Carlton assistant coach Robert Harvey has slammed the Blues' midfielders for dishing up 'rubbish' over the past month, and warned that more of the same against the Swans on Sunday could derail the club's finals prospects.
Sunday's game at Etihad Stadium shapes as a classic 'eight-point' clash between the sixth-placed Swans and Blues who are separated by less than one percentage point.
Speaking before training at Visy Park on Saturday, Harvey welcomed the return of Jarrad Waite from suspension, but said he's concerned that the cutting edge that Waite provides will be wasted without improved service from the midfield.
"We definitely need him in to straighten us up, but the supply going in has just been rubbish the last few weeks so we've got to fix that part up first," Harvey said.
"He's good enough to capitalise on those entries if we get them right, but it starts with our mids' better delivery and harder running forward ... so we can hit better options."
Harvey said the Blues believe they've come to terms with the underlying problems of the past month when the club managed just the one win from four outings capped off by last week's humiliating 68-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
"It hasn't been about changing stuff, it's just about redirecting our approach," he said.
"The last month we've dropped off in a few areas that are really important to us and, it's no secret, it's around the intensity that's just dropped right off, so we're going to be focusing heavily on that."
"Over the course of the week it's been pointed out and the players have been heavily involved in that whole process."
"They took a lot of that on board themselves and their response has been that they want to fix it so that's a great sign."
Asked whether the match committee had been tempted to make more than three changes this week, only one of which was compulsory, Harvey said: "As bad as our last month has been, and we don't accept it, we've done some really good things this year."
"We want to back our players that have given us that chance."
"We still think we can play finals footy this year and the players that have put us in that position deserve the chance to be able to finish the job they started so they'll be backed to the hilt."
"To play a finals-like game (against Sydney) is going to be good for our young group."
"We need that challenge and we'll take that challenge on, hopefully."
"Every game is like that for us now."