG. To avoid disappointment by purchasing the deal on match day, make sure you head to membership.carltonfc.com.au or call 1300 CARLTON during the week to secure your tickets.
Our membership marquee on match day is located at Gate 3 – we’ll be open from 1:15pm.
Ticketing:
Ticket windows located at Gate 3 open at 12:30pm.
You can also head online to buy your tickets, visit: www.ticketmaster.com.au
General admission areas:
Great Southern Stand
M1-M3
Q1-Q3
Q4-Q15
Ponsford Stand
M28-M35
Q29-Q36
Olympic Stand
Q49 (Rows R-MM)
Q50-Q57
Gate opening:
MCC reserve gates: 1pm
AFL reserve gates: 1:15pm
Public gates: 1:15pm
Carpark opening:
Gate 3: 11am
Gate 5: 12pm
Gate 6: 12pm
Gate 7: 10:30am
Public transport:
You can take a train, tram or bus to the MCG.
Trams No.75 (City-Vermont South), No.48 (City-North Balwyn) and No.70 (City-Wattle Park) stop within walking distance of the ground.
The Jolimont and Richmond train stations are within walking distance of the MCG. To get to Jolimont station take the Hurstbridge or Epping line trains. To get to Richmond station from the city, take any train on the Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Dandenong, Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston or Sandringham lines.
The Bus route 246 is run by National Bus Company, which links La Trobe University with Elsternwick Station. The 246 stops on Punt Road.
For more information visit the PTV website: http://ptv.vic.gov.au
Cheersquad allocation:
Bay M3 (Rows A-V)
Broadcast:
Metro TV in Melbourne, Adelaide: Channel 7 (LIVE), Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)
Metro TV in Sydney, Brisbane: 7mate (1 hour delay), Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)
Metro TV in Perth: Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)
Radio: Triple M & 3AW
Follow the Blues on social media
Snapchat (carlton_fc)
