The changes

CARLTON has made one change for Saturday's match.

Draftee Charlie Curnow will miss through injury, with Andrejs Everitt coming in to take his place.

What to expect

Carlton has shown some real fight and determination over the past two weeks against quality opposition, going down to West Coast by seven points in Round 17 and getting within a goal of the Sydney Swans last week.

With former Hawthorn assistant coach Brendon Bolton at the helm of the Blues’ rebuild, Carlton fans have some new-found optimism about the future.

The first item on the rebuild agenda for Bolton as coach was to reorganise Carlton’s defensive structure, something he’s done to great effect.

Carlton have conceded an average of 90 points per game so far in 2016, a marked improvement on the club’s 2015 average of 107 points conceded per game.

The Blues are also enjoying a stellar season from Bryce Gibbs, who has played every game in 2016 and is averaging 26 disposals this season after playing just ten games last year.

Patrick Cripps has continued his rise as one of the best young midfielders in the competition, and Ed Curnow has emerged this year with his ball-winning ability complementing his usual tagging responsibilities.

Players to watch

Kade Simpson has shown no signs of slowing down this season at the age of 32, and is keen to extend his contract into next year.

Simpson is one of Carlton’s elite distributors of the ball and the Hawks will want to monitor his influence on the game this weekend.

Matthew Wright has been a handy addition to a Carlton forward line which has been left threadbare by the departures of Jarrad Waite, Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett and Lachie Henderson in recent seasons.

Wright collected 27 disposals last week but has also been a constant threat around goal for Carlton this year after he signed as a delisted free agent from the Adelaide Crows.