Carlton captain Marc Murphy handled the St Kilda sledging controversy like "an absolute professional", Blues coach Brendon Bolton says.

Murphy was the target of some highly personal barbs from the Saints in a fiery clash at Etihad Stadium last week, after which he issued a statement on social media.

The Blues leader accepted an apology from St Kilda.

Before the Blues flew to Perth where they will take on Fremantle on Sunday, Bolton was determined to shut down talk of the furore but felt compelled to defend his skipper.

"Listen, we've moved on from that. The focus has been purely on Freo … but we've got each other's back, and that's been reinforced over the last week or so," Bolton said at Melbourne Airport on Saturday.

Asked how he believed Murphy had handled the situation, Bolton was again supportive.

"(I want) to try and stop the commentary on that right now, but what I will say is that he's dealt with it as an absolute professional," he said.

That professionalism will be required when the improving Blues encounter the resurgent Dockers, who have won five of their past six games.

The Blues have fond memories of their most recent clash with Fremantle at Domain Stadium after posting an upset four-point win there in round five last year.

"It's a good chance for us to get away. We're really building our relationships as a team and staff so away trips are good to reinforce that. But it's always a challenge over there – they play well on that ground," Bolton said. 

Young midfielder David Cuningham will play his first game of the season after a string of consistent performances for the Northern Blues.

Of the 20-year-old runner, Bolton said: "(He has) worked incredibly hard over the last four or five weeks to build his game in our VFL (team), so he's earned his spot and that's really important for us that you do earn it."