Carlton isn’t downplaying the significance of its first JLT Community Series match, according to Neil Craig.
The Blues’ director of coaching, development and performance says the Blues will travel to Casey Fields to face Melbourne on Saturday with a long list of objectives.
“It’s an important game for us,” Craig said.
“We get the opportunity to see some new faces, to look at our team-play, the way we defend and move the ball.
“We’ll get to look at some players in different positions, so we get some playing flexibility.”
Carlton is in a healthy position heading into Saturday, with the majority of the list available for selection.
Patrick Cripps (back), Sam Petrevski-Seton (quad), Ciaran Byrne (knee), Andrew Phillips (foot) and Andrew Gallucci (shoulder) are the only players who will miss with injury.
JLT Series: All you need to know
A squad of 29 will be selected on Thursday afternoon, with Craig praising the overall health of the Blues’ list.
“We’ll have a good number to select from,” Craig said.
“We’ll rely on what’s happened over pre-season and their (players’) training loads.
“We’ve got analytics in place to make predictions about how many minutes a guy like Kade Simpson needs to play versus a Charlie Curnow. We take that all into consideration given we’ve got three (JLT Community Series) games to play.”
Zac Fisher is one of several new Blues contending for a spot in Carlton's first pre-season squad. (Photo: AFL Media)
Regardless of who represents the navy blue on Saturday, Craig says the Carlton faithful can expect to be reacquainted with the hallmarks of Brendon Bolton’s game plan as the senior coach embarks on his second season at the helm.
“We’ve got a game plan that we don’t have to change too much, no matter who we play. It’s just a matter of fine-tuning different areas of it, depending on the characteristics of the opposition,” he said.
“We’ve been fine-tuning different areas this pre-season. What the supporters saw last year they can expect more of, but at a slightly higher level.
“The (assistant) coaches have now got a better idea of what Brendon wants and are taking more ownership and responsibility, which is important.”
Stay tuned to carltonfc.com.au on Thursday as the Blues’ first pre-season squad is revealed.
