The power of Brisbane\u2019s midfield has forced Carlton coach Michael Voss to recall George Hewett.<\/p>\n
Hewett, the Blues\u2019 reigning best and fairest winner, was remarkably dropped after their shock loss to North Melbourne on Good Friday.<\/p>\n
The inside midfielder was a standout at VFL level but has had to wait over a month for another opportunity in the senior side.<\/p>\n
Hewett collected no less than 24 disposals across his five matches in the twos, led by a 31-disposal, two-goal performance against St Kilda last weekend.<\/p>\n
Voss says the Blues need what Hewett does best if they are to challenge the Lions at the Gabba on Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll play; he\u2019s been really strong over the last couple of weeks,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s added a couple more things into his game in the last few weeks which we\u2019ll hopefully see in this game. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a really valuable teammate for us, you bang the door down to selection through form and he\u2019s certainly done that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know what we get with George, he\u2019s very reliable. You\u2019ve got to factor in what our balance is looking like (and) he brings a strong contest game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we talk about Brisbane, they\u2019re strong around stoppages and we\u2019ve got to get our hands on the ball first.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a challenging month for Voss and Carlton on and off the field.<\/p>\n
The disastrous opening to the year has been laid bare by the Elijah Hollands saga and repeated second-half collapses.<\/p>\n
Voss knows what a win would do to the Blues\u2019 morale but says \u2013 given their fade outs \u2013 they can\u2019t afford complacency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019d be pretty large, but you don\u2019t think about outcome, that\u2019s stating the absolute obvious about what we\u2019re trying to do here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do have to focus on is getting our game together, we have to stay connected throughout the whole game to give ourselves the best chance to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a pretty tough environment to win in, they\u2019re a very good side (and) we\u2019re going to have to do a lot right.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been frustrating, but at the same time, we\u2019ve used those moments to find marginal gains to get better. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where we\u2019re at as a team, and you\u2019re living on that knife\u2019s edge a little bit in terms of performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have a quarter like we did last week, it\u2019s extremely disappointing. You\u2019ve got to go to work on your game, we let ourselves down defensively. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be better, and we have to ask more from one another throughout this game.\u201d<\/p>\n