Carlton coach David Teague has provided pre-season updates on Paddy Dow, Mitch McGovern and Liam Stocker.
Dow, McGovern and Stocker played a combined total of 15 games last year, but could play more prominant roles in 2021.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Teague gave the latest on how the Blues trio are tracking with the season proper fast approaching.
Paddy Dow
"I felt he had a really good pre-season last year as well.
"Last year he had some niggles and he didn’t get out on the park as much as we would have liked.
"This year he has had a great pre-season.
"What he did do – and we mentioned this to our players – he went away, worked on some areas and really committed to them, he had conviction in his commitment.
"Sometimes when you do that you go backwards a little bit but right now we’re seeing him come out the other side.
"His craft around stoppages and his decision making with the ball in traffic are two areas I know he’s worked hard on and we’re starting to see that.
"Even his chemistry with the other guys … just understanding how each player works I think is something that’s really grown."
Mitch McGovern
"He hasn’t been able to get out there as much as we would have liked.
"I know his first year at the club he had a really interrupted pre-season and we threw him out there too early.
"Mitch has had a great pre-season so we’re really looking forward to him making the most of the work he’s done.
"He’s worked hard, the injuries have been a challenge, but like every player, they’ve got growth areas, and he’s got areas he wants to get better at.
"When he came from Adelaide he was probably the fifth or sixth forward in that team, he came to Carlton as the No.1 forward and handling that expectation.
"Now he’s going to share the load with Harry (McKay), Levi Casboult and when Charlie (Curnow) gets back up and going.
"I think that’s when he plays his best, when he’s part of a really good system."
Liam Stocker
"Liam’s had a really good pre-season
"He got some minutes in our scratch game against Essendon last week.
"He’s very strong in the contest, his stoppage craft, and he’s got a bit of a nasty edge to him, he loves to tackle and hit bodies.
"It’s something we really value as a tough inside mid."
Carlton meet St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night in their one and only AAMI Community Series match.