Blacktown International Sports Park, Sunday, February 24, 4.40pm ADST
THE MISSING
Carlton: Chris Judd, Matthew Kreuzer, Heath Scotland, Jarrad Waite.
Greater Western Sydney: Callan Ward, Dom Tyson, Bret Thornton, Chad Cornes, Dean Brogan.
Sydney Swans: Rhyce Shaw, Kurt Tippett, Mitch Morton, Gary Rohan, Ben McGlynn, Martin Mattner, Adam Goodes, Nick Smith.
LAST YEAR
Carlton: There were signs of the disappointing year that was to come when the Blues went winless in the pre-season, beaten by Port Adelaide, Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions and North Melbourne.
Greater Western Sydney: The Giants battled hard on debut, narrowly losing to Collingwood and the Bulldogs in round one. They were then belted by Hawthorn, but secured a first ever win against Gold Coast in round three. A thrashing at the hands of Richmond rounded out the pre-season.
Sydney Swans: The Swans had three wins and two losses in the NAB Cup, beating St Kilda, North Melbourne and Gold Coast, and falling to Geelong and Essendon.
WHAT THEY SAY
Carlton: "There's a real big group of players that I don't know a lot about. They're the ones who are going to play through this series to see who can put their hand up in round one." – coach Mick Malthouse
Greater Western Sydney: "I know Mick [Malthouse] and he'll be really wired up and ready to go. I explained that to my players - don't think he's going to come up here and not take the first round of the NAB Cup seriously. Because if you know Mick Malthouse, he's serious about everything he ever does." – coach Kevin Sheedy
Sydney Swans: "We want to be competitive in every game we play, and we're going to try to be as competitive as we can this week. But our priority always is to get the game-time into our players, and to practice good habits leading into round one." – coach John Longmire
WE SAY
Carlton: Blues players should be eager to impress new coach Malthouse, and to get into winning habits early in the season. There's also the matter of the captaincy battle, with Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite and Nick Duigan set to audition during the NAB Cup. Duigan and Murphy will have their turn on Sunday.
Greater Western Sydney: Sheedy has named a strong squad and it is feasible that his developing team could pinch an upset win over the Blues or Swans. No.1 draft pick Lachie Whitfield will get his first chance to show his wares, and there will also be keen interest in fellow high draft choices Lachie Plowman and Aidan Corr.
Sydney Swans: The reigning premiers have far bigger goals in mind than winning in round one of the NAB Cup and, as Longmire said, this hitout will be more about tuning up for the regular season. That said, there is enough quality in the Swans' squad to ensure they'll be difficult to beat.
