The Preview | Round 18 V Geelong Cats.

​​Written By Ari Stamatakos 

Once again, it’s a quick turnaround for the Blues. As they return to prime time footy with the mouth-watering Saturday night clash against the in-form side in the competition, the Geelong Cats. Carlton is currently experiencing a nose-bleed, they’re currently all at sea when it comes to having games this late in the season meaning something. Geelong has been here before, countless times, so they will go into Saturday night full of confidence that they will be able to handle the pressure of 70k+ fans and take the 4 points back down the highway with them. 

When it comes to pressure, there are teams that can handle it, and teams that cant. This can separate good sides, from excellent sides. As the saying goes, pressure makes diamonds, and this game probably holds the most amount of pressure to it for the Blues this season. You can take Richmond in round 1 or the recent Collingwood game as examples of pressured heightened contests, but the ramifications that this game hold is massive. 

Geelong is in the 8, no questions asked, they are playing finals. While Carlton supporters would like to say the same thing about their club, we all know that Carlton love to make things as difficult as possible for everyone, so while it looks all but certain, we shall wait a few more weeks before making the proclamation of September football. A win this weekend would all but guarantee a finals spot for the Navy Blues, the first time they would finish the season in the top 8 in 10 years. 

However, while the top 8 should be all but confirmed for both sides, it's the magical top 4 that both clubs are still aspiring for. Geelong will feel that they have a divine right to be there, considering their history and the talent at their disposal, they will feel that they should be there regardless of the result on Saturday night. Whereas the Blues will feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. 

If the Blues want to crack into the top 4 and get the double chance, they simply must win on Saturday night. This is probably the definition of a top 4 ‘8 pointer’, there is an 8 points swing based on the result of this game, and the Blues would definitely want to be on the right side of this result. 

The most mouth-watering match-up for every supporter is the two forwards for either side. Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron vs Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow. Two early similar duos and players that can change the state of the game within an instance. Curnow and Cameron have this uncanny athletic ability to get to contest and compete in contests that they had no right to compete in. And Hawkins and McKay are your traditional key forwards that are ruthless in the way they approach the game. 

This will be the first time in a long time that there is massive pressure on the Carlton forwards to deliver. It has been all about the midfielders this year and their influence and ability to win the ball at the source which has come under the microscope in recent weeks. However, with the ability of Geelong to score and score quickly, the onus will be on Charlie and Harry to get scores on the board to cancel out the impact of the forwards up the other end. 

Carlton will see the re-introduction of Liam Stocker and the proper Carlton debut of Will Hayes, these two will come at the expense of Lochie O’Brien and Josh Honey. Geelong will see Jake Kolodjashnij come back into the side at the expense of Jed Bews. These changes are logical when it comes to the opposition. Geelong bringing in another key defender to deal with Carlton's tall stocks. Carlton brought in another defender and a more disciplined winger to deal with the corridor-heavy Geelong. 

Saturday night is destined to be a blockbuster and a game that will have massive implications on not only the top 8 but the top 4.