CARLTON will take on one of the competition’s pace-setters Geelong for the first time this year in its last game of the season.

This is the second time in two seasons that the Blues have travelled to GMHBA Stadium to challenge the Cats.

With Geelong fighting for top-of-the-ladder status and the Blues aiming to have another win under their belt, the battle is sure to be heated.

THE GAME IN FOCUS:

With Carlton entering the last game with positive momentum after its 10-point win over St Kilda, it will be looking to continue that form against Geelong.

Carlton has won four out of its last six games, while Geelong’s form has dropped as of late, winning only two of its last five games.

So while it may be second coming up against 16th, the contest is looming to be a closer one than the ladder suggests.

Without key defender Liam Jones, the Blues’ focus will aim to shut down the likes of Tom Hawkins and Gryan Miers with a solid team defence.

LAST TIME WE MET:

The Blues fell at the hands of the Cats by 28 points in Round 10 of the 2018 season.

Bottom-of-the-ladder Carlton put up a fight against the top eight Geelong, trailing by only two goals at three-quarter time at the Cattery.

An experienced trio of Kade Simpson, Patrick Cripps and Ed Curnow gathered over 30 disposals each, while Matthew Kreuzer produced 39 hitouts.

While the prime movers of the line-up remain relatively unchanged since the last time they faced the Cats, recent winning form should have the Blues more confident ahead of this weekend’s trip down the highway.

BLUE FOCUS:

The last time Carlton won at GMHBA Stadium was in 1996.

Now with an in-form line-up ripe to conquer the Cattery, the Blues will have to limit the Cats’ fast counter-attacks after turnovers and their ability to rotate players into different positions.

With Carlton young gun Sam Walsh being compared to the likes of Joel Selwood, it will be a battle of the midfields as Cripps, Curnow, Marc Murphy and Walsh aim to make their mark against Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield, Tim Kelly and Gary Ablett.

GET EXCITED ABOUT:

Carlton heritage doesn’t run much deeper than the Silvagni name, and with Jack signing a new two-year contract, it doesn’t look like dropping off any time soon.

Jack has flourished under senior coach David Teague, enjoying a rich vein of form at AFL level after making his debut in 2016.

He has played eight consecutive games since Round 15, averaging 16 disposals, seven contested possessions and four tackles.

In what has been a career-best season to date, he – along with his teammates – will be looking to sign off on the best possible note.

BLUE VIEW:

The last time the Blues won more than seven games in a season was in 2013: can they steal an eighth win in the last round of the 2019 season?

If so, it will be their best win-loss ratio in six years: a promising achievement after finding themselves with one win at the halfway point of the season.