The first outing of the AAMI Series gave us plenty to discuss, with Jagga Smith starring in the midfield for the Blues, and an injury to Shannon Neale the big talking points.
There was more to it than that, though, with the Blues dominating the ruck contests and disposal counts.
The Cats never show their full hand in the preseason, and continued that trend, playing Patrick Dangerfield for just a quarter before calling it a night, but the return of Tanner Bruhn was an absolute bright spot for the club.
A lot to get through, so let’s jump into The Mongrel’s review of the Blues’ win over the Cats.
Note – normally here, I would put the paywall up, but as this is the first AAMI Series game, I am leaving this open. If you like what you read, please consider joining to support the site, and help me continue to cover the game. Thanks in advance.
THE NEW FACES
JAGGA SMITH
A whole section on this bloke below. If you wanted to reduce the pressure on him heading into his official debut, racking up 37 touches in the AAMI Series is probably not the way to do it. A pleasure to watch.
WADE DERKSEN
I really liked his game. Started well, with nine of his 18 touches coming in the first quarter, but he was responsible for Shannon Neale in the first half, and restricted him heavily. An astute signing by the Blues.
Also, with three kids at 24, you know he is the perfect defender for the Blues – he is evidently a glutton for punishment.
HARRY DEAN
Don’t expect him to come out and dominate the air. He is going to have moments, but he is still just a baby… and he was treated like a baby for a period by Patrick Dangerfield in the third.
That said, it was nice to see him attack the contest as the third man up, and this may come across as weird, but he clearly looks like he gives a shit. In every contest, he cares. That stuff is catching.
CAMPBELL CHESSER
Spent the whole game on the wing, ran hard to find space, and chipped in with a nice goal on the run.
I am not convinced just yet, but there are a lot better signs from him this preseason than I saw from him in the previous couple of years at West Coast.
LIAM REIDY
He’s in the side as a backup ruck, and he came in, won his share of hitouts, and threw his weight around. Carlton fans would be pleased with that.
His seven tackles were a standout for the Blues.
JAY POLKINGHORNE
Took a couple of very nice clunks inside 50 after his impressive Match Sim outing last week.
There is plenty to work with here, but he’ll need to find ways to stay involved when things are not going his way. He is certainly looking good, and the Cats would be rapt with his preseason form.
JAMES WORPEL
I want to make this clear. Painfully clear, even. If you don’t ask James Worpel to be something he isn’t, things are going to turn out juuuust fine.
That was one of those things that irritated Hawthorn fans. He is an inside mid, but there was this expectation he’d be running and breaking lines, delivering the footy with precision to forwards.
No, no, no. Worpel is a worker bee – the Cats have players like Max Holmes, and Bailey Smith when he’s out there, to do the fancy stuff. Let him be who he is, and there’ll be very few complaints. Six clearances and five tackles indicate he did as he was asked.
A POINT TO PROVE
In each of the pre-season fixtures, I am nominating two players before the game that I think have a point to prove.
I reckon I chose well in this one.
TANNER BRUHN
Been so long, he seems new again. After 12 months out of the game, Bruhn started this game like a man with plenty to prove. With 12 of his 27 touches coming in the opening stanza, he was working from the midfield to settle across half-back, and gave the Cats plenty of rebound as the Blues pumped it forward.
Ending equal with Tom Atkins as the Cats’ number one disposal players, Bruhn relished getting to the outside and linking up with teammates. He finished with four clearances and a renewed faith in his ability to be a major player for the Cats at the top level.
He will make a very handy addition to the duo of Holmes and Smith when the Cats are up and about.
ELIJAH HOLLANDS
He got better as the game progressed, with a third quarter that really swung the momentum fully into the favour of the Blues.
Hollands was like my teenage girlfriend, finding himself in multiple positions over the course of this game. He played half-back, half-forward, and settled on the wing later in the piece. He kicked two goals from his 19 touches, and really started to look at home.
I have to say, I had not seen him look at home in navy blue until this game.
He actually looked iffy in the first quarter, collecting just one touch at half-forward, but that can often be starvation corner for someone who doesn’t know how to effectively play the role. Upon being moved, he worked into the game beautifully.
We all know how he was almost lost to the game before this lifeline, and if this outing is anything to go by, Elijah looks like he is finally ready to make the most of his talent.
