MELBOURNE could be forgiven for thinking life was pretty good in the immediate aftermath of round 10.

The premiership defence – and the chance to play a Grand Final in front of fans at the MCG – was well and truly on track, the Demons sitting pretty and undefeated on top of the ladder, with an imperious percentage of 161.7.

The mood was similarly optimistic at Carlton, re-energised under new coach Michael Voss and finally delivering on years upon years of hope and false starts.

LADDER PREDICTOR Where will your club finish?

The Blues were third, having dropped just two matches, and fans were split into two – some daring to dream big, and others mistrustful, waiting for the wheels to fall off.

The pair will meet in a season-defining clash on Saturday night at the MCG, Carlton boosted by the unlikely availability of skipper Paddy Cripps, who overturned his suspension upon appeal in a marathon Thursday night hearing.

It's safe to say things have taken a turn for the worse for both sides since the heady days of round 10.

So, what's happened?

MELBOURNE

The Demons are a chance at an unwanted piece of V/AFL history, with teams to have started 10-0 having never missed the top four.

Teams to have started 10-0

Melbourne is still sitting in third spot, having won four and lost six since round 10. Equal on points with both Sydney and Brisbane (and two ahead of Fremantle), and only 1.3 per cent ahead of the Lions, the Dees are still vulnerable to dropping out of the four by the season's end.

Steven May's concussion and club suspension-enforced absence exposed the backline somewhat, while Max Gawn spent some time on the sidelines with a syndesmosis issue and Tom McDonald's home-and-away season ended halfway through the year with a serious ankle injury.

Losses to top-eight sides Fremantle (twice), Sydney, Collingwood and Geelong, as well as the Western Bulldogs, raised questions over Melbourne's ability to continue to match it with the top sides.

The midfield – previously one of the side's biggest strengths – was beaten in clearances by the Dockers, the Swans, the Cats, the Dogs and the Crows and Power (winning matches) while sides racked up uncontested marks against them, controlling the play.

Their numbers have dropped slightly, averaging 363.7 disposals from rounds 11-21, compared to 379.1 from rounds 1-10. Marks follow a similar trajectory, dropping from 91.6 to 82.6.

CARLTON

The Blues sit seventh, two points ahead of Richmond and four up on St Kilda, while the Western Bulldogs lurk two games behind in 10th spot.

Like Melbourne, Carlton has won four and lost six games since sitting in third spot after 10 rounds.

The most egregious losses have come against St Kilda and Adelaide, while it could be argued Collingwood, Richmond, Brisbane and Geelong were favourites before the ball was bounced.

Injuries have been a constant theme for the Blues' season, unable to build any consistency whatsoever due to the revolving door of senior players.

Even mid-season recruit Sam Durdin fell victim, hurting his knee in his first game for the club.

Injuries to senior players from round 10

Harry McKay – knee (round eight)
Matt Kennedy – quad, jaw
Jacob Weitering – shoulder
Adam Cerra – hamstring
Sam Durdin – knee
Jack Martin – calf
Jordan Boyd – foot
Matt Owies – calf
Jack Newnes – leg
George Hewett – back
Nic Newman – knee
Corey Durdin – shoulder
Liam Stocker – concussion

Long-term injuries stemming from before round 10

Ed Curnow – calf
Oscar McDonald – back
Mitch McGovern – hamstring
Marc Pittonet – knee

Carlton's scoring has taken a dive, averaging 93.2 in the first 10 rounds, and dropping to 77.7 in the second half of the year.

Some of that can be put down to having come up against stronger sides. The Blues only faced three current top-eight sides between rounds 1-10 (Richmond, Fremantle and Sydney), and have played five since then.