1. Carlton on a roll
It wasn't pretty. In fact, for three quarters, it was downright ugly football. But for Carlton, it was a win. It was their second win this season, off the back of an upset over Fremantle last weekend. It was also the Blues' first victory over their traditional rivals Essendon since round 21, 2012. Coach Brendon Bolton and his young side can take plenty of confidence from the last two weeks, and they'll need it as they face another arch-rival in Collingwood next Saturday at the MCG. 

Full match coverage and stats

2. Blues lose clearance king
It was bad news for the Blues before the first bounce on Sunday, with reigning club champion Patrick Cripps withdrawn from the clash with calf tightness. The 21-year-old was replaced in the side by Simon White. Many thought the loss of Cripps, the No.1 clearance player in the League, would hurt the Blues inside, but they won the contested possessions (145-126), and only lost the clearances by two (35-37). Bryce Gibbs stepping up in Cripps' absence, with 10 clearances for the game.

3. Young Blue struck down
With Cripps sidelined, the news got worse for the Blues on the injury front. Six minutes into the second quarter, No.1 draft pick Jacob Weitering was left motionless after coming off second best in a contest with Essendon's Mitch Brown. It took the young defender a few minutes to get to his feet after copping a knock to the head and hurting his right shoulder. He left the ground in the hands of two trainers, cradling his right arm, and did not return to the field. Carlton football boss Andrew McKay confirmed at half-time that Weitering had suffered a subluxation (partial dislocation) of his right shoulder, and could potentially return in two weeks.

4. Senior Blues make a stand
With the game in the balance in the final quarter, it was Carlton's senior players who stood up. Often criticized for their leadership, skipper Marc Murphy and vice-captain Bryce Gibbs led from the front. Murphy kicked an important captain's goal at the 10-minute mark of the last term to give the Blues an eight-point buffer and spark them into action. Gibbs worked tirelessly all day with 32 disposals and 10 clearances, while midfielder Dale Thomas had arguably one of his best games for the club since crossing over from Collingwood in 2014. Thomas was by far the best player on the ground, amassing 31 disposals, his highest tally since round six, 2013. His pressure was also outstanding with seven tackles for the game.

5. Joe's inaccuracy continues
Young Bombers forward Joe Daniher has all the makings of a dominant key forward, but his poor kicking continues to let him down. Daniher is running at 29 per cent in front of goal this season, but he would have fancied his chances at improving that against the lowly Blues. He hauled in six marks and had four shots at goal, but could only convert one of them. However, it wasn't just Daniher who struggled in front of goal. By half-time there were just four goals scored, despite a total of 53 inside 50s between the two sides. The Blues had 33 inside 50 entries (23 of those in the first quarter), but could only manage 3.7 in the first half. Essendon on the other hand only registered 1.4. The second term was the ugliest, with just nine behinds kicked for the quarter. The goal drought was finally broken at the 14-minute mark of the third quarter with Brown converting to give the Bombers their second major for the game.