The Carlton Blues have triumphed over the Sydney Swans by 19 points, and the Swans are 0-6!
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Carlton Blues 15.7.97
Sydney Swans 11.12.78
Remarkably, the Sydney Swans’ 0-5 start to the 2017 season is their worst in 24 years, and things could get uglier still as they face the Carlton Blues at the MCG. Join The Roar for all the live scores and analysis from 2.10pm (AEST).
Coming off a Grand Final berth last year, most pundits tipped Sydney to again be challenging for a premiership this year, with an array of stars across the ground and some up-and-coming youngsters forming one of the most powerful lists in the competition.
Yet five weeks into the season, the Swans sit 0-5 and on the bottom of the ladder, and right now, finals – much less another Grand Final – are looking like a pipe dream.
After slamming on four goals in four minutes to start their match against the Giants last week, the Swans were totally outplayed, the eventual 42-point loss almost as worrying as their Round 3 defeat to Collingwood that really got the alarm bells ringing.
Even the return of some injured regulars in Kurt Tippett, Isaac Heeney and Gary Rohan made no difference, with all three looking underdone and some way off their best, though the match will undoubtedly do them good as they build up to peak form.
Lance Franklin has been starved of supply in recent weeks after looking in ominous touch in the first few rounds, as has Sam Reid, whose return to the seniors after missing all of last year with a knee issue has been seamless – the troubles lie further up the ground.
Midfield stalwarts Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack – the latter out this week with a hip injury that has hampered him this season – have had a well-documented run of poor form, leaving the Swans desperately shorthanded in an area which they have built their entire game around – only captain Josh P Kennedy is still performing even remotely close to his 2016 level.
Despite the obvious gap in talent between the Swans and Carlton, their opponents this week, what might make it interesting is that the Blues’ strength lies right in the area that is costing Sydney this year – in the guts.
Patrick Cripps looks to have recovered from the niggling injuries that plagued him in the pre-season, and Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy look if not in career-best form then very close to it.
Matthew Kreuzer’s return from injury is also timely, with his ruckwork and mobility around the ground sorely missed in the Blues’ 90-point defeat at the hands of Port Adelaide last week.
The Blues were deemed likely wooden spooners weeks out from the start of the year, but up until last week, had looked largely competitive in their matches – even snagging an upset win over Essendon.
After their defence leaked 37 scoring shots against the Power, former Docker Alex Silvagni has been called up for his first game in the navy blue, and a potential match-up against Reid, Kurt Tippett, Callum Sinclair or even Franklin looms for the second cousin of Carlton legend and current list manager Stephen Silvagni.
Prediction
Even three weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable to contemplate the Swans dropping this one. The Swans are playing plenty of young faces, but the Blues are playing even more, and the talent gap between both sides’ experienced players should be enormous.
Yet right now, the Blues sit above the Swans on the ladder. But for all that, surely, surely the Swans get up for this one? Surely. And if they don’t, well, not only will finals be gone, but maybe even a top-12 finish.
Sydney by 49 points
Not many players have played as good a 49 games as Blues’ midfielder Patrick Cripps, and the young star will want to do everything to mark his 50th with an upset victory.
Can Cripps and his fellow star midfielders pile more pain on the Swans? Or will the class of Parker, Hannebery and Franklin finally tell to kick-start their spluttering season?
Tune into The Roar from 2.10pm (AEST) for all the live scores and a rolling blog, and be sure to leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
NM supporters 1 - Swannies 0
ac
Guest
Here's one .... " what's the difference between the Sydney Swans and the Titanic " ...... mmmm. Ready for it - the Titanic had a piano. Sad indeed that this team had fallen like it has. But GWS has raised the standard and all of Sydney well some of it are cheering for them. Sorry to be so flippant but here's the thing. How can a team fall from grace so quickly - something is wrong really wrong .
Steve009
Roar Rookie
Jack is impressive on ground level for a player of his height, but he's often also our third marking target up forward . The tall/small balance is fine up forward, but a problem in the back line and at times in the middle. It all looked pretty good today, but you don't get to the play the team on the bottom of the ladder every week.