THE STANDOUTS
JAGGA SMITH
It’s not often a kid comes in and finds the footy like he owns it, but we saw it in this one from Jagga Smith.
Whilst others started to cramp up, Smith was still running, collecting 13 touches in the last quarter in a clear sign that the future looks brilliantly bright for the Carlton midfield.
With Sam Walsh looking brilliant, Smith spent the first half easing into the contest… if you can call having 16 touches “easing in”. The thing that struck me about that first half is how good he was with his disposal. He picked the right options, delivered with precision, and his ball-handling was so good, he should be getting offers from the Adult Movie Industry after witnessing this performance.
His second half was more prolific, but not as measured with the ball use, which comes in-part from fatigue.
He might have earned himself a Round Zero debut… who am I kidding – he will be front and centre for the clash against the Swans, and all eyes will be on just how good he is.
I reckon his odds for the Rising Star Award just fell dramatically after this game.
OLLIE HOLLANDS
I wanted to see it all last year, and Michael Voss denied me.
Ollie Hollands is a wingman. And not just A wingman, but a very good wingman.
He had 24 touches in this game and looked like he was always in the right spot at the right time. Tearing up and down the wings, he continually pushed back inside defensive 50 to relieve his back six, and snuck forward to hit the scoreboard.
Please Mr Voss… please don’t be tempted by Hollands’ foot skills and try to make him your half-back distributor. He belongs on the wing and that has been evident to all footy lovers since he started his career. He has the potential to be one of the best wingmen in the caper, as opposed to just being another half-back.
2026 is the year he makes the wing his own.
FRANCIS EVANS VERSUS LAWSON HUMPHRIES
I’m not sure how much attention you were paying to this matchup, but for me, it was like this game in a microcosm.
Humphries was in complete ball-hunting mode, running off half-back to find 11 disposals in the first quarter, alone. However, whilst he was filling his boots, Evans started to get dangerous, and even though Humphries could count himself as one of the Cats’ best in that first quarter, he also gave up five touches and a goal to Evans.
So, was he doing a good job? Or was he just playing unaccountable footy?
A little from column A and a little from column B.
As the game progressed, Humphries backed himself, and was often seen venturing down to half-forward. Francis had the opportunity to punish him for his lack of respect, but missed his next two shots at goal. In truth, he let Humphries off the hook.
That came back to haunt when Francis went to gather the footy in the last quarter, and Humphries laid a nice bump on him, leaving Evans sore and restricted to the exercise bike. His replacement inside 50, Talor Byrne, managed seven touches of his own, as his assignment was handled by committee. He also snagged 1.1.
I am sure that Humphries will be listed as one of the Cats’ best, but the more I watched him fail to close down on Francis, the more I felt like he was opening the door for the Blues to score. The Cats will want to refine that role… or Lennox Hofmann will be putting his hand up for a more defensive role.
CONNOR O’SULLIVAN
He just continues to grow into a fantastic young player.
Every time I watch him, you can almost see the oak tree in the acorn with this bloke. He kills contests, keeps his feet, and if he cannot mark the footy, himself, he makes damn sure that nobody else will.
Of all the 22-and-under defenders in the game, I reckon he might be my first pick. He will become the backbone of this Cats defence, and with five intercepts and ten one-percenters, he was one of the highlights for the Cats in this one.
CONTROVERSY… ALREADY
THE GREAT PCL DEBATE
I’m old enough to remember a time when the AFL decided that it no longer wanted their big men clashing knees and getting injured, so they implemented new rules to prevent this from happening.
Several years passed, and injuries to the Posterior Cruciate Ligaments in the knees of the league’s big blokes all but stopped.
And it was as though the league forgot.
They then decided that they didn’t like it when rucks wrestled for the footy, so they again changed the rules to force the big guys to run and jump at each other at the centre stoppages. I really want to call them centre bounces – this is going to take some getting used to.
Anyway, the season hasn’t even started, but as Shannon Neale limped off the ground after apparently clashing knees with Marc Pittonet, it looked as though the AFL’s second-worst nightmare (the actual worst nightmare would be paycuts to executives) was about to come true.
