Sam Walsh praises breakout Blue's form as huge Cats clash looms

Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh knows the enormity of the task his midfield and squad faces when it prepares for a crunch clash at the MCG against Geelong on Friday night.

The Cats got the better of the Blues in a high-scoring affair back in Round 7 in what was Walsh’s third game back after overcoming a nagging back complaint which curtailed his pre-season.

“From that game and a few games after that, we learnt we needed to be a bit more connected as an 18 defending,” Walsh told reporters.

“If you have one or two break downs in AFL, particularly the way Geelong play – quick and attacking (you will get scored against heavily).

“They’ve got a lot of hybrid forwards, I feel like if we are working together and stop them at the source – Geelong are renowned for being strong and powerful in the contest, so being able to negate that and get the territory battle on our side will be crucial.”

One of those key cogs in the battle for supremacy at the source is the revelation of Alex Cincotta in a tagging role.

The burly number 39 for Carlton has become one of the premier taggers of the competition having restricted Tom Papley, Touk Miller, Zak Butters and most recently Zach Merrett.

Cincotta has also added three goals to his column during the last fortnight of football (one goal against Port and two versus Essendon), highlighting his ability to impact the game directly on the scoreboard.

Walsh said he was not surprised how well the new addition to Carlton’s midfield has fared given his professionalism and standards on the training track.

“Alex has been unreal,” Walsh said.

“You see the way he trains and that’s why he gets it done on gameday.

“He was doing it down back and now we have seen the element where he can do it through the midfield.

“There are a lot of players in the competition who can break games open and if you can negate that and go back the other way it is important.

“All of us midfielders want to be strong two-way runners, but Alex adds that extra edge to go at opposition and hunt them.”

With the Blues midfield now ticking over strongly, Walsh has registered an average of 30 disposals, 7 tackles and 23 pressure acts per game, while spending close to 80% of game time on the field.

In a sign his condition and strength are at peak levels, Walsh referenced the bye as the perfect time to gear up and charge into the second half of the season full of physical confidence.

“The body is feeling great,” Walsh said.

“I have had a really enjoyable season with being able to have a good routine. The body is feeling ready to go reach week.

“And, from that, I got to the bye still feeling pretty good physically and mentally, but you’ll definitely take a break when it’s given.”

But for the short break Walsh has had, the competitive edge and nature in his eyes and mindset came to the fore.

“I’ve had four to five days off, by the end of it you’re itching to get back into it,” Walsh explained.

“Being able to switch off is also a key thing, which the club has been great with at the moment.

“Having the balance between us being out there training but also being able to relax and switch off.”

With over 80,000 expected at the MCG on Friday night, the game marks the first time in 27 matches Carlton has been installed as the odds-on bookies favourite against Geelong.

You have to scroll back all the way to Round 22, 2001 at Princes Park to see Carlton as the favourite in an AFL match against the Cats, which the Blues won handsomely to the tune of 70 points.

Come Friday, the corporates have installed Carlton as the odds-on elect after a strong patch of form and could welcome back Adam Cerra, Jesse Motlop and Marc Pittonet from injury.