That is why Essendon* was up against it from the start, and horribly undermanned by the 27 minute mark of the second term.

When Tayte Pears hobbled off with a knee injury the Bombers were without their best three key defenders.

Dustin Fletcher was a late withdrawal with "general soreness'', Cale Hooker was missing with a hamstring and Pears' absence left the Bombers horribly exposed down back.

Add that to the fact the Bombers had their best two midfielders, skipper Jobe Watson and the hard-edged Heath Hocking, out of the side and you had a recipe for a shellacking.

Carlton would be a lot better with Jarrad Waite and Michael Jamison, but the Bombers were too badly hit to be a realistic chance - and there are far bigger challenges ahead.

Both teams were without key players last night. The Dons were sans their top midfield duo, plus Dustin Fletcher, while Carlton was again weakened at each end by the absences of Michael Jamison and Jarrad Waite. The Blues and Bombers, thus, were further weakened in their weak spots.
Carlton, though, was clearly less disadvantaged, since it still had its absolute cream of number one draft picks - Marc Murphy, Kreuzer and Bryce Gibbs, a formidable midfield and potent small forwards led by Betts. And it had Judd. He alone was enough.

They were just so brave.

Matthew Kreuzer took two big, contested marks to give his confidence a good jolt, and converted one of them. His cause was helped by the fact that Tayte Pears was sitting, injured, on the Bombers' bench.

YOUNGSTER SHOWS COURAGE

Jake Carlise played his first game for the season and, like he did in his brief stint last season, looked a promising prospect for Essendon*. Carlise started in defence last night and showed an appetite for the contest, with a brave mark, backing back with the flight of the ball deep in defence the highlight of his fourth game.