1. Curnow and Pearce prepare for longstanding rivalry
Carey and Jakovich. Pavlich and Glass. Curnow and Pearce? If everything pans out as expected, Charlie Curnow and Alex Pearce should get used to each other's company. In terms of one-on-one battles, the pair are matched as well as anyone. Both are aerobically gifted, both boast a lightning turn of pace and both have a reach few can match. True to the script, Sunday's contest was hard to split. Curnow started the game on fire with eight disposals, five marks, four inside 50s, a goal and a goal assist in the first term alone. He added just one touch in the second quarter and finished with two goals and 13 possessions as Pearce found ways to use his athletic traits to advantage. While their respective teams develop, so too will their rivalry.

2. Carlton has improved, but Freo holds the edge
The last time these teams met, Fremantle held a 70-point lead at half-time. The Blues might've endured a challenging year but arrived at Optus Stadium with a point to prove and made their opponents pay for lacklustre pressure and ball-use. Even without Kreuzer, Carlton dominated the midfield battle and linked up play with the confidence they've been promising fans all year. It was a different story after half-time as Fremantle put on the afterburners and rammed through seven unanswered goals to canter home by 29 points. More than anything structural, the Dockers looked fitter and sustained their pressure for longer. It was a stark wake-up call for Brendon Bolton's men, who could do with an enormous summer on the track to match their opponents on the spread. 

3. Should we be concerned for Matthew Kreuzer?
Four weeks after reporting an elevated heart rate against St Kilda, influential ruckman Matthew Kreuzer was tapped out from his would-be comeback match with similar symptoms. Carlton has officially drawn a line through Kreuzer's season and will consult a cardiologist this week to determine the next step. With little to draw from in terms of a precedent, it's impossible to know when the 29-year-old will recover. Here's hoping his return is sooner than later. A positive for the Blues is second-string ruckman Matthew Lobbe's form, who was among his team's best with 14 touches and 28 hit-outs. His recruitment – in exchange for pick 95 – could prove a shrewd one. 

4. McCarthy returns to form
He's endured a challenging season, but Cam McCarthy realised the fruits of his persistence with an influential performance against the Blues. From the outset, there was a noticeable shift in McCarthy's body-language. Instead of leading towards the goal face, McCarthy presented at the ball carrier and launched at contests with confidence – highlighted by a strong pack mark in the final quarter. The 23-year-old spent a lot of the afternoon roaming outside the arc and opened space for key targets Matthew Taberner and Brennan Cox to lead into. And when the moment to impact the scoreboard came, McCarthy invariably had his say. The former Giant finished with three goals, two score assists and seven marks (two contested) in his best game for 2018. 
 

5. Taking advantage, but out of bounds
Key forward Matthew Taberner earned a regulation free kick on the wing after his arms were chopped in a marking contest with Caleb Marchbank. Brad Hill gathered the loose ball, panned the ground for options and decided to burn off his opponent with a searching run towards Fremantle’s attacking arc. The umpire duly paid advantage before calling the ball back seconds later. A conference ensued involving all three on-field umpires, who determined Hill had gathered the ball while it was out of bounds. The Sherrin was eventually thrown in from the boundary leaving some players and commentators scratching their heads.