Carlton forwards coach Ash Hansen has dismissed suggestions that the Blues’ attack would work better without Harry McKay as two forwards face heartbreak ahead of the preliminary final.
McKaywill certainly be in the squad after concussion forced him out of Friday’s semi-final, while Jack Martin’s return from suspension will also force a change in the team who managed to scrape together a winning score despite Charlie Curnow being defeated so convincing from Melbourne defender Steven May.
in last week’s semi-final.
JackSilvagni, who signed a new two-year deal on Tuesday to stay with the Blues until the end of 2025, is available for selection but is unlikely to make the cut.
Hansensaid Blues coaches would lose sleep over the decision over who to drop, with Matt Kennedy and one of David Cuningham or Jesse Motlop emerging as hapless forwards to make way for the starting 22.
Hesaid Cuningham, who struggled after a series of injury-plagued seasons to establish himself as a forward half at the start of the Blues’ push in July, had a strong case for keeping his place despite being dropped for the final quarter of the competition. semi-final with nine eliminations to his name.
“I think it’s too easy to say (Cuningham is cut) – if you look at the course of the year, the guys who were cut didn’t miss the next week,” Hansen said.
“It was a tactical decision that we had to make during the match, but we take into account a whole series of team work, not just the three-quarter game or a tactical decision that we make on the day of the match.
”Hansen also praised Kennedy’s resilient performance against Demons interceptor Jake Lever, who had started strongly but was gradually overworked by the 188cm Blue.
“Of course, Lever started well early, but I thought Matty Kennedy had forced his way into the game,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure we picked a healthy team and Matty’s ability to carry the game through until the 120th minute was demonstrated when he kicked that point in the final seconds because he had the ability to cover the ground.
Hansenjoked that he was “stunned, dismayed and shocked” by outside comments that the Blues’ offensive line worked better without McKay.
“I understand it leads to big discussions …
but this is a very simple question: are we a better team with him,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to understand what players can do for your group…
I think the boys run longer when Harry is there.
He reduces Charlie’s workload, allowing him to be more energetic and dynamic in other games because he doesn’t have to do everything.
“Harry is very important for us. I think in the last game he played he was the highest-scoring player on the pitch before he left.
“He said it was difficult to adapt McKay’s peculiar scoring routine during the season, but that the pair had already put plans in place to solve his offseason scoring problems.
“Just because we have more time to make those adjustments, which is very difficult to do during the season.
“We’ll evaluate where those shots are going to be, we’ll be very cautious with training and we’ll start working on them,” he said.
he said.“He wants to do it well with some urgency and will dedicate the necessary time.
“Sometimes humility is understanding where you are, but we certainly don’t want him to think we have a microscope on him because that just makes the problem even worse.
“He will have his moment and I am confident as a coach that he will get it.”
