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The Blues are a proud club of 16 premierships, however in recent years their form has slumped below Carlton standard.
They claimed the wooden spoon last year, only recording four wins in a season that saw the dismissal of coach Mick Malthouse and departure of club legend Chris Judd.
Playing off against Richmond in Round 1 has always been a tough challenge, however with the Tigers pushing for a top-four spot, the stakes were even higher.
Richmond have won every game against Carlton since succumbing to defeat in the 2013 elimination final.
With new coach Brendan Bolton stepping up to the plate with a rejuvenated vision and mission for the club, the Blues were out to prove that they meant business on Thursday night.
Carlton managed to play the best game they’ve produced since the Brett Ratten days, but somehow they still came up short against an elite side. Thanks to some gutsy performances, the brave Blues tipped the stats towards their side, as they won the disposal count (376-332) and the inside 50 count (57-46).
Skipper Marc Murphy wore his heart on his sleeve, popping up just about everywhere on the ground to notch up 27 disposals in a true captain’s performance.
He combined well with partner-in-crime Patrick Cripps, who picked up where he left off last year and continued to star on the field and wedge his body in the depths of the contests on the wide dimensions of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Carlton’s recruits also showed promising signs, thanks to the expertise of club legend Stephen Silvagni. Matthew Wright kicked three goals in the third quarter to give the Blues the lead – and the hope they needed to run away with a surprise Easter Thursday victory.
Number one draft pick Jacob Weitering had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was expected to defy the nerves and keep Ty Vickery quiet. The centre half-back was remarkable in his first game, as he racked up 17 disposals at 100 per cent efficiency.
The stats don’t lie – Weitering didn’t put a foot wrong on Thursday night.
Overall, Carlton’s decision-making was much better – they looked sharper and determined to make amends for their woeful 2015 form. Despite the Blues leaking out tremendous positives, however, the game slipped out of their hands when they were in a position to claim the first four points of the season.
This was largely thanks to the little errors that they conceded, especially in the fourth quarter.
This included a dropped mark by Andrejs Everitt early on in the fourth period. If he had claimed that mark, it would’ve set up a certain goal for the Blues and created a platform for them to run over the top of the troublesome Tigers.
The fourth quarter proved a challenge too tough for Carlton’s youngsters, as they simply ran out of legs. However, these kids can’t be attacked too harshly, as after all, it’s only the first round of a long season.
All the same, they must learn that even though you play well for the whole game, all four quarters need to be played consistently in order to claim the four points.
Levi Casboult was arguably the only player that disappointed in front of 75,000 at the MCG. His kicking needs major improvement, as he failed to score a major from three opportunities to do so.
The 26-year-old is Carlton’s only tall option up forward, as ruckmen Matthew Kreuzer and Andrew Phillips are required to combine forces in the ruck. Sam Rowe needs to establish himself as a defender, too.
Therefore, the Blues need to work on match fitness, goal-kicking and continue to develop a determined mindset going into the game. That starts in Round 2, where Carlton play Sydney at Etihad Stadium at 4.40pm on Sunday.
The Blues like Etihad and generally perform better on the smaller ground. It may benefit the younger players, who are lacking that little extra fitness.
However, Sydney just annihilated Collingwood by 80 points on Saturday night. Star forward Lance Franklin was back in fine form, kicking four goals after recovering from his battles with mental illness.
Emerging star Weitering will really be tested after a stellar first round performance, one that made him unlucky to miss out on receiving the Rising Star Award.
On Sunday, the Blues need to have all hands on deck. They need to get off to a good start in order to avoid the Swans running over the top of them early.
If Carlton have any chance of winning this game, they need to show the gutsiness and integrity that earned them respect against Richmond.
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