The North Melbourne Kangaroos will hope to get their second win of the year when they host the Carlton Blues at Blundstone Arena on Saturday night. Join The Roar for live scores from the match, starting from 7:35pm AEST.
Neither of these sides has had a particularly mind-blowing start to the 2018 AFL season, but neither was particularly expected to, with both thought of as likely bottom-four sides in the preseason.
North Melbourne to their credit have brought a respectable effort to every game they’ve played but against both the Gold Coast Suns and the Melbourne Demons just didn’t have the quality to outdo their opponents.
However they did open their account in Round 2 when they played the St Kilda Saints on Good Friday. It might not have been the most watchable game of football ever played, but showed what a difference there can be between sides who bring the right intensity and those who don’t.
Carlton on the other hand find themselves 0-3 and winless at this early stage of the season, and they’ll be hoping that a fixture against a fellow low-ranked team can bring that streak to an end.
They looked really promising in Round 1 when they went up against Richmond despite falling short of a win, but have played Gold Coast and Collingwood in the weeks since and would’ve been really disappointed with both performances.
Brendon Bolton has challenged his young charges to break out of their defensive style and start attacking more in 2018, but so far the rewards from that strategy just haven’t come.
Prediction
North are a little more mature and more reliable in terms of the quality of their form, likely making them the safer bet, but the game is definitely up for grabs.
North Melbourne Kangaroos by 12 points.
Join The Roar for live scores from the match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Carlton Blues at Blundstone Arena on Saturday night in Round 4 of the 2018 AFL season, starting from 7:35pm AEST.
Kane
Guest
Glass houses Harry. Funny how an Essendon supporter can accuse another club of bringing the game into disrepute .
Macca
Guest
Travis - have a look at Mark Duffield article on the blues today.
Harsh Truth Harry
Roar Rookie
Bolton is making Neeld look like Clarko. Someone needs to tell him being positive doesnt change reality. The club appointed a schoolteacher and got the school clown instead.
Harsh Truth Harry
Roar Rookie
Sticks Kernahan sgtarted the rot in sacking Ratten and putting in a burnt out Malthouse, SOS and Bolton have hammered the nails in the Blues coffin. Yet another spoon coming, the 5th in past 15 years fellas. This is a club who even when they get gifted draft picks mess it up. Time to send them to the VFL for bringing the code into disrepute. As for Bolton, it seems that fake grin is gone now. The fall of this club is a greater tragedy than anything Shakespeare could write folks!
Macca
Guest
The blues played 8 draftees (not including Garlett) from the last 3 drafts how many did North play?
Macca
Guest
Travis - you still have no points, all rage and no thought. The long term plan hasn't changed since, we still need patience
Travis
Roar Pro
Macca, I expect a full and completely apology from you towards me. Saying I've "got no points" even though everything I've said starting from the board has to change. Carlton has a serious problem. The team is disastrous and as for the players we have let go.. well you could literally make a supercoach team of the guys we've gotten rid of. Betts, Waite, Kennedy, Jacobs, Gibbs, Garlett, Henderson, Touhy. If you've been up to date with the media today you'll find a lot of Carlton fans have SIMPLY had enough with being such a shithouse football club. To lose week after week the way we have with no heart, no effort and no passion for the Carlton jersey is most disturbing. These are the same fans you said quote "have to change". Perhaps you have to change and start seeing through the crap which our board is saying. Even after another heavy defeat like last night, where is the message of encouragement from this lunatic? Where is the apology to the blues fans for having to watch this garbage week after week? And you reckon I've got no idea? If your saying that then your saying basically the whole footy world outside the footy club has no idea. So come on Macca, put things right and apologise to me and admit your wrong. Especially for calling me the "ult right" and saying that someone like me would make us extinct. We virtually are at the moment and literally become the 2018 version of Fitzroy..
Macca
Guest
So you expect a team that has gone through the list turnover the blues has, trading out a lot of mature players to win more games? Even after losing the likes of Docherty, Marchbank and now Murphy? Also during last season you were calling for the blues to delist 10-15 players, they got rid of 13 so exactly what you wanted but you now don't think they should have picked up any "recycled" players are you suggesting the blues should have taken13 players in the2017 draft? And are you suggesting the final 6 players the blues drafted would be long term players? Or are you suggesting it is better to keep players you don't want on th enlist rather than see if giving a player a second chance might be better?
Kane
Guest
And as usual you haven't read my comment, only bits and pieces that you have taken out to suit your agenda. Time is of the essence, we're 2 years into a new systems rebuild which involves a lot of new people. You of all people should know a lot about how long things take and being patient, supportive and believe in your club and the people running it.
Macca
Guest
Yeah Dingo, if only we could have gone as well as the Lions this week!
Macca
Guest
Are you suggesting the blues should have drafted 42 players in the last 3 drafts? Could you explain how Plowman, Wright, Pickett, Kennedy & Lang have been bad recruits for the blues?
Mattyb
Guest
But Carlton have gone nowhere,so i have unfortunately been right. In fact they've gone backwards,rapidly,again.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Oh, man. Serves me right for commenting coming off a long night and trying to comment whilst half asleep on a Sunday morning. I weirdly assumed you were talking about Jack, sorry 'bout that. But that last paragraph is garbage. I generally try and stay out of anything related to Carlton that's propagated by you, because it's just not worth it.
Mattyb
Guest
Where on earth has Jack Silvagni been mentioned? We're talking about Steve. Although on Jack his lack of pace is a major concern for his size. Yes AD,we know you pity Carlton and want their supporters to look on you favourably,but these excuses and over pumping up of Carlton has been now going on for an eternity.
Kane
Guest
That's right, 3rd season and so is Bolton. Hawthorn were very ordinary too until the Franklin, Roughhead, Lewis draft and what got them to the top was time. People saying Bolton should be sacked after 2 years are a bit impatient but it's no coincidence that it's other club's supporters are the ones who are saying it. How long were Bomber Thompson and Al Clarkson coaching for before they tasted success? People were calling for Bombers head the year before his 1st flag and Kennett wanted to sack Clarkson and have a look at him now.
Kangajets
Guest
Well spotted Timmy Kangaroos by a zillion and 8-2 Newcastle Jets over the mariners Good betting day
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Jack Silvangi has scored 26.24 over his career. If you're saying that has been a major contributing reason why Carlton has stagnated recently, that's a serious leap of logic.
Mattyb
Guest
Fair enough Kane. I think the point I'm making is the reason the Carlton list is so muddled is down to poor recruiting and list management. Silvagni is now into his third season and the reason Carlton has gone backwards is in a large part to all the misses he has had,it's hard to look past that as a major factor.
Kane
Guest
Where did I say anything about a young list? I said our best players are 20-23 or over 30. As usual though you will try to twist things to suit your agenda but as I have said before that's fine, that's your perogative.
mattyb
Guest
It's a bit counter productive turning over the list if the players you bring in are no better than the ones you take out,you just end up back at square one which is where Carlton currently are. This myth that Carltons list is so young certainly gets a good run for something that isn't true. The Carlton list is actually only the 13th youngest,it also has 20 recycled players on it when the next highest is Port and St Kilda at 13. Look,I certainly have sympathy for how horrible and irrelevant the blues have become,its truly tragic,but the blues fans have been promoting this sorrowful club with great gusto for so many years now that they need to start taking some ownership for their over the top commentary. On a more positive note the Blues VFL game is being live streamed on the VFL website today,so it will be a good chance for Blues fans to have a look at Macreedie,Kerr,DeKoning and even Rowe who might need to come in next week.