PLAYING in a variety of situations, being challenged at different times and finishing with a win made for an ideal practice match for Carlton on Friday.

Assistant coach Tim Clarke said he couldn’t have asked for a better day to have a hitout, with the group being eager to face opposition for some time now. 

“Out of a pre-season game, you always hope you have a competitive performance and that you don’t have any injuries,” Clarke said. 

“When you play Collingwood – you know it’s going to be a competitive game and to come out with just a few sore bodies is a good result for us.”

For Clarke, he said keeping a consistent group in the midfield had been their aim over pre-season, and he was pleased with what the line showed in their first outing of the year. 

With Sam Docherty swapping the backline for the middle at half time, Clarke was hopeful that they continue to build their chemistry so that they can have a number of players rotating through the system. 

It was largely a consistent mix for the Blues in the middle, with Docherty one of five on-ballers to attend centre bounces at the feet of Tom De Koning and Alex Mirkov.

“The mix that we had in there today is a mix we’ve had there for a couple of years and it’s great to add ‘Doc’ to that mix,” he said.  

“We had him playing a bit of midfield time last year late in the season and he’s added that to his toolbox this summer – he’s played a little bit more mid time and I think he complements the other guys in there.”

Another returning face to the midfield line-up was George Hewett, who missed the final month of last season.

“George is a reliable player: he helps out with his ability to be able to win the ball but he makes those around him better and that’s what we love about George,” Clarke said.

“He puts his head where others won’t to win the ball, but he’s just a really good teammate and the boys really love playing with him.”