<p>It’s the final round of the season—and for about ten clubs, it couldn’t come soon enough. They're already counting down the days until it’s over.</p> <p>And, because we clearly haven’t seen enough of them in primetime this year, Essendon will host Carlton at the MCG to kick things off.</p> <p>We get it—it’s not exactly blockbuster viewing. The Blues have had a rough season, and the Bombers are basically being held together with duct tape at this point. But the AFL boxed themselves into a corner by scheduling the rescheduled cyclone game for the end of the season, so here we are: another Thursday night with the Dons and the Blues.&nbsp;</p> <p>Even Channel 7 has opted out of broadcasting this one, choosing instead to air a second Sunday night game that actually has some finals implications.</p> <p>To be fair to the Bombers, they've shown a bit of fight recently, even if the results haven’t gone their way. They were a Mason Redman long-range bomb away from stealing the game against St Kilda last Friday, and arguably looked the better side for most of it.</p> <p>As for Carlton, they finally got some late-season joy last week, dismantling Port Adelaide at Marvel. It’s been a while since the Blues have had a day like that, and they made the most of it.</p> <p>Harry McKay let out a season’s worth of frustration on Allir Allir and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher kicking a bag of seven, while the younger Carlton brigade continued to impress. George Hewett likely added more best-and-fairest votes to his tally, and the return of Sam Walsh had the Blues faithful feeling just a little more optimistic about what’s ahead.</p> <p>While this game doesn't carry much weight in terms of ladder positions or finals, a win over Essendon—or a win over Carlton—always feels like it counts for double when fans of these clubs look back on the season.</p> <p>The Blues will be forced into at least a couple of changes. Young gun Cooper Lord is out due to concussion protocols, and Lachie Fogarty is likely to miss with a swollen ankle.</p> <p>Will White, Mitch McGovern, and Marc Pittonet were rested from the VFL last week and are all in the frame to come in. Ben Camporeale has served his long suspension and could be a debut option if the Blues want to replace Lord with another midfield type.</p> <p>For Essendon, skipper Zach Merrett will return for his 250th game after recovering from a hand injury. And keep an eye on former Blues VFL captain Liam McMahon—he’s pushing to be fit for a shot at the team that passed on him more than once.</p> <p>For the latest team news, analysis, odds, and betting tips, check out our Dons vs Blues prediction and preview below.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Essendon vs Carlton Predicted Teams</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Essendon Predicted Team List</h3> <p>B: Andy McGrath, Jayden Laverde, Jayden Nguyen</p> <p>HB: Mason Redman, Lachie Blakiston, Archie Roberts</p> <p>C: Xavier Duursma, Zach Merrett, Jye Menzie</p> <p>HF: Kyle Langford, Peter Wright, Jade Gresham</p> <p>F: Matt Guelfi, Liam McMahon, Issac Kako</p> <p>Foll: Todd Goldstein, Sam Durham, Ben Hobbs</p> <p>Int: Jaxon Prior, Luamon Lual, Rhys Unwin, Saad El-Hawli, Angus Clarke</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Carlton Predicted Team List</h3> <p>B: Matt Carroll, Jacob Weitering, Billy Wilson</p> <p>HB: Lachie Cowan, Nick Haynes, Adam Saad</p> <p>C: Ollie Hollands, Patrick Cripps, Blake Acres</p> <p>HF: Zac Williams, Ashton Moir, Flynn Young</p> <p>F: Jesse Motlop, Harry McKay, Francis Evans</p> <p>Foll: Hudson O’Keefe, George Hewett, Sam Walsh</p> <p>Int: Tom De Koning, Will White, Ben Camporeale, Lewis Young, Corey Durdin</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Essendon vs Carlton Prediction &amp; Betting Tips</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Head-to-Head Prediction</h3> <p>The Blues have won four of the past five clashes against the Bombers, including the King's Birthday Eve clash this year, where they fell over the line after bursting out of the blocks.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Dons have been building over the past few weeks, playing with a competitive spirit that saw them walk away with the plaudits without the points against the Cats, and arguably should have pinched it against the Saints.</p> <p>They rained on Carlton’s parade once before in the last round of the season when they weren’t given a chance of winning (the 2016 supplements season), and would be buoyed by their form that they could do it again here.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Blues are coming off a five-day break and could yet be vulnerable, but across the park, they should have enough experience to keep the paper-thin Bombers at bay.</p> <p>But, in a year where everything that could possibly go wrong for Carlton has, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Dons got up here.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/essendon-v-carlton-9504807">Blues</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>First Goal Prediction</h3> <p>There are plenty of things in football that we love, but one of the things we love most is a player ultimately proving themselves capable, and in turn, proving some doubters and naysayers wrong.</p> <p>Liam McMahon was overlooked several times by Carlton before getting his chance at Essendon with the last pick in the mid-season draft and has translated his VFL goalkicking form to the AFL level with aplomb.&nbsp;</p> <p>We’d love nothing more for him to kick the first one here and really show the Blues what they’re missing…. and if the reports are true about some departures, what they could’ve done with…</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/essendon-v-carlton-9504807">Liam McMahon</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Most Disposals Prediction</h3> <p>Sam Walsh was back with a bang against the Power. It was a welcome relief for him and a moment that left Blues fans realizing just how valuable he is and what they had been missing through his absence in the second half of the season.</p> <p>There aren’t many things Walsh loves more than a game against Essendon. He averages 30.2 touches against them in his last five games. We’re picking him to repeat the dose here and finish full of running.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/essendon-v-carlton-9504807">Sam Walsh 30+ disposals</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Essendon Bombers vs Carlton Blues Match Details</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Date:</strong> Thursday, August 21, 2025</p> <p><strong>First Bounce: </strong>7:30 PM, AEST</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> MCG, Melbourne</p> <p><strong>How to watch:</strong> Fox Footy/ Kayo Sports</p>