Carlton coach Michael Voss has defended star forward Charlie Curnow's Round 2 performance following the Blues' loss to Hawthorn, stating the Coleman Medal winner "He came in and did his job".
Curnow was kept to just five disposals in the 20-point defeat - the lowest of any non-subbed player on the ground and a career-low for the Blues forward in any non-interrupted game from his 132-game career.
The 28-year-old was held goalless by Hawthorn recruit Josh Battle, who proved to be one of the Hawks' best on Thursday night, with Curnow - who returned from an interrupted pre-season due to multiple knee setbacks - struggling to have the desired impact as the Blues' winless start of the season continued.
Voss saw the upside in Curnow's performance, believing his spearhead "competed hard" to give teammates a chance on the deck in trying conditions.
"He competed really well," Voss said post-game.
"Where he's at, and in terms of his prep, it's his first game coming back in. Our commentary is always around Charlie being able to compete forward of the ball.
"It's up to you to decide what you want to value in Charlie. If he kicks goals, it's 'we've only got one focal point'. If he doesn't kick goals, then 'how come he couldn't have an influence on the game', yet he brought the ball to ground.
"I'll let [the media] decide which way you want to go with that, but for us he's a valuable teammate and we love him. He gave us a focal point when he needed to and he competed hard.
"That's all I'm asking as a coach. He'll get his rewards within our system and we'll get to have him over the next few weeks to build his game. He came in and did his job."
The Blues were without Curnow's partner in crime Harry McKay, who was a late withdrawal from the game due to illness.
After a Round 1 defeat that saw McKay limited in Curnow's absence against Richmond, Carlton will hope to have both star forwards together for the first time this year when the Blues meet with the Western Bulldogs next Friday.
Forward 50 efficiency will be an area of focus for the Blues over the coming week, having managed just five marks inside 50 from 54 entries, earning them a return eight goals for the contest.
"Sometimes it's about taking your moments, don't make it more complicated," Voss said of his side's inefficient front-half ball movement.
"Maybe there's an inside 50 they don't quite hit or there's a goal we don't quite finish, often in those games that's what they come down to, moments.
"There were plenty of swings in that game, some that went in our favour and some swings that went in Hawthorn's favour. They were able to execute for a little bit longer at the right times, that was probably somewhat the difference in the end."
McKay is expected to return from the bug that plagued his Round 2 prospects, while the Blues look to have come out of their most recent loss unscathed despite mid-game concerns for star trio Jacob Weitering, Sam Walsh and Curnow.
