The Preview | Carlton v Adelaide | AFL Round 5, 2023

Written by Luke Cornell

Time to explode.

The blues have done the hard yards in the first 4 rounds, with promising signs of a squad utilizing their whole arsenal to wipe out the Kangaroos last week. 

Now, it feels like a fresh start, a start that involves an opportunity against the crows this week to go that next step into a tight season. 

Gather ‘round, it’s the round 5 preview.

Opposition Analysis 

Adelaide look and feel like the new kids on the block, they’re an exciting team to watch, and for a good reason. 

It’s a credit to a team when their engine room best describes their forward line, with Izak Rankine, Josh Rachele and Tex Walker already combining for 27 goals to kick of the season with a league high 15 goal assists a game to compliment their spread and willingness to get the best opportunity in front of the sticks. 

Riley Thilthorpe deserves some love from crows fans for opening up their forward 50, taking on some of the best defenders each week whilst still piling on 5 goals in his recent bout in the showdown of round 3. 

It’s a sturdy approach on all ends of Adelaide’s field, relying on 19 year old Max Michalanney to hold it down on defence when it matters.

Michalanney had 16 disposals including 10 intercept possessions and five marks in an accomplished defensive showing which saw him rewarded with five coaches votes.

While their backline continues to be their weakest link, the crow’s decision to no longer rely on the transition out of Jordan Dawson from their back half gives them a promising exit strategy around the contested ball.

With the likes of Laird, Keys and Sloane pinch hitting in the centre bounce, the crows have one of the more reliable mid rotations in the comp; matching the blue’s average of 11 centre clearances per game in what’s bound to be a test of endurance and ability to win the ball when undermanned. 

What to expect 

For the people who write a sorry excuse for a preview each week (yours truly), it’s a delight to see system prevail when the Blues needed it most. 

Isolation IS key when going inside 50, it was no secret heading into last week under the roof at marvel, culminating in an appropriate 10 goal combination of two Coleman medalists. 

What stuck many blues fans last week however was the way in which the Roos attacked the first half, when it was apparent we wanted to stem the flow of the game early on. 

Whilst there were only glimpses of this style last week, Carlton’s kick-mark game is quickly becoming a staple in the way we look to hurt teams in the future.

The spread of the ball opened the heavens in what was an underrated showing from our wingers Lochie O’Brien and Ollie Hollands, as the Blues seemed unfazed from switching the ball to their hearts content which opened up many opportunities across the ground. 

If the blues are to get in top this week, expect the likely inclusions and of Sam Walsh, Blake Acres and Matthew Kennedy to be paramount in the manner we go about stemming the flow of the game. 

Composure can be fine tuned, but professionalism with ball in hand comes at a premium, ringing true with the loss of Sam Docherty for 4-6 weeks. 

Predictions 

It feels as though there have been pieces missing every week, but this week the Blues feel more complete than ever.

That’s not to say the crows aren’t going to be a test and a migraine all in one, Adelaide Oval does us no favors.

With the talk of professionalism and the ability to put teams away at full strength being an issue amongst fans as of late, the hope is that this week, there is a true showing of what this list is capable of on the biggest stage of one of the biggest rounds of the season; even if it’s just in glimpses.

It seems to be a recurring theme amongst the group so far, but we can only control what we can control, blue-baggers alike can expect the calibre of this list to capitalise on whatever comes this way. 

It’s an exciting week….in what should be an exciting result. 

Blues by 12