Arguably, there is no team hungrier for a win this weekend than Carlton, which is still searching for its first win of the season after three rounds.

Currently sitting last on the ladder, the Blues have played much better football than their record suggests, challenging their opponents for large parts of games.

Carlton led the reigning premiers, Richmond, by as much as 29 points in Round 1, before eventually falling to them by 26 points.

Last Friday night, the Blues had the better of Collingwood in the early stages of the game, but once again, weren’t able sustain their first quarter standard.

Despite the winless streak, there have been reasons for Carlton supporters to get excited, with the class of Patrick Cripps, emergence of Charlie Curnow and the unbelievable durability of Kade Simpson.

Cripps has averaged just under 29 disposals a match this season, highlighted by his 36 touches in Round 1.

Renowned for his contested footy and impact at stoppages, the 23-year-old averages 8 clearances a game and is the main man in Carlton’s midfield.

21-year-old Curnow showed signs of breaking out in 2017, and has lived up to the footy world’s expectations in the early part of this season.

Following his five-goal haul in Round 1, Curnow has backed up his red-hot start with consecutive 2 goal outings, and averages 8 marks per game.

Curnow’s athletic 194-centimetre frame has caused headaches for opposition defenders so far this season, and the forward doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

A month shy of his 34th birthday, Simpson is mounting a case for the competition's best small defender.

After three rounds, Simpson ranks first in total kicks and total metres gained, as well as sitting in the top five in total rebound 50’s and total bounces.

The running half-backer collected 35 disposals, 24 of which were kicks, in Carlton’s Round 1 defeat, proving his ability to significantly impact the game.

With classy players such as these three leading the way, the onus is now placed on Carlton’s less established players to step up to the plate, and help with some of the heavy lifting.

If this can happen, Carlton could cause a few upsets throughout the season.