Carlton's selection signs are positive ahead of their Elimination Final this Saturday, boosted by a competitive hit out at Monday's training session, in which all potentially returning troops survived unscathed.
The story of the week is the status of the eight Blues eyeing off Saturday's Gabba blockbuster, but while each player has an individual case to work through to make the lineup, coach Michael Voss is considering the risk associated with returning all at once.
“There'll be some guys that are coming in really fresh, but we do have to weigh up that possibility of ‘how many is too many'... ultimately that's the decision of the coach to make,” the Carlton coach told Fox Footy's AFL 360.
“All the boys have got through this particular session… (and) there was a fair bit of match simulation.
“They all got through well, so it'll come down to tomorrow when we sit down.”
Voss' hints suggest that Mitch McGovern, Zac Williams, Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow will all be welcomed back without much doubt, while others will need to spend more time proving their fitness.
Tom De Koning, Adam Cerra, Jack Martin and Sam Docherty have all either missed a large portion of playing time, or are a high-risk proposition, recovering from lingering hamstring issues which could prove costly if managed poorly.
“There's probably two distinct categories… guys like Mitch McGovern who have only missed a game or two, Zac Williams the same, Harry, Charlie,” Voss noted.
“And then we've probably got this other group that's missed a little bit more football that we'll have to give a little more consideration to.
“Everyone's been talking about Sam Docherty, I'm sure it's a question that everyone would like to know the answer to, but unfortunately you're gonna have to wait a couple more days.”
One point of discussion is the form Carlton displayed in their last two matches in the absence of these stars, shutting down West Coast at home before fighting out one of the games of the season in Round 24 against St Kilda.
Granted, their last outing culminated in a devastating loss, but for Carlton's coaching staff and selection committee, their is plenty to ponder when it comes to maintaining what they've generated with a less talented crop, or potentially disrupting their flow of form with up to eight changes ahead of Saturday.
“(We) feel like the last couple of weeks, we've been able to generate momentum,” Voss added.
“There will be a balance of both. We can't ignore what's happened the last couple of weeks… but we've also got these tried and true performers.
“I think you've got to accept it for what it is, which means that you're going to have to put some risk into this.”
Whatever approach the Blues take leaves an unpredictable planing period for opposition coach Chris Fagan, who won't know which players to prep for in the lead up to the home final.
“It's going to be hard to plan against us… our forward makeup could look completely different to what they've seen in the past.”
Carlton and Brisbane meet Saturday night, with the Blues aiming to notch one of the biggest finals upsets in recent memory.
