No rush with Kreuzer
Posted by Brent DiamondJun 8. 2011 2:41 am
DESPITE showing impressive form in the VFL, Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer may be guided through another week in the VFL with no rush for him to return according to coach Brett Ratten.
Shaun Hampson is in good form and Robbie Warnock is fit to play after a fortnight out from the game which means the Blues have the luxury of leaving Kreuzer out for the Brisbane Lions clash this week – if they wish.
“He’ll be very close,” Ratten said from Visy Park.
“He played 95 per cent [of game time at the weekend], 75 per cent the week before and 50 per cent before that, but it will depend on how the knee responds.
“I had a chat to him this morning and he feels pretty good. He could really feel the difference between this week and last week. It was a fair bit [better], so his confidence is on the rise.
“The biggest battle for him will be his battle with his own expectations. That will be the biggest challenge that he’ll have. We know what to expect and we’ll give him some guidance when he does come into the seniors on what we expect of him.
“His own expectations will be extremely high because of the type of person he is.”
Blues development coach Darren Harris said it was almost certain Kreuzer would come into the selection mix after an impressive third consecutive match in the VFL.
“He played pretty much 50 per cent in the ruck and 50 per cent forward and he went in for centre bounces this week. His progression has been a really good one,” Harris said. “Last week I thought he looked a little bit heavy in the legs but he ran really really well today so it was a really positive sign,” he said.
Lachie Henderson kicked five goals and was in the selection mix along with midfielder Brock McLean, who was clearly among the best Blues players on the ground for the Bullants against Collingwood at Victoria Park.
“By everyone’s admission, we probably brought him (Henderson) in a bit earlier after his operation and the amount of work that he’d done,” Harris said.
“This time around, he has been handled really well.”
“He’s had three good weeks in a row and he’s starting to put pressure on as well,” he said.
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