Luckily, it appears as though Shannon Neale copped a knock to the shin, and not the knee, and will not have to have surgery, or miss a large amount of time. I say that only from watching how it occurred, and where he had applied ice.
That said, this is an injury-fest waiting to happen, and I can see the league quickly tweaking things to prevent these knee injuries from returning to the game.
When the rucks tell you that your rule changes will lead to knee injuries, and completely ignore them, or decide that their bodies are worth risking to… I don’t know, speed the game up. I suppose, then you deserve to be held accountable.
I felt for Neale, and while I am glad that he has apparently not suffered anything too serious, I know, as do you, that this is a powder keg waiting to explode.
Imagine if Gawn goes down? TDK with his big new deal? Luke Jackson? Or one of the relief rucks like Riley Thilthorpe, or the league’s second golden child, Sam Darcy?
The AFL needs to be a bit better than this, and display some foresight.
PANIC AVERTED
When Sam Walsh went off clutching at his back, just days after signing an eight-year extension with the club, there had to be cold sweats breaking out in the Carlton coaching box.
Luckily, Walsh was able to shake the injury off, which some said was a knock to the hip or low ribs, and go on to brilliant moments.
His running goal in the last quarter, after taking two bounces, reminded everyone of just how good he is, and if he is able to remain injury-free, it’ll make a massive difference to the Blues’ fortunes in 2026.
He also added two goal assists to his 29 touches for the game in a ripping outing.
OTHER BITS
JHYE CLARK ON THE OPPOSITE WING TO DEMPSEY?
Last year, the Cats had several players rotate through the role on the opposite side to Ollie Dempsey.
They had five or six run through, but none spent enough time there to make a genuine lasting impact. Maybe Jhye Clark is the bloke to do that?
I have to admit, I didn’t realise he was so competent overhead, and in a role where outside run is the prerequisite, being able to outbody an opponent and take a mark makes you a tough matchup.
Dempsey spent over half the game on the bench, but it gave Clark the opportunity to shine, finishing with 20 touches. I know a couple of Cats fans who have been a little iffy on whether Clark comes on, or not. This game was a good sign.
NOT WILD ABOUT HARRY… UNLESS HE’S UP THE GROUND
Jack Henry had Harry McKay’s number inside 50, and it was only when Harry made those long, searching leads up through the wings, that he started to look like he could wield an influence.
Henry is just so damn good at getting his body in the right spot to impact his opponent’s launch at the footy, and when McKay started working further up the ground, it was almost as though Henry was happy for him to do it. The further the full forward is away from goals, the easier it is to stop them hitting the scoreboard.
My jury is out on Harry this year. He still looks like he could make it work, but his two preseason games have not been overly convincing.
SOME REAL QUICKIES
Great to see Oisin Mullin so desperate to prevent a lasso free kick, that he used his head to force the footy over the line.
Good to see George Stevens get some time in this one. Had a few nice moments, and finished with a goal from his 17 touches. Peripheral vision could use a bit of work…
Not quite the showstopping game from Ben Ainsworth this week, following his four snags last week, but he displayed some composure at points that took the heat off the footy, working down to defence to find the footy and hit targets.
Francis Evans looks like he could join the Dudley Boyz in place of Spike. Imagine that? Bubba-Ray, D-Von, and Frankie…
… get the tables!
FINAL THOUGHT
I’ll leave you with this.
Most people I have talked to over the last nine-or-so months has been of the opinion that Michael Voss is simply playing out time until he is relieved of his duties at Ikon Park. However, in our Carlton Season preview, I posed the question – what if the Blues actually start winning?
Well, what if they do?
The signs this pre-season have been good, and whilst we don’t put all our eggs in the February basket, good form coming into the year cannot be completely discounted.
Let’s be honest, the club has played without Charlie Curnow for the best part of two years, if we’re talking about an effective Charlie. Losing him was a big deal, as was seeing TDK and Silvagni go, but it gives others the chance to step up.
Look at the way Cooper Lord has responded – 13 tackles in this, a glorified practice match! Jagga Smith tearing it up, George Hewett in the guts, Will Hayward starting the game like he needed to show what he was capable of.
Strange things happen when you think nobody believes in you. You can get a bit of “us against the world” about you. And if Michael Voss can harness that, and the players buy in… maybe, just maybe, reports of the death of Carlton may have been a little premature.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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