GEELONG earned a week's break after finishing in fifth spot but might not have enjoyed watching Carlton continue to build momentum in what has become a stunning resurgence since coach Josh Fraser took the reins.
The Cats, on the other hand, have almost been flying under the radar as they won their last six matches by an average of 35 points to cruise into their 20th finals campaign in the past 23 seasons. Three defeats from as many matches against top-six sides, as well as a loss to the Blues, in the second half of the season leave question marks hanging over coach Chris Scott's team. But its wealth of experience and record of winning at least one final in all but three of its past 20 finals series make Geelong hard to tip against in a knockout game.
The Blues incredibly turned around a 1-8 start to the season before parting ways with coach Michael Voss to put together an 11-1-2 record across their next 14 matches and march into the wildcard round. After a slow start against the Demons, the Blues rallied to boot nine goals to three after the first break to keep their fairytale run alive. They now face a six-day break but with three wins in the past three matches against Geelong, and four in their past five, Carlton can be confident its wild ride is not ready to end yet.
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