PLAYING the way they want to play.
AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss wants to see the Blues play their own style this Saturday when they take on the Giants in their first interstate trip of season 2023.
Noting there are a few key matchups (particularly in the midfield) which could dictate the contest, Voss said the main focus will be getting their style of game play across in any situation – and there was no better place to test it than on the road.
“The language around the Giants has been about playing that exciting brand of footy. We’re conscious that they have the ability to do that and they certainly have some talent that can win games of footy,” Voss said.
“Nothing changes for us in terms of our approach. Our ability to take it on the road and consistently be able to apply what we want to be able to, we feel that stacks up against any opposition.
"We just have to make sure that we get out there and execute it.”
In terms of preparation, Voss was adamant that there was no difference in preparation from playing the reigning premiers to playing any other team.
Too early in the season to have any real momentum behind the win, Voss admitted it was straight back to the drawing board on Monday morning to get ready for the next opponent.
“I don’t think the momentum has kicked in – we played a good game, we have to put that in its place and move on,” he said.
“We don’t prioritise opposition, we get back to work on Monday and we plan for the next opposition and we treat them all exactly the same.”
Voss has been particularly pleased with Carlton's two youngest senior players who haven’t missed a beat since running out onto the MCG for the first time.
Lachie Cowan and Ollie Hollands' composure at such a young age has impressed Voss, who hopes the mentors that have surrounded the youngsters with will help them grow even further into their careers.
“To ask an 18-year-old to come into those two games and you’ve got 60,000 at the MCG and it’s your first time playing there, that’s pretty significant in terms of what they were able to do and the level of composure that they had,” he said.
“‘Lach’ has had a few guys willing to help him out – we call [Nic Newman] his dad, he lived with him for a while and he was mentoring him a bit, so he got a lot of education from him and fantastic mentors with Sam Docherty and Zac Williams.
“Blake [Acres] has spent a lot of time with Ollie and Lochie O’Brien has spent a bit of time as well.”
Heading interstate for the first time this season, the Blues will be looking to test their system away from the familiarity of the MCG when they lace up at Giants Stadium on Saturday evening (4:35pm AEDT).
Find out more about the game here.
