Carlton will be hoping to add another scalp to their list when they host the Western Bulldogs on Sunday of Round 17.
The Blues have had some big wins this year – not necessarily by big margins, but big in terms of their development and progress as a club. They have knocked off Sydney and GWS inside the current top eight, and have pushed more than a few other good teams. Despite that, they boast only a 5-10 record, and find themselves sitting in sixteenth, with a bottom-four finish likely. They boast one of the stingiest defences in the league – only one other team outside the top eight has conceded less – but have scored the least points of any team this year.
The Bulldogs are coming off a much different talent base to the Blues but amazingly aren’t that different from their opponents. They have scored 110 more points for the year and conceded only 20 less, very thin margins after fifteen games. They have a 7-8 record and after some average form of late are looking unlikely to play finals this year.
The Blues come into this match having lost their last three in a row. The Dogs have had just two wins from their last eight.
Plenty of changes for both sides this week. For Carlton, they bring in all of Ciaran Byrne, Dylan Buckley, Blaine Boekhorst, Nick Graham and Alex Silvagni. Out go Patrick Cripps, Simon White and David Cunningham with injuries, and Harrison Macreadie and Ciaran Sheehan who have been dropped. Cripps in particular is out for the year and will be a big blow to Carlton’s competitiveness.
The Dogs have dropped Clay Smith and Fletcher Roberts, and lose Matthew Boyd to injury and Easton Wood to suspension. In comes skipper Bob Murphy, as well as Shane Biggs, Bailey Williams, and a debutant, Lewis Young.
Our Verdict
Carlton’s chances of causing an upset here are pretty good – $3 for the Blues to win by 1-39 points is excellent value.
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