Carlton coach Brett Ratten says out-of-favour ruckman Robbie Warnock is almost certain to play this weekend, when the Blues travel west to take on the Eagles at Subiaco on Saturday.
Warnock has had mixed fortunes since being traded from Fremantle, missing all of last season with foot stress fractures and playing just five senior matches this year before being dropped.
He was also overlooked in favour of Shaun Hampson when No.1 ruckman Matthew Kreuzer suffered a season-ending knee injury against Fremantle in Round 13, but Ratten has backed the 23-year-old to prove himself on the back of his recent form in the VFL.
"He'll probably come into the team unless opinions change at match committee today, but I daresay he'll come into the team," Ratten said at Visy Park on Wednesday.
"I guess we're missing Matty Kreuzer a little bit, but it will be a good opportunity if Robbie gets a game to really show what he's produced over the last month at VFL level."
Under the pump having lost four of their past five matches, Ratten says he's feeling 'fantastic'.
"I think we control our own destiny," he said.
"If we listen to what's going on outside we could think 'well, we must be in the bottom four', but we're actually in eighth position."
"We know our deficiencies but we've got to play our game and do what we do really well."
"Will it happen overnight? Not sure. But it's something that we'll just keep chipping away through the week."
With their spot in the eight under threat from North Melbourne and Adelaide, Ratten says the club can only focus on performing well on the weekend and ignore the 'long-term vision' of playing finals.
The coach also addressed criticism levelled at the playing group's lacklustre contested footy count, acknowledging that their hardness at the contest may be partly to be blame for their recent slump.
"You look across the team and some players are not asked to be Chris Judd, but when it's their turn they need to make sure they go," he said.
"That's something that some of the players are looking at."
"When it flips out (of a contest) and it's a 50-50 - whether you have 10 opportunities or one, when it's your turn you have to go."
The side will travel to Perth without Kane Lucas after the first-year midfielder suffered a 'pretty big' hamstring tear in the loss to Sydney.