Carlton's slim ruck stocks are set to be tested further after big man Daniel Gorringe hurt his achilles early in their 54-point loss to Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The door had opened for Gorringe after Andrew Phillips suffered a stress reaction in his foot earlier in the pre-season, leading the Blues to place the former Greater Western Sydney ruckman on their long-term injury list.
But Gorringe's first quarter setback led him to sit out most of the game, and leaves the Blues short on cover for first ruckman Matthew Kreuzer with their season opener against Richmond less than a month away. Carlton coach Brendon Bolton said Gorringe, who has a history of achilles issues, would be assessed during the week, although he was hopeful Phillips would be available by the early rounds of the season.
Meanwhile as former No. 1 draft pick Jack Watts' continued absence dominates commentary around Melbourne, several other early Demon selections are showing plenty already in 2017, most notably Christian Petracca who excelled with four goals.
Melbourne took on another side that has had no shortage of top 10 choices over the last decade and a half, but while Carlton are again in rebuild mode, the Demons are gelling together nicely, and based on the early indications are poised to mount a legitimate run at a first finals appearance in 11 years.
A vacuum of quality players between 20 and 25 was all too apparent for the Blues, and was only exaggerated by the absence of midfield star Patrick Cripps. Though Bryce Gibbs found plenty of the ball in his first match since unsuccessfully requesting a trade back to Adelaide, and skipper Marc Murphy was serviceable as he seeks to make amends for a frustrating 2016, the gulf between the sides is significant, making it all the more remarkable that Carlton beat a surging Melbourne late last season.
The depth of Melbourne's emerging talent is no secret, but rarely have their array of 23-and-under players clicked like they did against the Blues.
Jesse Hogan followed up his four goals last week against the Western Bulldogs with three more against the Blues, more meritorious for the fact he was stood for large parts of the game by another No. 1 draft pick: Jacob Weitering.
Christian Salem continued a strong pre-season, providing plenty of drive from half-back while also popping up to kick two goals. Petracca was especially lively, with his explosiveness and strength noticeable as always. He looms as an ongoing option in the forward line. After a turbulent off-season, Clayton Oliver again showed his outstanding ability in the clinches, ably complemented by Angus Brayshaw, who has started 2017 strongly after an injury-riddled second season in the league last year.
And then there is Jack Viney, the newly named co-captain, whose reliability over his first four seasons in the league belie the fact that he is still only 22.
Plenty of support came from Melbourne's senior brigade too. Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince were typically industrious in the midfield and defence respectively, while Jordan Lewis spent more time in the engine room than he did last week but was no less influential. Former Essendon players Jake Melksham and Michael Hibberd both contributed too, even if the latter was relatively unobtrusive in his first match back in more than a year.
There were several new Blues on show as well. Of those backman Caleb Marchbank was most prominent, while Jarrod Pickett kicked two goals. Billie Smedts and Rhys Palmer were both relatively quiet though in their first showings since being traded in the off-season. Second-year tall Harry McKay looked a long way off the pace after an injury-cruelled 2016, although first-year rookie Kym LeBois provided an early highlight when he drilled an early goal from tight in the pocket. Meanwhile Weitering showed his versatility, swinging forward in the final term to kick a goal, and second-year forward Charlie Curnow provided a glimpse of good things to come.
