“We didn’t get that 100% right last time that we played.”
Carlton coach Michael Voss says he has learnt from his mistakes from the last time the club faced Collingwood, admitting that star Magpies midfielder Nick Daicos will receive some “attention”.
In Round 8, Daicos single-handedly willed the Pies over the line, gathering 32 disposals, seven clearances and two goals, the second major being the match-winner.
However, since then, the Blues have developed a card up their sleeve to go along with their strong midfield brigade, boasting the likes of Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, George Hewett and Adam Cerra.
Alex Cincotta.
The 27-year-old was initially deployed as a defensive stopper on the competition’s gun small forwards in Tom Papley, Kysaiah Pickett and even Daicos’ teammate Bobby Hill.
In more recent times, Cincotta’s role evolved to hindering the influence of the opposition’s best midfielders, curbing the likes of Zach Merrett, Touk Miller and Zak Butters.
“He needs some attention,” Voss said of Daicos on Friday.
“We didn’t get that 100% right last time that we played but I take solace in the fact that there haven’t been many clubs that have.
“He’s obviously a very important player to them. He gives them such great drive and he’s got a lot of class.
“With our midfield, we got to be able to look after that but also a team system we need to be able to play so there’ll always be a balance between looking after the individual and then how do we actually get the system to play that doesn’t get impacted too much.
“We’ll be asking a few questions of the opposition.”
Preparing for the occasion – and Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury’s 400th – Voss has welcomed back the quartet of Jordan Boyd, Blake Acres, Harry McKay and Jack Martin, the latter only playing one game in 2024.
Martin has been battling persistent calf issues across the current campaign, but his return sees him raise the bat for 150 AFL games, a feat that doesn’t quite stack up to Pendlebury’s.
The former Sun played his 100th match in 2020, which was his third season starting in the navy blue.
“He’s had some time to wait for that,” Voss said. “But he’s been an extremely important person for us… we saw his impact late last year.
“What he’s able to produce for us, he’s got that real X-factor and I don’t think many people talk about just how tough he is.
“He puts his head down and he’s pretty scary in that front half. He doesn’t miss many tackles.”
Voss also confirmed McKay “has been fine” despite being thrust into scrutiny following a head knock a fortnight ago against North Melbourne.
The star forward has been confirmed to return on Saturday night against the Pies after he was withdrawn with illness in the club’s loss to Port Adelaide.
The AFL issued a “please explain” to Carlton and completed its inquiry this week, saying it was “comfortable with the medical management” of McKay.
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