Michael Voss would be “quite happy” to continue making difficult decisions about established players such as George Hewett and Marc Pittonet while he focuses on the best team balance for Carlton.
The Blues coach said he could not fault the consistency of Hewett and Pittonet but had no qualms about leaving the duo in the emergency room for Saturday’s difficult away trip to GWS.
Carlton was delayed by a few hours in its departure from Melbourne on Friday, but Voss ignored the impact on his team’s preparation and supported Tom De Koning and Matt Cottrell in resuming their roles in the team.
Cottrell’s return from an eight-week injury layoff due to a foot injury meant Hewett – who had already dropped to the reserve position against Richmond – lost his place on the 23-yard line, but Voss said he had made no demands of the reliable on-baller to win his place back.
“(Hewett) has been pretty consistent. Sometimes we miss something and there are people already in those roles. He probably falls back into (Pittonet’s) category … it’s not so much his form but the people that have been around him,” Voss said.
“It’s not just about putting 23 of our best players on the field. If that were the case, it would probably be a different discussion.”
“We ask our players to find balance within their role as well. We are role-specific, we need a system to operate within and the cohesion we want to have throughout the group… we always try to balance that and find the best version of ourselves.
“If we have those conversations over the next eight or nine weeks of the home and away season, I’ll be pretty happy.”
Voss suggested Adam Cerra’s workload would increase against the Giants after he had 23 possessions in 54 percent of the game, making a promising comeback from a series of hamstring injuries against the Tigers.
The coach said he was relieved to hear that scans had shown no abnormalities on Matt Kennedy, who had played arguably the best of his nine seasons in the AFL.
“(Kennedy) played a slightly different role than he was used to,” Voss said.
“He was able to play several minutes in the ruck… that became a pretty special role for us.
“He’s had some problems with his knees (with the medial ligament) in the past, so I think maybe we were just a little cautious there (when he was put on the ice against Richmond).”
Voss was concerned about a GWS side seeking only their third win in nine games after a series of disappointing defeats, including last week’s 16-point loss to Adelaide.
“Recent history clearly shows how difficult it is to win here,” he said.
“(The Giants) give us some questions that we have to answer – we come here without the illusion that we are playing against a very good team.
“I think there’s a healthy respect when it comes to (their recent 2-8 record). Not too long ago, we probably had a very similar approach… I think our job is to make sure that no matter who steps on the field, we respect every single opponent that plays.”