HIS STATISTICS weren't flashy on Thursday night, but Matthew Kreuzer showed he is fit and ready to help propel Carlton into the top four this season.

Kreuzer endured a 2011 campaign to forget after managing just 12 games on his return from a knee reconstruction, and his presence was sorely missed in the Blues' finals campaign after a foot complaint ended his season.

The 22-year-old had 16 possessions, 15 hit-outs and a goal in Thursday’s 44-point win against Richmond, but perhaps more importantly, the trademark gut running that he struggled to produce last year was back.

Predictably, his coach was delighted.

"What can you say?" Brett Ratten when asked about his star ruckman's return. 

"His follow-up work is not just about possessions, it's about him contributing and impacting the contest. He was just brilliant.

"He just kept buttering up."

Even late in the game, Kreuzer was not only working in opposition to seasoned campaigner Ivan Maric, he would often follow the play to provide a link in the chain with his onballers as they worked the ball forward.

Teammate Bryce Gibbs has been the beneficiary of the work of a fit and firing Kreuzer in the past, and he saw enough at the MCG to make him believe the talented big man can stamp his mark on the competition after an uninterrupted pre-season.

"As a midfielder you just love playing alongside him," Gibbs said.

"He just acts like another midfielder with that 'surge' mentality he gets when he just tractors the ball along with his second and third efforts. It's unbelievable for a bloke of his size and his weight to do what he does.

"It's really important for the team and when he's not doing that, he's up forward clunking them and kicking goals.

"He's in for a big year, I think."