Not there yet...

Last night's clash between Carlton and Essendon was probably the most interesting match of the season so far. Following two impressive victories everyone was labeling Carlton a top four team to be. Last night put a massive dent in that speculation.

Carlton is scarily talented. Scarily talented and scarily good. The midfield - Judd, Murphy, Gibbs, Stevens - is going to be the best in the league. Already it's probably only second to Geelong's. The Blues have an elite key forward with capable smalls around him, and lost in the hype is that Jarrad Waite has developed into one of the better key defenders in the league. The problem is everyone else. It's still the same story of plenty of talent, but little exposure and the experience that comes with it. The defence still isn't up to the task. Every time Essendon went forward last night they looked like they were going to score. If that's going to happen against Essendon, good luck against Riewoldt/Koschitzke, Franklin/Roughead and Brown/Bradshaw. It's not just the backline though, accountability and tackling in the midfield is a worry too. Essendon simply had too much space last night. Lovett in particular always seemed to have a paddock in front of him. The Blues are still another year away at least from seriously contending for a spot in the Grand Final.

Essendon looked fantastic last night. That's their style of play and the way they'll win matches. The game was played entirely on their terms. If I were an Essendon supporter I'd savour the moment, because moments like that won't come around too often this year. Fletcher is the only better than mediocre defender right now, so quality teams will kick 20 goals against the Dons regularly. I love what Matthew Knights is doing with the team though. Essendon might finish bottom four this year, but they're doing it with a purpose. The team has recruited well, and recruited to suit the style of play Knights is teaching. Jetta, Houli, Winderlich, Zaharakis, Davey, Lovett and Dempsey are all super quick evasive and intelligent players that suit Knights' free flowing running style of play. Watson and Stanton balance things out adding some grit and hardness to the midfield. As long as Hille is in the team Essendon will win plenty of first possessions from stoppages. The main concern though, and it's a big one, is developing key position players to replace Lloyd, Lucas and Fletcher.

It was the game of the year to date, and it revealed plenty about both Essendon and Carlton - and showed that perhaps they're closer to each other than we would have thought 24 hours ago.