Carlton star Patrick Cripps has backed his AFL club's decision to trade out veteran Bryce Gibbs, saying the Blues have talented youngsters who can step up to fill the void.
Cripps was disappointed to see fellow midfielder Gibbs join grand finalists Adelaide but said he had faith in the decisions made by the Blues' management.
"Gibbo going is disappointing in a sense, but it's going to give some of these young guys more opportunity to play more midfield time," Cripps said before training on Wednesday.
"I trust 'SOS' (list boss Stephen Silvagni) and Bolts (coach Brendon Bolton) - they were doing the best thing for the club.
"We've got guys like Sammo (Petrevski-Seton), Zaccie Fisher, Matt Kennedy, Darcy Lang.
"We're going to put a big pre-season into them and I think strength in numbers, we'll definitely be able to fill the void."
Cripps remains in contact with Gibbs, who had 11 seasons with the Blues, but said that friendship would be put on hold when they got out on the field.
"I had a beer with him the other day and I said 'we'll still be good mates but once we step over that white line I might have to give you one under the ears'," Cripps said.
Cripps has recovered from the broken leg that ended his 2017 campaign in round 16 and has been back running for eight weeks.
It was his second leg fracture in four seasons, while last season he also broke his jaw and ribs.
"I actually thought I was made of chalk by the end of the year - I had a few broken bones," Cripps said.
"I'm really excited to put my body through a tough pre-season and I know my best footy is ahead of me, so I'm really excited about that."