Steve009
Roar Rookie
Do we go with both Rowe and Silvagni next week, despite Collingwood key forwards not having much impact this season (so far)? I would think so from what I saw today, but hope I'm not watching those two holding down the key posts all season long over the development of Weitering, Marchbank, MaCreadie and Plowman. An excess of quality talls is a problem I'm happy to have.
Macca
Guest
The point was Jack Silvagni isn't a tall so we didn't lose a tall
Steve009
Roar Rookie
We went through this last week and again Macca, put away as a ruler, it's about about the type of player. You actually make a good point of highlighting this with the 2 cm difference in Smedts and Silvagni, despite them being such different players in their roles and abilities. How do you think Smedts would have gone playing on buddy today?
Macca
Guest
Steve we also replaced the 177cm Polson with the 190cm Smedts. And Silvagni is hardly a tall at 192cm
Steve009
Roar Rookie
It's not a stretch to say that we beat essendon with one less tall and we won the second half today with one less tall, because we did. Silvagni was fantastic in the back line and a major contributor to the win.
Macca
Guest
Big stretch on the tall small balance - the difference was more the experience Silvagni coming in for the inexperienced MacReadir
Steve009
Roar Rookie
We certainly improved our youth/ experience balance going into this game. As for tall/small balance the 2 games we have won were one with Charlie Curnow ommitted and this one with Silvagni's injured in the second half and Weitering having an extended period on the bench in the 2nd half. Saw White spending more time in the middle of the ground and Curnow floating forward in the second half which also helped that small/tall balance.
Tim Miller
Editor
He was okay- flashed around a bit but wasn't a standout. Racked up a few junk time stats, but playing mostly out of the forward line, probably had to impact the scoreboard. He was far from the best, but far from the worst- that's pretty much it, really.
Macca
Guest
And the Hawks being 1-5
boonie
Guest
How much have the Swans fallen? Beyond woeful. The fact they didn't lift for Rohan is concerning. Even if they beat the Lions next week they won't win again until the bye in round 11. The Swans can start planning for 2018
Macca
Guest
Tim - how do you honk Graham went?
Macca
Guest
Great win Col - not bad for an unbalanced side full of youngsters who needed to go back to the VFL.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Good call Tim. Always happy after a Blues win but what pleased me the most was the response by a young team after copping a shellacking the previous week. All the senior players played well but it was the games from the youngsters in Curnow, Weitering, Williamson, Fisher, Petrevski-Seton and Marchbank that pleased me the most. Cripps was back to his best and Alex Silvagni was exceptional on Buddy.
Swannies
Guest
North will soon join them at 0-6.
Tim Miller
Editor
» Click here to read the full match report Well, that's it from me. Carlton in a boilover by 19 points over Sydney, who at 0-6 can all but kiss finals goodbye. I'll be back on later tonight for North Melbourne-Gold Coast. Hope to see you there! Carlton 15.7 (97) defeated Sydney 11.12 (78) by 19 points at the MCG. GOALS Carlton: Wright 4, Kreuzer 2, Casboult 2, Simpson, Cripps, E Curnow, Weitering, Petrevski-Seton, C Curnow, Smedts. Sydney: Papley 2, Hayward 2, Heeney, Sinclair, Hannebery, Parker, Kennedy, Jones, Franklin. BEST Carlton: Simpson, Docherty, A Silvagni, Cripps, Kreuzer. Sydney: Heeney, Jones, Kennedy, Parker, Lloyd.
Slane
Guest
Carn the Baggers.
Tim Miller
Editor
Carlton: K. Simpson, three votes. This was a game dominated by hard, contested football, yet it was Kade Simpson, the dashing half-back, who had the biggest influence. Time and time again it was Simpson who set up a Carlton forward thrust with a dashing run or pinpoint pass, and time and time again Sydney would bang forward only to find Simpson standing in their way, either with an intercept mark or by waiting outside to deliver it to someone after a Blue won it at the coalface. 31 touches including 25 kicks, 8 ferocious tackles, and capped it off with an important goal in the second term. But it was his dash through the middle, parting the seas in the middle late in the last with the match still on the line, that gets him the 3 votes over Docherty. He missed All-Australian status last year, but on this form, he'll be doubly unlucky to miss out in 2017.