ASSISTANT coach Tim Clarke says Carlton’s youngsters are relishing midfield exposure in light of an injury-riddled list. 

The loss of Zac Fisher to a season-ending injury in Sunday’s match against Hawthorn was a blow for the Blues, with the speedy second-year midfield having shown immense development throughout the 2018 season.

“We’re really disappointed with Zac’s injury. He was in good form heading into last week’s game and he started the game really well. He was getting the footy and putting the pressure on. We’re disappointed to lose a player that has had the year that Zac has played,” Clarke said.

“However, with injuries come opportunities. It will give a chance for other players to come through the midfield. We had Paddy Dow who played a lot through there this year, Matt Wright might come through there a bit more now, and it’s a good opportunity for Cameron Polson to play a bit more midfield time,” he said.

With 12 players aged 21 or under in Sunday’s loss, the young Blues have no doubt been given a tough task.

In particular, top-10 2017 draft pair Lochie O’Brien and Paddy Dow answered to the challenge on Sunday and have both shown steady development across the season. Dow sits on top of the list of Rising Star nominees for clearances, having played all but one game this year, while O’Brien tallied 18 disposals at 94.4 percent efficiency on Sunday, having averaged 17.7 disposals across the last three games.

With Fisher and Liam Jones sidelined, Patrick Cripps and Sam Petrevski-Seton remain the only two Blues who will have played every game this season as of Saturday night’s clash with the Suns.

While injury has marred the season of many a Blue in 2018, Clarke said he expected players to fill the gaps left by sidelined players.

“Despite the injuries, the expectation for the remainder of the year is that it is going to give opportunities to some of the other players,” he said.

“Losing Zac Fisher and Liam Jones on the weekend, there’s going to be really good opportunity for players to step up and build some continuity leading into next year. Ultimately, when players miss out through injuries it provides a chance for somebody else, so we’re excited to see who stands up over the next five weeks.”

Carlton faces Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium from 7.25pm on Saturday.