‘He should be right to go next week’: Voss confident of quick return for Cripps
Carlton coach Michael Voss is confident Blues skipper Patrick Cripps will only miss one game with a hamstring injury he sustained against the Gold Coast Suns last Sunday.
Cripps was seen running laps at Carlton training on Friday but will miss the Blues’ round five match against the still winless Port Adelaide on Sunday afternoon at the MCG.
Patrick Cripps will not face Port Adelaide on Sunday due to a hamstring complaint.Credit:Getty Images
“The assessment that we’ve had, which has been pretty thorough, is that he should be right to go next week,” said Voss.
“Early on we were hopeful that it was going to be so minor that we might be able to get him up for this week. He overstretched for a ball and got a little bit tight in that area, but certainly no major damage was there.”
Defenders Lachie Plowman and Jordan Boyd have also been omitted from Carlton’s team to face the Power on Sunday, with former third overall pick Paddy Dow named on the extended bench for the Blues.
After playing 20 games in his debut season, Dow has been in and out of the team in recent years and has recently been playing at VFL level.
“He’s been impressive. The disadvantage to Paddy is that the players in his spot have been pretty good, and they have a large body of work,” said Voss.
Ruckman Marc Pittonet will return to the Blues’ side after recovering from a back injury.
Pittonet’s absence was particularly noticeable last week as Gold Coast ruckman Jarrod Witts dominated to lead the Suns to an upset 30-point victory over the previously undefeated Blues.
“We missed him around the ball,” said Voss, who also emphasised the last week’s match was a “learning experience” for replacement ruck Tom De Koning.
Carlton coach Michael Voss.Credit:Getty Images
Former Saint Jack Newnes, small forward Corey Durdin, defender Luke Parks and midfielder Matthew Cottrell have also been named in the extended squad.
Voss said strong performances at VFL level meant multiple fringe Blues were pushing for selection in the final 22.
“There will be, probably in this team, a couple of people we want to make sure we reward for that,” he said.
Voss said blamed last week’s loss on a lack of midfield dominance, although he said he was pleased the Blues’ game style had been evident in their opening four matches.
“It was missing a fair bit mainly around our contest method and our pressure we were able to put on the ball. That put other parts of our game under stress,” he said.
Voss, a former assistant at Port Adelaide, will face his old club on Sunday with Power coach Ken Hinkley’s team still without a victory this season.
Voss said he has not been in touch with Hinkley this week and refused to comment on how he thought his former colleague would be feeling.
Meanwhile, Carlton defender Liam Stocker released a video with mental health charity Beyond Blue on Friday in which he described his anxiety while playing at AFL level.
Voss said Stocker was “very passionate” about the issue and had been open with the club about his mental health.
“He’s put himself in spots where he has been quite vulnerable and has been prepared to be open and talk about some of the things that affected him in the past and more importantly how it motivates him for now,” he said.
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