The club:
Formed: 1864
Joined AFL: 1897
Premierships: 16 - 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995
Last finals appearance: 2001, first semi-final

2007 to date:
When Carlton beat the Lions to take out the NAB Cup, it’s doubtful even the most optimistic Blue would have been carried away. After all, the last time Carlton won the pre-season competition, in 2005, it followed up earning the wooden spoon in the home-and-away season.

Denis Pagan’s side is unlikely to do that in 2007 – Richmond appears to have a mortgage on bottom spot. But it may well finish second last. The Blues have been brilliant at their best, like in their comeback win over Essendon in round three: a bona fide modern classic. But they’ve also been shockingly inconsistent and have lost their past four matches, three of them by 10 goals or more. Carlton is currently 4-11 and occupant of 15th spot.

Last time they met the Lions:
In an extraordinary match at Docklands in round five, the two sides combined for 39 goals, with the Lions getting home by 12 points. A three-goal-to-one final quarter sealed the result for the Lions, who kicked 18.1 to midway through term three. Five Blues kicked three goals, including Brendan Fevola, Eddie Betts and Kade Simpson.

The coach:
Pagan is in his fifth season as Carlton mentor, but whether he’ll get to a sixth remains to be seen. Described in press reports last year as a “dead man walking” before somewhat improbably kicking on into 2007, two-time Kangaroos premiership coach Pagan is in charge of a list that has much youthful promise. Unfortunately for him, it also lacks the experience to deliver on that promise right now.

Missing in action:
Youngster Adam Hartlett hurt a hamstring in last week’s 62-point loss to Sydney and is expected to miss three weeks. A knee complaint is likely to keep Lance Whitnall sidelined for another week or two, while Cameron Cloke, who kicked three goals against the Lions in round five, is gone for the season with a shoulder reconstruction. Nick Stevens (neck) is another who won’t return until 2008.

The gun:
Brendan Fevola has pretty much redefined the word ‘inconsistent’. But the raw fact is that he is one of the Blues’ few match-winners – some would say their only match-winner. Which Fev will turn up? The one whose petulant display against Fremantle in round 13 resulted in a one-match club-imposed suspension? Or the one who kicked eight goals in that extraordinary win over Essendon in round three? Lions fans will be hoping for the former – which recently has been the case more often than not.

The bolter:
Where in the world has Andrew Carrazzo come from? The simplified version is via Geelong’s rookie list and then that of the Blues, but that doesn’t do justice to the form the 23-year-old has shown this year. While Carlton has struggled, Carrazzo has done nothing but enhance his own reputation, with a penchant for finding the football and disposing of it accurately. He has 363 disposals for the year to date, 15 more than Simon Black. While Black has been near the top of Brownlow Medal voting for most of the season, Carrazzo is at $401!

Strengths:
In Ryan Houlihan, Matthew Lappin, Jarrad Waite and Brad Fisher, Carlton have mid-sized players capable of making an impact at either end of the ground. Consecutive No.1 draft picks Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs are going to be guns, “good Fevola” is probably the league’s most explosive full-forward, Eddie Betts is a talented goal-sneak and Setanta O’hAilpin has the kind of enthusiasm you’d like to bottle. Aside from that and some youthful but raw talent, there isn’t too much to write home about right now.

Weaknesses:
Let’s start with the ruck, where consecutive No.1 pre-season draft picks - ex-Lion Dylan McLaren and ex-Saint Cain Ackland - can’t get a game. This leaves O’hAilpin as first-choice big man and, enthusiastic as the giant Irishman is, he’s more likely to win a tap by accident than by nuance. The Swans and Peter Everitt exploited this weakness enormously last weekend. The Blues lack any real class in the midfield and their defence, while battling manfully, seems to lack a player capable of shackling Jonathan Brown. When “bad Fevola” turns up it usually spells trouble for the whole team.

The Queensland factor:
The Blues are yet to forge a great bond with the Sunshine State, with project player Shaun Hampson (Mount Gravatt) the only Queenslander on their list. Back-up ruckman McLaren, yet to be sighted in 2007, will be remembered for the 46 games he played for the Lions between 2001 and 2005.