The Preview | Round 2 V Western Bulldogs
Written By Ari Stamatakos
Season So Far
Footy is back. How good. As we enter the second week of the season, a very unfamiliar feeling is surrounding IKON Park at the moment. Normally, the Blues are compounding their misery by watching round two through multiple sets of fingers, scared and expecting the worse to happen. However, there is unrelenting confidence around Carlton.
Beating Richmond for the first time in round 1 since 2012 and the first time in any fixture since 2013, the Blues are up and about. A win built of success in the midfield, the likes of Adam Cerra and George Hewett making brilliant debuts for their new club, as well as Patrick Cripps returning to his best. However, the standout midfielder was Matthew Kennedy. Having the breakout game that we all knew he was capable of.
The last quarter was some of the best football the Bleus have played in a long time and gave the long-suffering Blues supporters some hope heading into the 2022 season. The main consensus surrounding the start of the season for the Blues was to be at least 1-1 by round two. At this stage, it’s almost a free hit for the Blues on Thursday night. If they get the job done, then the Blues are back. If they fall short, no need to panic. Still, plenty of learning to do and let’s not forget how good the Doggies are.
Moving to the Dogs. They had their grand final rematch of Wednesday night, and it felt like they re-enacted the game in Perth. The Dees got out to an early lead, the Dogs came roaring back thanks to some Aaron Naughton magic, got a good lead and looked to have the game sealed. Before some Christian Petracca magic inspired the Dees to a comeback and thus, a comfortable win. It was uncanny the resemblance the opening match of the season had the final game last year.
The Dogs dedicated their own demise. The baffling decision not to tag Petracca hurt them, as he dominated in a very similar fashion to how he did on the last day of September last year. The Dogs ‘team defence’ has caused plenty of issues when they allow a star player to get off the chain. That whole in their side is something that Cripps and Kennedy could exploit to have another 3 vote worthy game.
Another area that the Dogs suffered in was the key defence department. Ben Brown and Bayley Fritsch both had good games, and the Dogs lack of key defender stock has really started catching up with them. Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow will both be licking their lips at the prospect of playing against this Dogs defence. Especially so considering the very good record both players have against the Dogs.
Both sides are incredibly strong through the middle of the ground. With the Dogs having one of the deepest midfields in the comp, with at least 7 players being able to play at any given centre bounce. The Blues showed their dominance against the Tigers last week, however, that was with only 4 midfielders attending every single centre bounce. Could the depth that the Dogs have overrun the shallow Blues midfield.
Both sets of midfielders hit the scoreboard in a big way in their round one match. With the Dogs midfield combing for 4 goals, and the Blues combing for 7. Potentially an avenue for both sides to get the advantage, capitalising on the potential lack of two way running at times by the opposition.
It’s an absolute must-win for the Dogs. The definition of a non-negotiable. If they are serious about being up there with the Dees and the Lions this season, they must beat a Carlton side that finished 12th last year. Aswell as a Carlton side that they overrun in the last quarter of their last match, kicking 6 goals to 1 in the final term the last time these two sides met.
The Blues, while not “needing” to win this match, would love it more than anything. They would go 2-0 for the first time since 2012 and would put their flag in the ground and stamp themselves as a side to be taken seriously in 2022. They notoriously match up well against the Dogs, with their games always being tightly contested affairs, even when the Blues were struggling for many years.
Thursday night, Marvel stadium, hopefully, 50 thousand plus fans, this will be an absolute barnstormer of a match between two sides that are desperate to make their mark on season 2022.
Team News
From a Blues perspective, Jack Martin will be out as he has entered COVID protocols. He is the only absolute out as far as we know. However, many players went down throughout the Richmond game, including Cripps and Jacob Weitering. Barring any positive COVID cases throughout the week, expect Jack Martin to be the only out. Jack Carroll, Brodie Kemp, and Lachie Fogarty are in pole position to replace him.
The Dogs didn’t come out as lucky. There was a splatter of injuries from their match against Melbourne. Marcus Bontempelli went down with an ankle injury and will be a test for Thursday night. Jason Johannisen will not feature after being a late out last Thursday night, and Tim O’Brien could make a return to the side after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Key To Success
While a lot has been said about the midfield battle, the key to success for the Blues is the ability to get Curnow and McKay off the leash. As aforementioned, they have a brilliant track record against the Dogs and considering they didn’t hit the scoreboard as they would have liked against the Tigers, they will be ready to make an impact this week. The midfield battle will more than likely be a stalemate. Jacob Weitering should have Naughton’s number, so it’s down to Charlie and Harry to win the game for the Blues.
Prediction
Carlton by 20 points
