CARLTON is well-placed on the injury front, according to Director of High Performance Andrew Russell.

With Round 1 approaching, a number of Blues are either due to be available for the season opener or are in line for returns early in the season.

One of those players who is touch-and-go is ruckman Matthew Kreuzer, who is recovering from knee surgery back in January.

Russell said the 29-year-old would go through a body of work on the training track in the countdown to the clash with Richmond.

“Kreuzer’s knee is settling down well, we’re building the loads up and he’s getting really close to playing,” Russell said.

“We need to get a certain amount of load through that knee to know that he can handle game-play. He wasn’t quite right last week but we expect him to be really close next week.”

Matthew Kennedy also didn’t feature in AFL or VFL action at the weekend due to a shoulder injury.

Russell said the approach taken with Kennedy was a cautious one, and he should be in the selection frame for Round 1.

“He got a knock to his shoulder in training a few weeks ago and then in the [VFL] game last week, so we decided not to play him,” he said.

“We expect him to be available in the Round 1 selection mix.”

At Olympic Park Oval on Sunday, Alex Fasolo featured in his first game for 2019, getting through the Northern Blues’ practice match unscathed.

After collecting 15 disposals and kicking a goal, Russell said Fasolo’s conditioning block over the last two months had him in Round 1 calculations.

“Fasolo came back from that arm fracture and played a full game of the VFL — we pushed him pretty hard out there,” he said.

“He had a fantastic conditioning block and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the way he attacked his training. He will recover well and be in the Round 1 selection mix.”

Russell also shed light on the returns of Darcy Lang, Harrison Macreadie, Caleb Marchbank and Tom Williamson. For his full comments, watch the video above.