Carlton coach Michael Voss insists both Jacob Weitering and Zac Williams have proved their fitness and will face Geelong after the defensive pair suffered heavy knocks last week.
Weitering is set for a crucial match-up with Cats key forwards Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron in Saturday’s MCG blockbuster after he limped off the ground late in the first half of Carlton’s win over GWS with a corked quad.
Voss, who praised the star fullback for his courage after he returned to the field and played out the match in pain, said he was “ready to go” along with Williams.
Williams suffered a knock to his achilles against his former club and was subbed out at halftime, causing a major defensive reshuffle after he had started the game on Toby Greene.
The Blues were already missing Mitch McGovern and Adam Saad to hamstring injuries, while luckless third tall Caleb Marchbank remains out with a back issue.
“They’ve had a pretty reasonable week, they both did a little bit yesterday,” Voss said when asked about Weitering and Williams.
“They both did enough of what was needed – we had a look at them (Friday) morning so they’re ready to go.”
Voss said Weitering would be vital against Hawkins and Cameron as the Blues look to stifle the unbeaten Cats’ scoring at the MCG.
“He’s our vice-captain and brings something a bit different to the table, so we’re a better team with him out there and he’ll play an important role,” Voss said.
“They’ve got guys up front that have posed problems for teams, and certainly have in the past, so we’re aware of the challenges in front of us.
“The great thing about our back six (or) seven is that they’ve gelled really well as a back unit … there will be lots of questions asked, but the boys will be up for it.”
Voss said the Blues were pleased by the “flexibility” the ruck combination of Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning was giving them in the middle of the ground but again said they would continue to review their mix of talls during the season.
The coach said he hoped De Koning would “get the upper hand” over his brother, Geelong defender Sam De Koning, if the pair matched up on each other on Saturday.
Having played several games against his younger brother Brett after his move to St Kilda, Voss said it was sometimes a challenge to put the sibling rivalry to one side in the heat of battle.
“There’s obviously an emotional buy-in there, I’m not sure how (Tom) went in the backyard against him, I’m not sure who won most of the backyard dust-ups,” Voss said.
“I tried to bash (Brett) as much as I could. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, so that’s always an interesting byplay.
“It was always a tough conversation on Monday with mum more than anyone else, so when I saw mum’s number come up on the mobile phone, I was always a bit scared about what she was going to say.”
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