THE BLUES have a significant challenge coming up on Sunday evening, according to Tim Clarke.
The midfield coach is hoping that Carlton can make up for its loss against St Kilda last week, hoping that the team can quickly forget about an inaccurate performance at Marvel Stadium.
“This game can’t come quick enough for us, we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Clarke said on Sportsday WA.
“We lost last week, we lost some critical areas that we’ve been strong in all year, and we're looking forward to bouncing back this week.”
Having kicked 18 behinds in their clash with the Saints, Clarke noted that this wasn’t a regular occurrence for the Blues, not expecting that inaccuracy again this week in Perth.
“Our boys are really diligent with their goal-kicking routines and they spend a lot of time with Luke Power and Ash Hansen in and around that side of the game,” he said.
“We’re really confident that if we can keep getting looks inside 50, not only our forwards but our other players are going to finish more efficiently.”
West Coast has had a recent purple patch of performance, playing some competitive games against formidable sides after a less-than-desirable start to the season.
Clarke noted that the coaches have been watching the Eagles closely, impressed with how they’ve managed to turn their game around after their particularly poor form in earlier rounds.
“You see them play from week to week during the year, but you really sort of zero on their last three or four weeks have been like before you play them,” he said.
“Their form line in the last three or four weeks, they’ve been competitive against strong opposition. They got a nice injection last week with 'Nic Nat’ back in and he had a big influence on the game against the Tigers.
“We’ve been able to look at what they’ve been doing and what some of their key personnel have brought to their game but we’re expecting a really strong challenge this Sunday.”
On returning personnel, former Blue Josh Kennedy will return to the fold this weekend, with Clarke admitting he’s been enamoured with Kennedy’s game over the few years.
With the return of Jacob Weitering, it will be a battle of two heavyweights when Weitering and Kennedy line up on each other at some stage of the clash.
The co-vice captain spoke of the decision earlier in the week to take the cautious approach with the injury, leaving him out for an additional week with a nine-day break to ensure his fitness and readiness.
“[Kennedy] is a very good player. It’s going to be a good battle when he and ‘Weiters’ cross paths at some stage,” he said.
“He’s a terrific player, I've admired as a coach for a long time. Him and the West Coast Eagles forward line, they go about the game in the right way: I think it’ll be a great challenge.
“‘Weiters’ will play, he was really close to playing last week: he did the main training session and said he needed one more, which is a really mature decision.
“He’s a really strong leader for our footy club, he plays the game in a really tough manner but he really helps the boys set up behind the footy."
In the scheme of Carlton's season, every game is an important one, with just six games remaining following this Sunday's clash in Perth.
Clarke was adamant that the Blues should feel privileged to be playing in season-defining matches and relishing the challenge, particularly ahead of a trip to enemy territory against a team they haven't beaten since 2014.
“For us, we’re still building as a side. We’ve got a brand of footy that we’re still building that we know holds up against the best teams in the competition,” he said.
“We’re excited that we’ve got a significant challenge this week against West Coast: they’ve got some really key strengths that have come into their side over the last couple of weeks and we need to bounce back from our performance from last Friday.
“This is a big game for us, we feel privileged to find ourselves in these big games and our boys really like playing in them.”
