“WE’VE got a new game plan this year and every week it’s improving.”
A lively Zac Fisher has embodied Carlton’s improvement so far in 2022.
The 23-year-old has played every game for the Blues this season, combining time up forward with stints further up the ground.
His last three weeks in particular has seen Fisher at his damaging best, continuing his strong form in Sunday’s win against the Giants.
From Fisher’s 18 disposals came two goals and six score involvements. His nine majors for the season has equalled his career-best tally, while 24 score involvements since Round 7 marks the most he has accumulated in a three-week stretch since his debut back in 2017.
He has proven to be a consistent, important cog in Carlton’s flourishing forward stocks, which produced a third consecutive score of over 100 points for the first time in nearly nine years.
AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss mentioned a new-look mosquito fleet last week prior to the game against the Giants, with the Blues going small in the absence of Harry McKay.
At the feet of the high-flying Charlie Curnow and a workmanlike performance from Jack Silvagni, Fisher was joined by a number of teammates in performing his role.
“I think it’s a really exciting [combination] with the smalls: ‘Durds’, ‘Mots’, Owies — and ‘Fish’,” he said with a smile in his post-match interview on Channel 7.
“I think it’s building. We’ve still got things to work on and we’re looking forward to that as well.”
Fisher’s approach on Sunday night was indicative of his team’s approach to the contest, bursting out of the blocks and then rising to the occasion when it mattered most.
After opening his account in the first term with a typically classy long-range goal, his pressure in the final two minutes - with the game all but over - drew the applause from his coach in the box.
“In the past, the Giants have been really strong against us and especially around the contest, beating us up around the ball,” he said.
“That was a big focus: the first 30 minutes were crucial tonight and I thought we did that well.”
