Carrazzo unlikely for Swans
Brett Ratten says Andrew Carrazzo faces an uphill battle for fitness, possibly opening the door for Brock McLean
The former Demon has been restricted to just six games by knee and quad injuries in his first season at the club, but played his second match back from knee surgery in the VFL at the weekend.
Carrazzo strained his hamstring early in the match against Fremantle, which proved costly.
With so much at stake at ANZ Stadium, coach Brett Ratten appears set to err on the side of caution at the selection table.
“He’s 50-50 at this stage - it will just [depend] on how quickly he comes to hand,” Ratten said on Monday. “Then there’s the risk factor of it in a final. We saw last week losing a player and the pressure that puts on the team [in terms of] the run in the game.
“It will be one we’ll have to think about a fair bit. It will be a big call but we’ll wait until Thursday.
“[McLean’s] form was not too bad in the second half of the Bullants’ game. Richard Hadley was pretty good in that game as well as a midfielder and Bret Thornton was really good.
“I think the selection debate will be really hot - the Carrazzo [situation] will determine that.”
The ruck tandem will also come in for scrutiny after Ratten felt Shaun Hampson failed to pull his weight as Robbie Warnock battled Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands.
“I thought Shaun was really down on his game,” he said.
“He didn’t really assist with some of Robbie’s pressure that he put on and allowed Sandilands to really get into the game.
“[Sam] Jacobs had around 30 hit-outs and kicked three goals and was close to best on ground [in the VFL], so it will be one that will be talked about at match committee.”
The Blues will train at ANZ Stadium on Saturday ahead of what will be just their third match at the venue.
“It doesn’t really matter where it is as long as we get the opportunity to play finals,” Ratten said.
“The Swans are a big challenge and playing away from home will just bring the group tighter together.
“If you had a choice it would be great to have the final in Melbourne, there’s no doubt about it, but I think what comes of travelling, and we’ve done it fairly well this year ... it’s the way the group gets together.”
After finishing eighth, Carlton faces an uphill battle to make the grand final, but Ratten’s focus doesn’t stretch that far just yet.
“Our ambition at the start of the year was to play finals and give ourselves an opportunity to be in the top 50 per cent of the competition,” he said.
“We’ve got that opportunity and, as you do in life, you want to take it one step further and to win a final would be something that we’d love to do.
“We haven’t won a final for a few years so our ambition is to get that part right, but I think our best when we’re up and going, we can match it with a lot of teams."