THREE key Blues will spend a short period of time on the sidelines in the wash-up from the weekend. 

With their defence already under the pump from the rampaging Hawks, the Blues lost two half-backs with veteran Kade Simpson and Nic Newman going down with injury.

With both players set for a brief stint on the sidelines, Director of High Performance Andrew Russell provided an update on the experienced duo.

“‘Simmo’ [Kade Simpson] had some hamstring tightness during the game,” Russell said.“We assessed him, and we thought it was a good idea that we didn’t put him back on.

“He has got some low-grade damage in his hamstring and we expect him to miss the next three weeks.”

Compounding back-line woes, Newman left the ground with a jarred knee after heavy contact in the last quarter.

Russell envisaged that Newman would miss a similar amount of time to his teammate.

“Nic Newman had some knee soreness, he’s got some low-level damage to his patella tendon,” he said.

Four blues have been named in this week's @AFLCoaches votes.

The skip remains on top of the leaderboard after Round 6.#BoundByBlue

— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) April 29, 2019

“These can be quite challenging to manage and at this stage we probably expect him to miss around the next three weeks.”

With both defenders likely to miss Sunday’s clash with North Melbourne, there will be the chance for some young Blues to stand up and assume the mantle.

There could also be a vacancy in the ruck, with Matthew Kreuzer sustaining a cork to his hamstring in the Round 6 clash.  

“Matty Kreuzer got a cork to his hamstring in the game, which caused him to change his running mechanics,” he said.

“He’s actually got a bit of muscle overload to his adductor region and inside hamstring. It will probably see him miss a week."

There was a positive outlook on the injury front for Charlie Curnow and David Cuningham, with the former producing a strong showing on the training track today.

“He trained really well today and we’re really positive that he’ll be back out there again this week,” he said.

It could mean the younger Curnow returns in his brother’s milestone match, with Ed to muster up his 150th game this Sunday. In the pre-season, the brothers ventured to Cornwall to learn of their Bloodlines, with the full video to launch on carltonfc.com.au tonight.

For Russell’s full comments on the injury list, watch the video above.