AN EVOLUTION of the group.

Assistant coach Dale Amos believes that’s what is beginning to unfold among Carlton’s defensive group.

With pre-season back in full swing, Amos caught up with Carlton Media to run through everything involving the emerging defensive group at Ikon Park.

From the beginning of training until now, it’s safe to say that Amos has liked what he has seen.

“It’s been well-documented that we want to try and score more but we certainly need to tighten up defensively behind the ball as well,” Amos said.

“That’s been a bit of a focus, to restrict the amount of scoring going on while being able to score.

“We feel like we’re building a really nice base and in a good position to really launch into the next three of four weeks.”

With that solid pre-season block has come the emergence of new leaders, beyond the likes of Sam Docherty and Kade Simpson.

Featuring a number of players under the age of 25, Amos said the summer had presented the chance for Carlton’s defenders to “take ownership” of the group.

“With that age bracket we’re really looking to see some growth from them again, having made some big steps last year,” he said.

“We’re excited about the fact that it’s their back line and guys like Kade Simpson can play a bit of a support role and not be the driving force back there.”

As the Blues prepare to head to Mooloolaba for their pre-season camp in a couple of weeks, the coaches are looking across the board for improvement to drive them to the next level.

With the match play and intensity expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, Amos provided updates on just a couple of faces who are making waves on the track.

Sam Petrevski-Seton: “‘Samo’ had a really impressive final 6-8 weeks last year. He looked really comfortable across half back and got better every single week. We’re excited that he’ll be able to get a pre-season where he can hone his craft and hopefully spend some more time across half back.”

Jack Newnes: “He’s been really impressive from day one, in the way he has trained with intensity, his fitness level and his leadership on-field. Jack will spend a bit of time in the midfield but he’ll certainly spend some time at half back. He looks like he’ll be a really positive acquisition for us.

Tom Williamson: “Tom had an issue with his back last year which didn’t really give him the chance to get on the park: it was frustrating for him and disappointing no doubt for our fans. He’s building up really nicely and is back into most of training now. He’s an exciting young player who we’re really looking forward to seeing more footy from. We want to get him out on the park and playing week in, week out. He’s progressing really nicely and hopefully we’ll get to see some footy from him really soon.”