CARLTON is sweating on the availability of ruckman Matthew Kreuzer as the Blues attempt to keep their season alive with a win against Richmond on Saturday night.

Kreuzer missed last week's backs-to-the-wall win against the Western Bulldogs after succumbing to a hip complaint that has dogged him since the round 15 victory over Collingwood.

The 23-year-old is still battling to shake off the injury, and is no certainty to return to the line-up with Carlton desperate for a win to remain in touch with the top eight.

"Some of these niggles are pretty much a session by session, not game by game … assessment to see how they've gone [and] how they've pulled up," Brett Ratten said before training at Visy Park on Wednesday.

"I'd say he's more likely than unlikely, but touch wood, if I say that it usually goes the other way.

"We'll assess him again on Thursday morning to make sure the decision is the best for Matthew, because there's six games to go and we need to get him back out there."

The Blues were forced to elevate tall forward Levi Casboult off the rookie list to ruck against the Bulldogs' Will Minson with Shaun Hampson (knee) and Rob Warnock (suspension) also unavailable.

Warnock has served his one-match ban, but Ratten said his return to AFL ranks was dependant on the fitness of Kreuzer.

Combative midfielder Mitch Robinson was a late withdrawal from last Saturday's 18-point win against the Dogs with calf soreness and will also need to pass a fitness test along with Zach Tuohy, who has missed two games with a back complaint.

The club's wretched run with injury claimed another victim on Tuesday when it was announced key back Lachie Henderson would undergo groin surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Ratten is hopeful rather than confident Jarrad Waite will return from a long-term back complaint in the VFL this weekend.

While the coach has been at pains not to use injuries as an excuse for an under-performing season, Ratten had to cast his mind back to a dark time in the club's history to recall similar personnel issues. 

"Back in 2002, I think, was the last time that we had a season like this," he said, referring to the campaign that ended in Carlton's first-ever wooden spoon.

"It's been one of those things … 65 per cent of our injuries have come from collisions - we haven't had a heap of soft-tissue [injuries]. This part of the year you start to get a few … that's sometimes just a bit of luck.

"But the season is still alive and kicking. We just know with six weeks to go if we can get momentum into the season, which we haven't had, we could become very dangerous. But until we do that and get consistency on-field … it's something that we're chasing."

With the Blues in desperate need of a power forward, Ratten was asked if the club would intensify its bid for out-of-contract Collingwood tall Travis Cloke given the recent breakdown in contract talks between Cloke and the Magpies.
 
"He's a very good player, most teams would like him in their forward line, but that's something between our management and something we'll look at down the track," he said.

"If it's not resolved, like all players in the competition, if they can help make us better as a football team we'll have a look at them - whether it's Travis Cloke or someone else.

"I'll leave that to our management to work out that one."