A LOT was on the agenda when AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss spoke to media on Wednesday morning.

The day before Carlton's return clash with Richmond three months after the season-opening win, Voss spoke on Sam Durdin's debut, Patrick Cripps' milestone game and responding to whatever challenges are thrown the Blues' way.

This is what he had to say: you can watch the full press conference in the video player below.

On Caleb Marchbank:

“He’s holding up pretty well. I had a chat to him yesterday and I guess with every little setback, it’s just a further reminder of how much he really wants to get back.

“In some ways, him being able to play the game that he did has just fuelled his desire to want to get back and return and get stuck into his rehab. 

“We’ve certainly seen enough to see he’ll add some value to us. It has proved some challenges, but seasons will throw different things at you. 

“We’ve been challenged in a few different departments, but guys have managed to find a way and keep stepping up.”

On Sam Durdin:

“I’ve said it a number of times… [injuries] present opportunities for others. Sam Durdin is going to come in and play his first game.

“What a story that is. It’s his second chance and to be able to come back into the side after playing at Glenelg a couple of weeks ago, now he’s going to play against Richmond in front of an MCG crowd. 

“The first day he got in, he sat in front of the computer for three-and-a-half hours trying to learn what our style was. 

“In the end, I just want him to go out there and back himself. He’s been exposed to this level before, he knows what it’s about and we expect he’ll go out there and give a really strong showing.”

On what Durdin’s inclusion represents:

“It’s important to realise we’re still in list-build mode. 

“We’ve talked about not being the finished product and we can refer to that with our game style, but we can also refer to that with our list. 

“We’ve still got a lot to go and some of those additions we’ve had, they’re going to add real value to us. The fact Sam has been able to come in and have an impact pretty soon, it’s a credit to him and a credit to the way the boys have been able to support him in the last couple of weeks.”

On rising to the challenge:

“We’re in the stage of the season where you get into the back-end and consequences are everywhere, whether it’s you win or lose or the injuries you have or don’t have.

“Our challenge is how we thrive in that. That challenge means there’s opportunities for others to step up, and we’ve had plenty of those. 

“It’s given the chance for our list to grow and we’ve seen some of the youth we’ve been able to introduced into the team. They’ve provided exciting parts of our game and given us different looks in the style we want to be able to play.

“The expectations of how we go about it do not change. That’s where we have to thrive.”

On Tom Lynch’s inclusion for Richmond:

“It has some challenges in it. They’re going to put out what looks to be their best side out there for the year.

“But we feel like we can challenge them in a few areas as well.

“Fortunately for our guys, the belief has been growing steadily across the season. We went into Round 1 with a little bit of hope about what we were asking our players to do, but the body of work, we’ve been able to form a strong belief. 

“The guys have a really strong identity on what we’re after. That’s what I’ll be asking them to do.”

On whether Dustin Martin’s availability changes strategy:

“Not really.

“We’ll be playing against the Richmond jumper. Something they’ve spoken a lot about is their system and backing that in: they’ve had the next-man-in approach, so whether he’s there or not there [doesn’t change much].

“We expect them to be at their best… we’ve got an opposition that poses plenty of challenges and has plenty of threats. 

“Despite that, get out there and play the way we want to play and ensure that there’s enough pressure on the ball.”

On Patrick Cripps’ milestone game:

“He’s been an incredible servant for the football club.

“When I first stepped in, I was clearly an admirer from afar on what he had to offer as a player. I got a more first-hand experience in recent times not just who he does as a player but as a leader.

“He’s exceptionally hungry. He’s a guy that has gone to work on himself and is trying to find a better version of himself.

“He has accepted some of the things that didn’t go right for him in the last couple of years — he has owned all of that. He’s extremely hungry to get the best out of himself and the best out of this team.”

On the injury front:

“I think we’re roughly on timeline. Most of these injuries only accelerate in their rehab once they start to get going again.

“We’ve got a few more out on the park at the moment, but we’re still looking at a month away from when they start.

“Weitering falls into that bracket, [Ed] Curnow fits into that bracket as well. ‘Pitto’ is another one.

“It’s nice to see them running around on the outside, but we look forward to the moment when we’ll have them on the grass with us and doing some of our training.”

On the relevance of Round 1:

“It has some reference to us because what we’re really clear on - which the whole competition would be - is what Richmond brings.

“They’ve brought a level of consistency for a long period of time. Our challenge is how we remain consistent in what we do and we have a clear picture of what that looks like.”