WATCH: Larkey concedes 50 for throwing Blue to ground, then cops the same thing and gets nothing
Things getting feisty on Good Friday!
Carlton find themselves out of the top eight and facing a West Coast Eagles outfit coming off a bye at home. It’s must win, but it won’t come easy at Patersons Stadium. Join us for live AFL scores as the Blues take on West Coast from 7:40pm AEST (5:40pm local).
It’s must-win for Carlton. They’ve been woeful since their strong start to the 2012 season, which saw them take early favouritism after beating Richmond and Collingwood in the opening three rounds. Since then, they’ve been up and down, losing most notably to Port Adelaide, but they did manage to get within two majors of Geelong last weekend.
Coach Brent Ratten will be relieved to finally get back key midfielders Andrew Carazzo and Heath Scotland, who will add experience and mettle to the ailing midfield. The Blues went downhill when Carazzo damaged his shoulder, and his return could spark them again. The Blues have the bye next week and then take on Hawthorn and Collingwood again, so they’ll be desperate to hit form.
However, they have West Coast to contend with, who are coming off a shock loss to the Lions, and have had a week off with the bye to stew on the result.
Was the the loss to Brisbane an aberration? A mid-season wake-up call to a side who have dominated most teams? They’ve surrendered top spot on the ladder and the spotlight of favouritism, which may well be a blessing.
The Eagles welcome back stars Sam Butler, and Luke Schuey, but have lost tough nut Beau Waters to injury. Coming off an 11-day break, they will be raring to go.
This is a match that will have September repercussions, and Carlton should be coming out in full force with the win badly needed. But will it be enough against a West Coast team that derailed them in the finals of 2011?
Join us from 7:40pm AEST to find out.