Carlton assistant coach Tony Liberatore runs his eye over Saturday’s clash against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG

We have to minimise our errors and make every opportunity count. For example, we missed a lot of shots on goal during last week’s game against Adelaide and it cost us dearly.

OUR BACKS

They have plenty of options and will throw their team around a lot. Adam Cooney, Daniel Giansiracusa and Mitch Hahn have all got the ability to play forward. Then, Luke Darcy, Peter Street or even Will Minson might play as a tall forward. We need to be prepared for that.

THEIR FORWARDS

Brad Johnson is a key player for them and while he hasn’t been outstanding in the last two weeks, he is a vital cog in their side. They are a lot smaller and they are going to rotate heavily through the forward area. A lot of their midfielders play forward and the forwards like to play up the midfield, so they have a good mix. We just have to make sure we are on top of that.

MIDFIELD BATTLE

Every week has been a different challenge for our midfielders. This week they are up against Scott West, Daniel Cross and even Matthew Boyd – who have all been winning a lot of the ball. We are lucky in the fact that one of our strengths is our ability to shift players in and out of the midfield when required.

THE RUCK DUEL

Cain Ackland has hit a bit of form over the last couple of weeks and Setanta O’hAilpin is continuing to improve. Both players should perform well against Darcy, Street and Minson, if he ends up coming in. Our clearances have been good in the last couple of games so we will certainly be hoping to gain the ascendancy there early on Saturday.

OUR FORWARDS

The guys have to make the likes of Ryan Hargrave, Lindsay Gilbee and Brian Harris defend, as they can all hurt you badly with their ball use. Gilbee and Jordan McMahon are accurate long kicks of the football so the pressure has to be right on. Sydney did that to them last week and they coughed the ball up a bit. Whether we adjust our set up, to match their slightly smaller team, we will decide later in the week.

THEIR BACKS

Their backline is full of quality players so our set up needs to be good. Harris did a terrific job on Barry Hall last week and Dale Morris is a much underrated defender and continues to do his job week after week. They are the number one side for rebound 50s, so our forward pressure has to be right on and we can not afford any lapses in concentration.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We want to play the game on our terms. When you look at how Sydney played last week, they played on their terms and denied the Bulldogs possession of the football. The Swans were also very good around the clearances and the contested possessions, so, this will be an important part of our game plan too.