NO rucking worries.

The 2023 campaign was another part of the evolution of Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning’s ruck tandem.

In Carlton’s first season under Michael Voss, the duo both played in just the five games, with Pittonet’s long-term knee injury a key factor in that. 

That tally increased to 13 games last year, including all three finals the Blues featured in — and seven of the last eight games all up.

In the eyes of Pittonet, their ruck relationship is still something which is a work in progress, but one which they both relish.

“I think it’s something we’re still playing around with,” Pittonet said on SEN in response to the duo’s dynamics.

“Last off-season, I didn’t get to do any training, so last year we hadn’t really done any reps together as a tandem. We were finding our feet in real time on-ground: being able to work together out there [in training] helps us get a better feel for it.

“It’s something we can play around with, depending on how we’re going on the day, if we’re hitting the scoreboard. It’s an exciting thing we can go in with, knowing we’ve got that one-two punch.”

Pittonet missed the majority of last summer due to knee surgery, but is relishing the chance to compete and work alongside De Koning and his fellow teammates. 

And while that may be a change from last year, there are some things which remain the same. 

“Being able to get some proper work load in terms of my body, and also getting reps in training, I’m really excited to see the benefit we can get off the back of it. It’s all travelling really well at the moment.

“Our identity is built around pressure and contest, which I think everybody saw last year. We built that out during the year, and we’re going after it again.

“We’ve had a couple of years together now, and as we’ve watched successful teams over the years, the familiarity of knowing what people are going to do instinctively, you only get from playing games and getting reps. It’s all about going out there as a group and solidifying that connection.”