CARLTON forward Harry McKay could have his work cut out for him on Sunday, as a clash against Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton awaits.

The Blues will face Hawthorn on its home turf at York Park in the Round 6 clash in the hope of collecting their second win of the season.

Senior coach Brendan Bolton previewed the match up when speaking to media on Friday morning, as someone who knows the Hawks’ skipper all too well.

“He [Stratton] is a really physical player respected by all, so if he’s on Harry it’s going to be a good contest,” Bolton said.

“Harry’s in pretty good nick at the moment so he’ll go in pretty confident.” 

The weekend’s clash could also see the return of young forward Charlie Curnow, who missed the triumph over the Bulldogs with bone bruising to his knee.

Having been named in the extended squad, Bolton stressed the forward would be given every chance to get back for the trip for Launceston.

After a quiet start to the season, Bolton is confident the youngster can return to form after building continuity over the coming weeks.

"He's had some interruptions, so we'll give him right to the death knock to see if he comes up," he said of the star forward.

“I’m not going to give Charlie an out on form, he wouldn’t give himself an out.

“Players who don't have good pre-seasons or interruptions can take a little bit to settle. The one thing, whether it be teams or individuals, is continuity is critical at AFL level."

Should he make his return against the Hawks, the Blues could once again be fielding the tall forward line combination of Curnow, Levi Casboult, Mitch McGovern and Harry McKay.

“We think we can play with the talls; it’s about making sure they’re all on different layers,” he said.

“It's more an awkward look when we're not presenting at the ball and we're all on top of each other. Sometimes when youngsters muck up those patterns, that's what you see."

The Blues will face a determined Hawks outfit searching for their first win since Round 3, but Bolton is not underestimating the experienced side.

Across all lines they’ve got some strengths the Hawks, I think most importantly you’ve got to play smart footy against them,” he said.

Carlton will face the Hawks at York Park on Sunday at 3:20pm (AEST).