Carlton have vowed to develop Jacob Weitering as a key defender despite inconsistent form at the start of the AFL season.
Coach Brendon Bolton said before training on Thursday the young Blue would play in the backline for the blockbuster against traditional rivals Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night.
"He played a really good game in the JLT (series) against Hawthorn and Jacob would admit the last few weeks he has been a bit down and it just shows the power of the mind," Bolton said.
"So he has got real clarity this week on his role down back, focusing on that. You can over think it at times. Form is never permanently down or up. Often, they don't lose the body and ability, it's just the way they're thinking about things.
"So we're backing Weiters in, that's the main point out of today. He's really clear on what he needs to do and we'll see how it goes."
Bolton added Carlton wanted Weitering to learn his trade as a defender first before moving on to other positions.
"We want Weiters to master that craft down back and then in time be able to swing forward."
Bolton said it was critical to have Matthew Kreuzer back as the No.1 ruckman and former Giants midfielder Matthew Kennedy, as both were solely missed in the loss to Gold Coast last round.
"Having Kreuz and Kennedy out for a fair chunk of the Richmond game and again last week, they're big strong bodies around our midfield and that will help" he said.
The Blues coach said defender Liam Jones' inability to contain Suns ace forward Tom Lynch last week was symptomatic of his young team's continuing inconsistency.
"Liam is a bit like our group, learning the finer points of offensive and defence and he'll learn from that and it will get tighter by the week," he said.
"This whole year is going to stay the same, we're going to build symmetry and chemistry. We're not going to put any ceiling on them, we're going to hold them to high account, so the pressure is what the players put on themselves and that's a good thing."
