‘Not a one-man job’: Blues’ plan for red-hot Pickett
Oliver Caffrey and Anna Harrington |
Carlton’s Adam Cerra believes shutting down Melbourne superstar Kysaiah Pickett won’t be left to just one player.
Pickett will loom large in Saturday night’s wildcard showdown at the MCG after being named in the All-Australian team for the second straight year on Tuesday.
Since transitioning from a small forward into a goal-kicking midfielder, Pickett has become one of the AFL’s most damaging players.
“He’s obviously a special player,” Cerra said this week of Pickett.
“I think those good players are going to have influence no matter what, it’s just a matter of trying to contain them a little bit.
“But we have some great players in our team as well that they’ll be looking at.
“We’ll put a plan together, but it won’t be a one-man job, it’ll be a team collective.”
Previously a pure inside midfielder, Cerra’s move to half-back under new coach Josh Fraser has been a masterstroke.
Cerra is having his best run at the Blues since moving from Fremantle in the 2021 trade period.
Helping the 26-year-old’s cause has been getting his body right.
“I’ve had one soft-tissue (injury) in two and a half years, so I’ve literally turned a page and put that stuff behind me,” Cerra said.
“A lot of work goes into everyone’s body.
“We’ve had a few boys, myself, Walshy (Sam Walsh), George (Hewett), that have had injuries and gone and done a discovery process to learn more.
“We’ve probably got the most detailed prep during the week of things we had to tick off and little extra sessions here and there.
“But over time, it just gives us confidence that we can play out our games and play out seasons.”
It will be Carlton’s first finals match since 2024, when they were demolished by the Brisbane Lions.
Unlike two years ago, the Blues are surging after winning 11 of 14 games since Fraser took over from Michael Voss in May.
“Our process during the week, we’re constantly trying to get better every day,” Cerra said.
“We didn’t want to just be a one- or two-week thing, we want to ingrain the habits into our club and into our culture.
“We’re not getting too high, not too low.”
AAP