Umpires: Howlett & Russo

Goalkickers: W.Harmes 4, K.Hunter 3, R.Ashman 3, M.Maclure 2, F.Murphy 2, P.McConville 2, D.English 1, K.Sheldon 1.

Best: J.Madden, W.Harmes, P.Meldrum, R.Ashman, W.Johnston, S.Silvagni, D.English, P.Rohde.

Reports: Rhys-Jones (striking) R.Merrett in the first quarter.

Injuries: K.Sheldon (ankle).

Game Review

Essendon were the dominant side of 1985 but took an injury hit team to Princes Park for this Round 17 clash. Justin Madden's outstanding form continued as the Blues beat Essendon for the first time since 1980.

Rod Ashman's looooong torpedo goal to the scoreboard end was memorable. Harmes took a spectacular grab at the Robert Heatley end.

I am still amazed when a player shows his old club wrong in releasing him, Justin Madden did for Carlton against Essendon on Saturday. He certainly fired up against his old side and proved a point or two. Well, some three years ago the boy was finding it hard to break into the Essendon line-up, mainly because of the balance of the side. And I am sure that Kevin Sheedy knew as much as anyone that Justin Madden had the potential to be a great player in years to come. - Ray Slug Jordon Inside Football.

Kevin Sheedy is a shrewd man, what about his comments regarding Wayne Harmes, who played brilliantly for Carlton on Saturday? His comment that the door always was open to Harmes was a classic. Reading between the lines, it would be a fair guess that Sheedy would like Harmes at Essendon if there is a squeeze of the South Aussies moving into Princes Park. Well Sheeds, I would welcome Harmes with open arms to Melbourne FC even if he had not played well last Saturday. - Ray Slug Jordon Inside Football.

Blues toughen up!
It was a top effort from Carlton on Saturday. Essendon is a class team and an opposing side really has to plan well, play well and persist with a playing pattern to beat the Bombers. It was obvious from the night final that the approach had to be one of pressure on Essendon. The Blues concentrated very hard on keeping the pressure on and astute coach David Parkin heralded this approach with his satisfaction at the tackling statistics. This is the change in the 1985 Carlton philosophy (not necessarily David Parkin's philosophy, I might add). Carlton has always been a team of skilled performers, not necessarily tough ones. Most people associate the Carlton club with slick running, fast handball, precision short passing and an explosive run-on game. Many of these elements were already present before David Parkin took over. He was able to expand on them, though, and the Blues prospered as a result with back-to-back premierships in 1981-82. Parkin was Hawthorn-trained as we know, and apart from coaching the skills, has an in-built belief in toughness. Until now, the Carlton people have never quite gone along with this "tough stuff" - preferring to fall back into the habits of "pretty football". I reckon that is why David Parkin enjoyed last Saturday night. The side played finally as he would want them to. They were a blend of toughness and skill, with the older players providing the skill and the younger players providing the desperation. What happens here of course is that the older players get sucked in to being less careful and more desperate and the younger guys benefit from the skill and experience of their older counterparts. This is usually why a blend of young and old is a successful one. Carlton may just be starting to get it right. Tom Alvin epitomises the new Carlton approach! I have been most impressed with him this season and he may well be the most improved player in the League. He runs straight at the ball, shows no reverence for anyone in the way, has adequate skills and very good concentration. Other youngsters in Silvagni, Dean, Rohde and Murphy have provided a lot of life and the old campaigners in Maclure, Harmes, Ashman, Johnston and Sheldon are playing consistently well. If you add the bonus of Justin Madden and David Rhys-Jones, we may have another team who could be highly competitive around finals time. They will need to be tough. - Barry Richardson Inside Football.

This game is remembered fondly by Carlton fans, and is considered one of our best wins in the Home & Away rounds of the 1980's.

Team

Video

Milestones

Losing Streaks: This would be Carlton's first win over the Bombers for 5 years.