Carlton may not have got the four points but, then again, there were no points on offer. No, this was a practice match; the last opportunity for the Blues to blow out their cobwebs ahead of the 2014 season.
With just a week to go until Carlton takes on Port Adelaide in Round One at Etihad Stadium, the Blues hosted the Western Bulldogs in a Friday afternoon practice match at their historic home ground at Visy Park.
Carlton was missing a number of key stars including Chris Judd, Andrew Carrazzo, Bryce Gibbs, Chris Yarran and Andrew Walker while Lachie Henderson, Kane Lucas and Jaryd Cachia all had hit-outs with the Northern Blues earlier in the afternoon.
Jarrad Waite pulled down this beauty early in the second quarter. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)
The first quarter definitely didn’t go to plan for coach Mick Malthouse with the Bulldogs taking total control of the contest. Put simply, the Blues struggled to get their hands on the ball and, as a result, found themselves 32 points down at quarter-time.
While the team as a whole struggled, Zach Tuohy, Kade Simpson and Dylan Buckley showed plenty of promise, although the experiment of playing youngster Matthew Watson up forward wasn’t bearing fruit. Brock Mclean had Blues fans holding their breath when he was subbed out with a lower leg injury, however the club later revealed it was purely precautionary and that he will be fine to take on the Power next week.
As expected, Malthouse gave his team a huge bake at the first break and it certainly worked with the Blues dominating the second quarter. Newly signed captain Marc Murphy got busy in the middle as did Mitch Robinson, Ed Curnow and Matthew Kreuzer who showed plenty of class and awareness with some great pieces of play.
Up forward Jarrad Waite, Jeffrey Garlett and Troy Menzel all impacted the scoreboard while Michael Jamison took control down back alongside Watson who looked far more comfortable playing in his preferred position. Daniel Giansiracusa kicked the Bulldogs only goal on the siren, with the Blues kicking four for the term to be just nine points down at the main break.
Young gun Tom Liberatore was subbed into the match in the second half for the Bulldogs and had an immediate impact, gathering 16 disposals in the third quarter alone and twenty overall for the match. The Bulldogs wrestled back control of the match in the third term, leading by 22 points at three-quarter-time, thanks largely to the efforts of Liberatore.
Kicking to the scoring end, the Blues piled on the pressure in the final term, however the Bulldogs had enough in the tank to get over the line by 17 points. The Blues had their chance to be in a position to pinch the game but misses to Scotland from a set shot directly in front and a couple of sprays from Levi Casboult and Buckley hurt their chances.
Shaun Higgins was the stand-out for the Bulldogs, while Adam Cooney, Jackson Macrae and Tom Liberatore all caused the Blues coaching staff some headaches. For the Blues, Simpson, Kreuzer, Jamison, Waite and Murphy all stood tall while star recruit Dale Thomas gathered 17 disposals in what was another important hit out for the former Collingwood player.
With Henderson, Gibbs, Yarran, Walker and McLean all ready and right to play in Round One, Carlton fans will be welcoming the return of the season proper where four points will be on the line and well within the club’s grasp.
