1. Judd's last stand?
There was an eerie silence at the MCG after Chris Judd collapsed to the turf on the wing in front of the Southern Stand after his left leg buckled underneath him. The dual Brownlow medallist was quick to indicate this was a serious injury. Judd bravely sat atop the motorised injury cart and appeared to take a lingering look around the MCG as he acknowledged the crowd – and admirably the standing Adelaide cheersquad – as he left the field. Is it the last time we'll see Judd? Time will tell but it looked like the 31-year-old spent his last minutes on the hallowed turf trying to soak it all in.

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2. The heir apparent?
Before the game, Carlton president Mark LoGiudice said interim coach John Barker would "nurture our young talent and give them a chance to shine" after Mick Malthouse was sacked two weeks ago. He didn't know then how prophetic his words were, with Judd's injury opening the door for a range of players to take more responsibility. Enter Patrick Cripps. The young midfielder's talent is undeniable but he stood up when the players could have lost the plot after Judd wrecked his knee, and ended with a commanding 25 possessions - 16 contested.

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3. Betts off
Adelaide forward Eddie Betts couldn't replicate the four-goal performance he put in against his former team last year, and in fact went missing as the Crows again struggled to convert in front of goal. Betts – who has kicked multiple goals every week since round four – started in the centre circle before being well held by Zac Tuohy up forward. Betts finished with one goal, which came in the final quarter, from just eight touches and two marks, with Josh Jenkins and (five goals) the main instigator in attack.

4. Kreuzer's comeback
It's been a long time between drinks for Matthew Kreuzer with the Carlton ruckman last appearing at senior level in round one last season. Kreuzer returned after three games in the VFL and started on the bench, before coming on and moving to full-forward. He was heavily rotated but worked his way into the game and spent time in the ruck against Sam Jacobs, but his real "welcome back" moment came in the third quarter when he took a strong contested mark and kicked a goal, which was celebrated by nearly all of his teammates.

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5. Sloppy Crows
The Crows were good to withstand a brave Blues effort but didn't help themselves with poor ball use. For the second week running they suffered from poor kicking and would have romped away to an easy win had they converted more shots at goal, finishing with 14.15. Jenkins did well to kick 5.1 but Taylor Walker managed just 1.3 after kicking three behinds last week. They were tardy around the ground with their disposal efficiency down again and will clearly benefit from next week's bye that will allow a mental and physical break.