It’s US v Essendon as we strive to end the season with back-to-back wins at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Round 23

Essendon v Carlton
Saturday 27 August
MCG at 2:10pm AEST 

Head-to-head:

Played 243
Carlton 122
Essendon 115
Draws 6 

Last time the sides met:

Round 6, 2016, MCG
Carlton 10.12 (72) d Essendon 8.9 (57)

Forecast for Sunday afternoon in Melbourne:

Partly cloudy – top of 15 degrees.

Milestone: Dale Thomas

Dale Thomas will play his 200th AFL game this weekend against Essendon.

Taken as the No.2 selection in the 2005 National Draft, Thomas played 157 games for Collingwood over eight seasons and arrived at Ikon Park as a free agent at the end of 2013. The midfielder has played 42 games for the Blues since making his Carlton debut in Round 1, 2014 against Port Adelaide.

Charity Socks

The Children’s Cancer Foundation has partnered with the AFL and Sesame Street to produce 18 pairs of character socks in team colours.

Part proceeds from all sock sales will help fund a national children's cancer research project, with nearly $25,000 raised since August 1.

The Carlton Shop has 200 pairs in stock, retailing at $20 each, so make sure you head into The Carlton Shop, or go online to purchase a pair and support this worthy cause.

Celebrate Round 23:

Thanks to the AFL, every child under the age of 15 will gain free entry into all nine games in Round 23 – that includes Carlton v Essendon! 

Kids will also have the chance to win a free Sherrin football which will be handed out by club mascots throughout the game. For every goal that is kicked during the course of play, the scoring team’s mascot will hand out a Sherrin to a lucky child in the crowd. There’ll also be hundreds of Village Cinema tickets to win on the day!

Merchandise:

Want to wear what the team wears? The Carlton Shop is your one-stop shop for our new 2016 Carlton merchandise including our latest winter wear. Make sure you head to Gate 5 from 12:30pm and check out our marquee. You can also shop online.

Membership:

A big thank you to our 50,202 members who supported us through the 2016 season. We look forward to your continued loyal support in 2017. Head to: membership.carltonfc.com.au or call 1300 CARLTON for more details.

Ticketing:

The box office ticket outlet located near Gate 3 opens at 11:30am.

You can also head online to buy your tickets, visit: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Gate opening:

MCC Reserve – 12:00pm

Public/AFL Reserve – 12:30pm

General admission areas:

Great Southern Stand

M1-M2

M3 (Rows AA-LL)

M4

Q1-Q4

Q5-Q15 (Rows P-DD)

Ponsford Stand

M28-M36

Q29-Q36

Olympic Stand

Q49-Q54 (Rows N-MM)

Q55-Q57

Cheersquad allocation:

Bay M33 (Rows A-O)

Car park opening:

Gate 3 – 10:00am

Gate 5 – 11:00am

Gate 6 – 11:00am

Gate 7 – 9:30am 

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 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.

Broadcast:

Metro TV in Melbourne & Adelaide: Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)

Metro TV in Sydney: Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)

Metro TV in Perth & Brisbane: Fox Sports 3 (LIVE)

Melbourne Radio: SEN, 774 ABC, Grandstand Digital, Crocmedia

Regional Radio: ABC Victoria

Follow the Blues on social media:

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