“ON THE night when you’ve got 80-90,000 screaming Melbourne and Carlton fans, I think it’s certainly going to feel like it.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

Carlton is preparing for its first MCG final since that famous night against Melbourne in 2023, with the 2026 instalment to be the first ever ‘wildcard’ weekend in the AFL.

For Jacob Weitering and the Blues, it sure feels like a final, especially given the run the team has been on recently to keep their season alive.

Weitering was there for that two-point win in 2023, but it’s an otherwise vastly different Carlton outfit which took to the field. Come Saturday night, the Blues could have more than a dozen different faces than that game just three years ago.

What has presented in recent weeks has been the opportunity for this Carlton team to experience finals football as a new group - something that seemed inconceivable just a few months ago.

“For us, we’ve approached every game since the bye as a final, and I think we’ve played like it,” Weitering told SEN on Tuesday morning.

“We put ourselves in a pretty ugly position, so there’s a fair amount of gratitude and perspective that has gone into the last two or three days.

“We’re proud of the fact we’ve put ourselves in this position, and hopefully we can do some damage heading into September.”

Weitering spoke on the impact of Josh Fraser, the AFL Senior Coach who has helped oversee a stunning rise into finals contention.

Peeling back the curtain, Weitering shared what the Blues have been valuing in recent weeks, highlighting a first-year player who has lived that very ethos each and every week.

“We’re certainly enjoying our football and we’re incredibly connected at the moment,” Weitering said.

“It’s the little things: picking a teammate up, celebrating not just after goals but an amazing pressure effort. It’s been a great environment to be part of, and whole Club effort from the top down - the staff have been unbelievable in backing us in.

“You’ve seen the way Talor Byrne has gone about his football this year: there’s been a couple of games where he’s got on the end of a few goals, but if he has six disposals, six tackles and six pressures, that’s his game. There have been a few moments in the last couple of weeks where without that, I don’t think we turn the tide of the game.”