LIAM Jones' nightmare might only just be starting.
A cavalcade of Collingwood smalls took Carlton's reborn backman to the last line of defence – and the cleaners – last week, a round after Gold Coast star Tom Lynch booted eight goals on him.
Next up?
Ben Brown, the Kangaroos' impossibly tall, hard-working, goal-kicking hero, who one AFL opposition scout believes is arguably Jones' worst match-up in the competition.
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The Blues' want, and need, to progress their offensive game but it has often left Jones exposed in the first three rounds, with their riskier play compared to last year resulting in increased turnovers.
That doesn't bode well for his Blundstone Arena date with fellow Hobart-bred giant Brown on Saturday night.
"Jones gets criticised for not being close enough to impact his opponent," the opposition analyst told AFL.com.au.
"There are times when I think he takes too much licence and he's too far off to be in a position to either impact defensively or offensively.
"Carlton plays an assertive, or proactive, defence and that's how he positions. There are times when he has to probably read the cues of play a bit quicker to get back closer to his opponent.
"A guy like Ben Brown, who is really athletic for six-foot-six, will potentially get a lot of split from Jones, so on a quick turnover he won't get back to him."
North Melbourne targeted the long-limbed Brown almost four times more than any other forward at the club last year with great success.
He remains its No.1 option this season, even with Jarrad Waite's hot form, being targeted 8.7 times per game to the former Blue's six.
That spells problems for a Carlton backline missing a Robin to complement Batman or, if you like, a David Astbury to an Alex Rance.
Jones, 2015's No.1 draft pick Jacob Weitering and Caleb Marchbank all excel most in reading the play and intercepting rather than in one-on-one defending.
Cam O'Shea comes into the equation this weekend to cover for the injured Marchbank, but would concede 7cm to Brown if they went head-to-head.
Sam Rowe, who is back playing in the VFL after a serious knee injury sidelined him for most of last year, has traditionally been that lockdown defender for Carlton.
Liam Jones hasn't had things his own way in 2018. Picture: AFL Photos
"The assessment they would be making this week is, 'Is our pressure around the ball going to be good enough to allow Jones to play the way he naturally plays?'," the scout said.
"If it is, then we keep educating Jones on when is the right time to come off and when's the right time to get back to your opponent.
"If the pressure on the ball is no good, then it doesn't matter who you've got back there – in that (defensive) system, they'll get scored against."
Carlton assistant coach John Barker echoed those sentiments to reporters on arriving in Hobart on Friday, suggesting Jones will have plenty of help against Brown.
"We play a strong team defence. We don't want to be relying on any one person to shut one opposition player down," he said.
"There's a real requirement on our mids to apply enough pressure, so we disrupt the supply that goes to Ben."
