Carlton won’t rest sore players despite sitting second on AFL ladder

The quest for a top-four spot is shaping all decisions at Carlton who will celebrate a massive milestone for their captain on Saturday.

Carlton coach Michael Voss has no intention of resting any sore stars leading into the finals, with key men Charlie Curnow and Jacob Weitering set to face the Western Bulldogs on Saturday despite being “impacted” by issues.

The Blues are second on the AFL ladder but a loss to GWS last week allowed the chasers to get closer and a loss to the Bulldogs could drop the Blues out of the top four.

Voss conceded there were doubts early in the week over both star forward Curnow and key defender Weitering, crucial Carlton bookends, but niggles wouldn’t be enough to keep them out, with every result crucial to the pursuit of a top-four finish.

Curnow was able to extend his steak of kicking at least a goal a game to 63 matches, a Carlton record, with a single major against the Giants playing under duress.

“(Curnow) was certainly impacted last week, there’s no doubt about that,“ Voss said on Friday.

“A bit unfortunate with a couple of knocks last week early in the game with a couple of our boys, but they seem to have pulled up OK.

Jacob Weitering will play. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“Early in the week, we weren’t 100 per cent sure, but they were able to train (Thursday) and got through the training session, so we expect them to play.

“In terms of what we need them to get done, they pretty much join in full training, so no doubt with those guys coming in.”

Voss said it was a difficult time of the year with 16 rounds done and players at varying levels of fitness, but the Blues needed to get “wins on the board” and wouldn’t flirt with selection.

“It’s not about one week, it’s about the journey we are on and part of that is whether things are going for you or not, whether it’s the weather or you are a little bit sore,” he said.

“But what we do know is everyone is in the same category and we have a lot of look forward to. We expect an effort and intensity every week, and there’s no excuses here.

“We just play eyes in every single week that we play. The competition is just too good to think otherwise.

“We value every opposition we want to play against. We’re about being able to get our best personnel out there … we have to get wins on the board.”

Voss lauded his captain Patrick Cripps, who will play his 200th game on Saturday, and suggested a one-on-one showdown with Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli would be a “great match-up” but couldn’t guarantee it would happen.

“It’s going to be a big part of the game,” he said.

Patrick Cripps could play on Marcus Bontempelli. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“The ‘Bont’ is a critically important player and he’s one of those players we do admire from a distance.

“It’s going to be a big job for our midfield and they obviously have a number of other players in there (such as Adam Treloar and Tom Liberatore) that can have an influence as well.”

Originally published as Carlton won’t rest sore players despite sitting second on AFL ladder