CARLTON will be looking to regain some lost respect when it takes on Essendon on Friday night and it will have to confound recent history to do so.
The Blues have been a club under pressure since Brett Ratten unleashed a verbal barrage at his players in the aftermath of their insipid performance against Collingwood last weekend.
Desperate for a win to shore up their finals campaign, they face a side that has beaten them six times in a row and is riding high on newfound confidence.
"We need to get one back on them," Carlton onballer Marc Murphy said.
"Obviously they're one of our rival clubs and we haven't played well against them in previous years so it will be a really big opportunity on Friday night to respond from last week.
"We're just looking forward to getting out there ... and having a real crack at it."
Carlton has not beaten Essendon since round three, 2007 and Murphy said there had been a recurring pattern that his side would be looking to break.
"They've probably run us off our legs in the last four or five games," he said.
"That's a big focus area for us - trying to stop them from getting out the front door. They've got a lot of bolters who are pretty quick.
"We'll try and stop their run, get back and support our defence and try and turn the ball over from their point of view."
While Matthew Knights' men carry a healthy winning streak into the match, the coach has not dwelt on the past in his preparation.
"I think the last six times fills the history books. We haven't brought the history books out this week," he said.
"It's a new contest, a new game. Carlton has had a big week; they're going to be fierce for the whole four quarters."
The much-celebrated rivalry has played out over 231 matches with the Blues still holding a slight advantage of seven wins.
Knights has no doubt game No.232 will be a worthy new chapter.
"It will be a huge game. It’s going to be on," he said.
"I stated a few weeks ago, it's great for our footy club to be involved in these Friday night clashes.
"Carlton-Essendon, 70 or 80,000 people ... we'd love to see all our supporters out there ... so we can at least win the lion's share of support in the stadium.
"As a football club and for the players, you couldn’t ask for more than the experience of being involved."
