North Melbourne’s next opponent are the perfect illustration of how quickly a side’s personnel and fortunes can change.
It has been slightly more than 12 months since the Kangaroos last faced the Blues. In that time, using Carlton’s most recent game against the Hawks as an example, almost half the starting 22 has changed.
In: Blaine Boekhorst, Dylan Buckley, Patrick Cripps, Nick Holman, Blaine Johnson, Liam Jones, Matthew Kreuzer, Jason Tutt, Brad Walsh, John Barker (coach)
Out: David Ellard, Bryce Gibbs, Nick Graham, Chris Judd, Troy Menzel, Mitch Robinson, Dale Thomas, Jarrad Waite, Cam Wood, Mick Malthouse (coach)
Several of the exclusions have either left the club or retired, with the young Blues set to be given increased game time as the season draws to a close.
The shining light amongst the youngsters has been Patrick Cripps. In his second AFL season, the 20-year-old has missed only two games, none since Round 7, and has emerged as arguably the club’s premier inside midfielder.
Cripps leads his club in clearances, contested possessions and tackles. In addition to his high standing at the Blues, he also rates favourably with the top midfielders in the AFL in each of the three areas.
The youngster’s standout performance in 2015 was his effort against Port Adelaide in Round 12. He had 31 disposals, 12 tackles, nine clearances, seven inside 50’s, two goal assists and was even the designated third man up, registering five hit-outs.
His emergence has allowed captain Marc Murphy to amass much more of the ball. An average of 27 disposals per game is his highest number since 2011, when Carlton was just three points away from making a preliminary final.
However, North has traditionally been able to restrict Murphy to below his normal influence on a match. At 22 disposals a game, he has only seen less of the ball against St Kilda across his 200-game career.
Either of Murphy or Cripps presents potential problems for the Kangaroos. It appears the job of Ben Jacobs will be to go to one of the duo and look to continue his excellent individual form of the last six weeks.
Carlton has had a successful record against North Melbourne in recent times, winning three of the last four encounters. During the last two matches in particular there has been a consistent thorn in the Kangaroos’ side – Lachlan Henderson.
Henderson has kicked nine goals in the last two wins, including six in 2014. Last season he was ably supported by Jarrad Waite and Levi Casboult as Carlton kicked 16 goals for the evening.
While Waite is now in more familiar colours to Kangaroos’ fans and preparing for his 200th game, Casboult has been joined in a supporting role by Andrejs Everitt.
Alongside Henderson, the trio form Carlton’s key-position options. While the Blues’ ladder position suggests they have struggled, each forward is more than capable of heavily influencing a game when they’re up and firing.
