VENUE & TIME: Etihad Stadium, Friday August 20, 7.40pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 209, Geelong 91, Carlton 116, draw 2
LAST TIME: Carlton 15.14 (104) def Geelong 9.14 (68), Round 5, 2010 at the MCG
LAST TIME AT VENUE: Geelong 19.19 (133) def Carlton 12.5 (77), Round 10, 2008 at Etihad Stadium
WALKING WOUNDED: Geelong skipper Cameron Ling looks likely to spend another week on the sidelines with his hamstring injury, while Tom Lonergan will face a fitness test as he battles to overcome a virus that forced him out of last week's win over the Bulldogs. Joel Corey (calf) and Harry Taylor (shoulder) should both return having overcome their respective injuries, while back-up ruckman Mark Blake (hamstring) is listed as a test on the club's official injury list. Brad Ottens, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood are all said to have been struck down with the flu, although only Ottens is in doubt according to coach Mark Thompson. Carlton will be sweating on the fitness of ruckman Shaun Hampson and tagger Aaron Joseph who both picked up ankle injuries in last week's win over Richmond. Former Demon Brock McLean will also face a fitness test on his injured knee, while Matthew Kreuzer (knee), Kane Lucas (hamstring) and Simon White (hip) have all been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
FORM:
Cats Past Five:
Round 20: Win, 25.11 (161) - 9.6 (60) v Western Bulldogs, Etihad Stadium
Round 19: Loss, 12.13 (85) - 14.23 (107) v Collingwood, MCG
Round 18: Win, 20.5 (125) - 9.18 (72) v Sydney, ANZ Stadium
Round 17: Win, 19. 13 (127) - 9.10 (64) v Brisbane, Skilled Stadium
Round 16: Loss, 9.9 (63) - 11.8 (74) v Adelaide, AAMI Stadium
Blues Past Five:
Round 20: Win, 23.18 (156) - 10.7 (67) v Richmond, MCG
Round 19: Win, 23.11 (149) - 9.19 (73) v Essendon, MCG
Round 18: Loss, 9.3 (57) - 15.15 (105) v Collingwood, MCG
Round 17: Win, 15.19 (109) - 11.17 (83) v West Coast, Subiaco
Round 16: Loss, 10.8 (68) - 16.11 (107) v Sydney, Etihad Stadium
Those who wrote Geelong off after their loss to Collingwood were made to look stupid last week when the Cats dismantled fellow top-four side Western Bulldogs. Trailing midway through the first term, the Cats piled on 14 unanswered goals on their way to an amazing 101-point victory. However, it was only one match and the loss to the Pies the week before will still be on their minds. The Blues are in some cracking form of their own with two massive wins in the past fortnight. They backed up their 76-point hammering of Essendon with an 89-point shellacking of Richmond last week.
WHO'S HOT: Pretty much the whole Geelong team were hot last week, but three players stood head and shoulders above the rest. Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood were sensational in the midfield with 74 touches and five goals between them, while Corey Enright returned to form after a couple of lean weeks with 34 possessions in a dominant performance across halfback. Brownlow medalist Chris Judd continued his stellar season with another best on ground display against Richmond last week. The former Eagle helped himself to 30 disposals, but also demonstrated his hard work off the ball with nine tackles. Up forward Lachie Henderson played his best game for the club with three goals from 10 marks, while Jeff Garlett made it 10 goals in two weeks with four majors against the Tigers.
WE THINK: Carlton have been one of the few teams to trouble Geelong during their era of dominance with the Blues winning the past two matches. But a similar result this time round seems highly unlikely with the Cats hitting their straps as they prepare for a tilt at another premiership. Geelong simply has too much quality across the park and while the Blues' three small forwards troubled the Cats in their last outing, they were without All Australian full-back Matthew Scarlett, who is arguably the most important player in the Geelong lineup. With the finals just around the corner the Blues will be keen to measure themselves against the yardstick of the competition, but it could be more about damage control with the rampant Cats set for another big win. Geelong by 42 points.