Carlton defender Simon White says after some tinkering with their game plan, the Blues are starting to hit their straps.

The Blues have won six of their past seven matches, but face a tough month of football, starting with Essendon this Friday night at the MCG.
Essendon sits fifth on the ladder, Carlton is sixth.

White says it will be a good test.

"People are going to judge us on the next four games, so we need to play the way we want to play and be competitive in those games. If we can win four so be it, but we're really focusing on this week and a big match on Friday night."

There have been a number of team changes with fresh faces coming into the side in recent weeks – Troy Menzel and Levi Casboult among the latest to get a guernsey.

White says the competition for spots is having a positive impact.

"In this game you're only a couple of bad performances away from finding yourself out of the team. There are blokes in the VFL who are playing really well at the moment and pushing for selection, which is really good because competition for spots is high so it's pushing everyone to play well."