CARLTON rookie Matthew Cottrell solidified his standing as the Club’s time-trial king on Wednesday morning.

With over half of Carlton’s current list partaking in the two-kilometre time trial, all eyes were on who would come away with the bragging rights.

For the second straight pre-season, it was Cottrell who reigned supreme, leading from the front and never headed.

The youngster made a name for himself at the beginning of 2019, becoming the first Blue to eclipse running machine Ed Curnow in a number of years.

The efforts of the wider playing group weren’t lost on co-captain Patrick Cripps, who pulled the team aside at the run’s conclusion.

“That was impressive,” Cripps told teammates this morning.

“In the off-season, you can have fun. But if you learn to start sacrificing and really dedicate your life to footy, [you see] how much you can actually improve.

“You’re at a level now where you can perform at a high level. You don’t know where you can get to by the end of pre-season.

“It’s good that you ran a good time, you should be happy with that. But don’t just set the bar there.

“We can go a lot higher than that. It’s bloody exciting.”