Carlton will continue to support troubled key forward Harry McKay, but his return to the VFL over the weekend provided a glimmer of hope that he'll return to the senior side soon.
McKay - who hasn't been sighted since Round 1 against Richmond - played minutes for the first time in four weeks, kicking two goals from nine disposals and seven marks in the Blues reserves side.
Carlton coach Michael Voss has refused to get into the "weekly dialogue" surrounding the Coleman medallist's availability, but teammate Sam Walsh was buoyed by his performance on Saturday.
"It was great to see him back out there playing," Walsh said on Monday.
"I thought his third quarter for the VFL (team) was great, but his whole game, he was looking very active and providing a lot of options, which is all he can do.
"I feel like off the field, he's been well supported by the club. He's been thankful for the support. And when he's ready to go, it will be good to see him out there."
Elijah Hollands has faced a similar path toward a senior recall after spending some time away from the club.
Hollands featured alongside McKay in the reserves, gathering 18 disposals, four marks and four tackles.
"I don't think he'd be far off either," Walsh continued.
"Not totally aware of the selection discussions but I thought he put a really good game forward. He's had a strong couple weeks training."
Voss said last week that it was up to the former Sun to prove he was ready for AFL football with a strong performance in the VFL.
Carlton is hoping to turn the tide after a dismal start to the 2025 season, going winless in the first four rounds.
A disappointing feature of their game has been an inability to compete in the second half, giving up early leads and winnable positions to succumb to the opposition.
But Walsh said it has nothing to do with the club's fitness, but moreso execution of roles and skill.
"I definitely don't think it's a fitness thing," Walsh said.
"In terms of some of the games, I feel like our efficiency's really let us down. In the game, you can start to force it a little bit more and go away from what actually works and playing to your strengths as a team.
"And maybe that leads you to biting off things that you feel isn't there, or we try and all collapse into the contest and it gives teams space on the outside, and it makes it look like you're not fit because you're chasing for all the quarter.
"So there's different areas to why that shows up, but we know from the work that we've done in pre-season that we've got the capacity to do it."
The Blues face a winless West Coast at Adelaide Oval during Gather Round on Saturday.
