ASSISTANT coach Ash Hansen said Carlton received a “great audit” in its final pre-season hitout prior to the commencement of the 2023 campaign.

Coming up against 2022 Grand Finalist Sydney on the road, Carlton was made to lament a slow start in Blacktown, conceding seven goals in the opening term and unable to meaningfully get back into the contest.

While evening the game up in the middle two quarters, Hansen - speaking to media post-match - said the Blues would need to embrace and adopt the lessons learned from the practice match.

However, he said the key focus was always on shaping the Blues for Round 1 and the season ahead as a whole.

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Practice match v Sydney | Hansen post-match

Assistant coach Ash Hansen spoke with media following the clash with Sydney in Blacktown.

“We wanted to play teams like Collingwood and Sydney over the last two weeks, to give us a good look at sides that competed deep into last year,” Hansen said.

“It’s a blessing we got [an audit] tonight, because we didn’t lose four points.

“We’ll take a balanced approach of not just reacting to one game, but what we’ve seen week-to-week.”

While crediting signs shown by some individuals - including drafted pair Ollie Hollands and Lachie Cowan, as well as recruit Blake Acres - Hansen said the Blues fell down in key areas they pride their game on.

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Practice match v Sydney | Highlights

Watch the highlights from the pre-season clash with Sydney at Blacktown International Sportspark.

With Richmond to come on Thursday 16 March, Hansen said the coaching staff would continue to address what’s working well and what can be improved upon.

“We didn’t feel there was precision in our defensive mechanics . . . we put ourselves under a lot of pressure when the turnover was created,” he said.

“We got beaten in the contested ball and we base our game around the contest. It was a reality check tonight.

“There were a number of little factors that are all unique in their ways.”

Hansen said there were no concerns surrounding the availability of Patrick Cripps and Harry McKay, who were managed for the trip to Blacktown, while players such as Mitch McGovern continued to fine-tune their preparations for the year to come.

“‘Gov’ trained today in an intra-club back home, so he’s on the right trajectory and being involved in match play. He’ll certainly be putting his hand up,” he said.

“They’re all on individual programs with an eye on Round 1. It was purely a management decision.

“Those guys have done so much of pre-season that we didn’t feel having another game was going to make them any better prepared.”