DESPERATE TIMES FOR BIG SLIDERS

ASHLEY BROWNE

When the 2023 AFL fixture was initially released, Friday night’s Sydney-Carlton clash was pencilled in as a must-watch game.

A grand finalist versus a team on the rise with a massive supporter base. The SCG would be packed and the TV numbers staggeringly large.

Instead, the opening game of the weekend is shrouded in mystery.

It is 12th (Sydney) hosting 11th (Carlton) and both the Swans and the Blues are in the conversation for the most disappointing teams this season.

With so much emerging talent at his disposal, Swans coach John Longmire hoped his club would become the first since 1995 to break the trend of missing the finals after suffering a heavy Grand Final defeat the year before.

What he didn’t count on were all the injuries, particularly in the key positions.

Defensively, the Swans are missing Dane Rampe and Tom and Paddy McCartin.

At the other end, it is Sam Reid, Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey.

Rucks Peter Ladhams and Tom Hickey have had no continuity. Star utility Callum Mills is also injured.

u There is a pulse beating at a few of the so-called ‘problem’ clubs in 2023.

After winning their opening two games, the Swans lost six of their next seven.

They only returned to the winners’ list last week in the most bizarre circumstances – an interchange infringement in the final seconds that gifted Hayden McLean a free kick on the goal line, enough for a three-point win over battling North Melbourne.

As for the Blues, they continue to torment their supporters on a weekly basis. They’ve lost three straight and five of their past six.

Last Sunday, they went down by 28 points to ladder-leading Collingwood in a game that was pretty much over by quarter-time after the Magpies got the early jump.

The contrast between the teams was plain to see. Collingwood moving the ball with speed, with Carlton not equipped to do the same.

Clubs have worked out how the Blues like to defend and have structured up accordingly.

Sunday’s loss led to a strong show of support for coach Michael Voss, with president Luke Sayers leading the way.

But the messaging has changed, belatedly, that Carlton considers itself finals-worthy and missing out again would be a major setback.

The Blues and the Swans are not out of the running. Not by any stretch.

The Western Bulldogs (7-3) are in sixth place, two games clear of seventh-placed Geelong (5-5).

Only a game separates the Cats and 13th-placed Gold Coast, so if any of the clubs in that mix can get on a run, there is plenty of time to establish credentials for September.

Among the group are the Adelaide Crows, whose run of form ended