Carlton coach Michael Voss said his side will "have our hands full" in limiting Western Bulldogs star forward Sam Darcy on Friday night at Marvel Stadium.
Darcy is quickly rising toward one of the competition's best talls, and the whole competition was put on notice last week, when the Bulldogs youngster kicked four goals against Collingwood captain Darcy Moore.
The Bulldogs' son-of-a-gun also took eight marks (six contested) and proved to be too much to handle for the Pies, as both coaches awarded him an equal game-high of eight coaches' votes.
Voss said there are many ways in which to restrict the 21-year-old, who is expected to receive extra attention from All-Australian defender Jacob Weitering.
"I'm definitely the wrong person to ask how to defend a 208cm person, that's for sure," Voss quipped on Thursday.
"He's been impressive. His growth over the last 18 months... he's become a really important player for the Dogs.
"We'll have our hands full. Obviously, we've got some contingencies in place as well, that we need to have.
"In the end, you've got to rely on the match-up that you've been given and the support that match-up also gets, because clearly his reach is pretty impressive and he's a strong contested mark.
"So, like any good players, you got to try and mitigate his strengths in any way you can."
Voss also acknowledged that despite the efforts of the defensive six, it is incumbent on the midfield group to pressure the ball further up the field.
As the Blues attempt to avoid a 0-3 start to season 2025, a huge blow comes as Harry McKay has been ruled out again, with the club confirming his absence is due to "personal matters".
McKay featured in Round 1 against Richmond but was a late out seven days later.
His return to the senior side is uncertain.
Voss said the club will persist with Brodie Kemp up forward alongside Charlie Curnow, while swingman Jack Silvagni could be deployed in the front half to fill the void and combat Rory Lobb and Liam Jones.
