The Preview | Round 1 V Richmond

Written By Ari Stamatakos

Pre-Season Expectations

And in a flash, we’re back. After what seemed like 6 years, the men's footy season is back. Despite not being the opening game of the season, the traditional Carlton v Richmond Thursday night round 1 slot remains. It’s been the hoodoo game for the Blues for some time. The last time they won this fixture was in 2012 and have not beaten the Tigers in any game since 2013. 

It’s Carltons ‘Kennet Curse’. Constant hope yet constant disappointment. So many times, there has been an expectation for the Blues to break this curse. After so many good starts and having so many ‘honourable loses’, it's coming to a point where maybe it’s just not meant to be. 

However, this season is different. The pre-season expectations have never been this comparable. The Blues have come off a very tumultuous off-season. Having a full backroom personale change and a whole new coaching set-up, it's a new Carlton for 2022. Adam Cerra and George Hewett have been massive midfield inclusions, whereas Lewis Young adds some much needed defensive depth. 

Patrick Cripps looks back to his best and Charlie Curnow will play round one for the first time in 3 years. Mitch McGovern in defence with Zac Williams and Adam Saad playing just in front, this new look Carlton side could produce something special in 2022. 

However, it will all come down to Michael Voss. For so long the Carlton players have been left out to dry by poor coaching and flaky tactics. This is the time for the players to show how good they are, as this is the first time some of the younger players will be playing in a proper tactic with structure and a clear vision - hopefully at least.

They dominated both pre-season games they played, despite only winning by a couple of goals in both. They showed a clear game plan that can stack up to the rest of the competition, and now it’s time to show it in the big time. 

Moving to the Richmond side of things. This is one of the more perplexing pre-seasons for the Tigers. After a dismal 2021 campaign, which saw them missing the finals after winning three of the last four premierships, the Tigers are now returning to that unknown quantity that they were half a decade ago.

A year ago, the talk before round 1 would be about whether the Blues can stand up to the reigning premiers. However, 12 months later, it's a completely different story, and the reason is because of how very poor 2021 was for Richmond. 

After having the rub of the green for the best part of half a decade, it seemed that Richmond's time at the top was never going to last. And in 2021, we saw exactly that. Injuries, poor form and back luck caught up to them as they missed out on the finals and finishing in a dismal 12th place. 

While they added the likes of Robbie Tarrant and others, something seems off about this Richmond team heading into 2022. Many don’t know what to expect from them this season, and we will only know once the season gets underway. 

Under normal circumstances, a Thursday night, round 1 clash between two sides that finished 12th and 13th the season previous wouldn't gather much fanfare. However, context and history is everything. There are so many questions heading into this match for both sides?

Can the Blues finally break their round 1 duck? Will Cripps return to his best? How do the new additions fit into the system? Can Voss turn things around? How will Charlie Curnow play? How does a Sam Walshless midfield operate?

Can the Tigers return to their best? How much of a loss is Bachar Houli and David Astbury? Can Dusty find his form again? Will it be the end of the dynasty? Can Dimma turn things around?

All these questions, yet we must wait until Thursday night to find out the answers. 

Team News

Unlike most years, Carlton poses a relatively clean injury list heading into round 1. Sam Walsh and Liam Stocker are the key omissions for the Blues; however, they will return to the side relatively early in the season. There is still a massive question mark over the return of Sam Docherty, who didn’t play either practice matches, however, there is no rush for his return whatsoever. Lachie Plowman was absent from both AFL pre-season matches; however, he is expected to make a return to the side. And Corey Durdin, who lit it up against the Dees two Thursdays ago, should be available for selection after suffering a knock to his calf against the Dees. 

On the Punt Road side of things, it’s an even cleaner bill of health for the Tigers. With Kane Lambert being the only long term injury for them thus far, his hip surgery will have him out for a while. Whereas Jack Graham and Dylan Grimes will be a test for round one as they recover from a hamstring and thumb injury respectively. Both are more unlikely than likely to play on Thursday night, however, that will come down to their appropriate fitness test throughout the week. 

Key Matchup 

Dustin Martin v Patrick Cripps. This game will be won and lost in the midfield and these two bulls will play a big part in it. Both are dangerous, explosive players who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and get their side over the line. While Dusty will spend more of the game forward than Cripps, they both will have a massive influence over the outcome of the match. Cripps will do his damage on the inside. Creating scoring chains by getting in and under the pack and getting the ball to the more effective players. Whereas Dusty will do his damage finishing scoring chains, getting one-on-one inside 50 or bursting out of the pack and damaging the scoreboard. While they might not go head to head and play on each other, this is the match up to watch heading into this contest. 

Prediction

Carlton by 25 points.