No Tom, no worries: Blues back depth, trump Tigers without in-form ruck

1 day ago 2

Carlton manager Michael Voss says the Blues did not hesitate to remainder in-form ruckman Tom De Koning for the clash against Richmond owed to soreness and Tigers champion Dustin Martin is apt to miss Saturday night’s clash against Fremantle successful Perth aft being subbed disconnected with backmost soreness connected Sunday.

The Blues overcame De Koning’s lack to bushed Richmond by 61 points, but were handed a caller wounded interest erstwhile midfielder Matt Kennedy sat retired the last 4th with a medial ligament injury, which volition request scans.

Patrick Cripps kicked a superb extremity connected the mode to a champion connected crushed show against Richmond.

Carlton had already subbed retired Adam Cerra conscionable aft three-quarter-time successful a pre-planned determination arsenic helium made an awesome instrumentality from a hamstring wounded portion skipper Patrick Cripps was the champion subordinate connected the ground.

The Blues find themselves successful a antithetic presumption to this clip past season, and present beryllium 2nd connected the ladder with 11 wins and a six-point spread to third-placed Fremantle. They were 13th connected the ladder astatine this constituent of past season.

De Koning has been successful superb signifier successful the past month, but the Blues showed their readying for a premiership tilt was successful afloat plaything arsenic they backed Marc Pittonet to regenerate him successful the ruck against Tigers’ skipper and three-time premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis, who was celebrating his 150th match.

“[We pridefulness ourselves on] being capable to person that squad mentality and person a next-man-in [approach] ... [Pittonet] is simply a beauteous useful adjacent antheral in,” Voss said.

“We’ll get Tom backmost adjacent week, but to beryllium capable to person the week disconnected and astir apt remainder a fewer bruises is not a atrocious thing.”

Meanwhile, the Tigers look apt to question to Perth without Martin aft helium struggled to flooded backmost soreness successful the 2nd half.

Martin had a massage connected the seat and attempted to instrumentality earlier putting his manus up to beryllium subbed retired of the crippled for, what his manager Adem Yze guessed, was the archetypal time.

“He conscionable seized up. He tried to spell backmost retired determination for 1 much rotation, and helium was conscionable battling, truthful it was pointless. We had a caller feline who could travel backmost on,” Yze said.

Injured Dustin Martin leaves the tract with Noah Balta and their Richmond teammates.

“It’s a six-day interruption [before Fremantle] and helium evidently had immoderate spasms successful his backmost today, and we’ll spot however that pulls up. He’ll person a time off.”

Yze had flagged past week that Martin mightiness not question to Perth fixed the abbreviated interruption and the fixture, which sees Richmond person travelling extracurricular Victoria doubly disconnected six-day breaks successful their archetypal 4 matches aft the bye.

“Our manus mightiness beryllium dealt anyway, but we volition marque that decision. If helium bounces his mode retired of the crippled OK, determination is nary crushed wherefore helium can’t play against Freo, but we person to person those discussions,” Yze said.

Yze said the wounded was not a lingering issue.

He hoped Dion Prestia whitethorn instrumentality but was sceptical astir the chances of Tom Lynch being available.

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