Coming off a round one draw, Carlton will need to be at their best to overcome the reigning premiers Geelong.
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2h ago2 hours agoThu 23 Mar 2023 at 8:12am
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We’ll be live again right back here after the final siren to reflect on the game and see what the coaches have to say. See you then.
Pittonet for Martin is a great move for the baggers
– Chris
It’s a switch that could change the look of the Blues’ forward line if Marc Pittonet or Tom De Koning end up resting forward at all. But some support for TDK in the ruck can only be a good thing.
It was a point of contention last week, and Carlton’s Sam Docherty was perhaps the most vocal in his criticism of the relayed MCG turf in round one.
In his press conference yesterday, Michael Voss said Docherty is now “happy” with the deck.
“It’s ‘play on’ as far as we’re concerned,” Voss said.
One battle in particular has Chris Scott intrigued:
“Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow are probably the best two young key forwards ion the comp, and we’re hoping Sam De Koning and Esava Ratugolea can be two of the best key backs.
“Hopefully they’ve got 10 years of battles to come.”
The Cats coach is speaking to Fox Footy:
“The players are really excited. Jack Bowes will play a few positions, down back and in midfield, and Cooper White will start as the sub but then play down back.”
The Blues drew with Richmond on opening night last week, but the numbers suggested they were a bit off. Voss seems to agree:
“We just didn’t get the game we wanted last week, we wanted to challenge more with ball movement. We largely put it down to winning a few more contests to give us a chance to do so.”
The Carlton coach tells Fox Footy Jack Martin “just pulled up a little tight from training”. He was a late out with a calf problem.
Voss also says George Hewett has “a little crack in his hand”, but he expects he will be back in the 22 next week.
Teams have dropped across the league, and there are some pretty sizable names set to return to action in round two (and a few who are sitting out). The headliners are:
- INS: Steven May, Bayley Fritsch, Jack Viney, Dayne Zorko, Todd Goldstein, Lachie Weller, Seb Ross, Aaron Cadman
- OUTS: Adam Treloar, Jason Johannisen, Rory Lobb, Trent McKenzie, Josh Treacy
Carlton have been forced into a late change, with Jack Martin out with a calf injury. He has been replaced by ruckman Marc Pittonet – not exactly a like-for-like switch.
The subs are Lochie O’Brien for Carlton and debutant Cooper Whyte for Geelong.
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Posted 3h ago3 hours agoThu 23 Mar 2023 at 7:25am, updated 30m ago30 minutes agoThu 23 Mar 2023 at 10:28am
dan