In a high-stakes selection reversal that has caught AFL circles by surprise, Carlton Blues have announced that star inside midfielder George Hewett – the club’s reigning best and fairest winner – will return to the senior lineup for Friday night’s clash against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. The recall comes just five weeks after coach Michael Voss made the controversial call to drop Hewett following Carlton’s shocking Good Friday defeat to North Melbourne.
After being sent to the Victorian Football League (VFL), Carlton’s reserve competition, Hewett refused to let the setback derail his form. Over the course of a month-long wait for a senior recall, the ball-winning specialist put in a string of dominant performances at the lower level, notching no fewer than 24 disposals in each of his five VFL outings. His standout display came last weekend against St Kilda, where Hewett racked up 31 possessions and kicked two goals to force the selection hand of Carlton’s coaching panel.
Speaking ahead of the crucial round clash, Voss made it clear that Hewett’s specific skill set is exactly what the Blues need to counteract the Lions’ vaunted midfield unit. “He’ll play; he’s been really strong over the last couple of weeks,” Voss told reporters. “He’s added a couple more things into his game in the last few weeks which we’ll hopefully see in this game. He’s been a really valuable teammate for us, you bang the door down to selection through form and he’s certainly done that. We know what we get with George, he’s very reliable. You’ve got to factor in what our balance is looking like (and) he brings a strong contest game. When we talk about Brisbane, they’re strong around stoppages and we’ve got to get our hands on the ball first.”
The recall comes amid one of the most turbulent opening stretches to a season in recent Carlton history, with off-field controversy and on-field inconsistency plaguing Voss and his playing group. The club has faced intense public scrutiny following the ongoing Elijah Hollands saga, while repeated second-half collapses in senior matches have left the Blues languishing with underwhelming early-season results. Last week’s late fade-out, in particular, left Voss frustrated and demanding improvement from his entire squad.
Voss acknowledged that a upset win over the high-flying Lions at the Gabba would provide a massive boost to his side’s flagging morale, but stressed the team cannot afford to look past the process of putting together a full four-quarter performance. “It’d be pretty large, but you don’t think about outcome, that’s stating the absolute obvious about what we’re trying to do here,” he said. “What 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. This is a pretty tough environment to win in, they’re a very good side (and) we’re going to have to do a lot right.”
Addressing the team’s recent struggles, Voss admitted the slow start to the season has been frustrating, but framed the setbacks as an opportunity for the group to grow and refine their game plan. “It’s been frustrating, but at the same time, we’ve used those moments to find marginal gains to get better. That’s where we’re at as a team, and you’re living on that knife’s edge a little bit in terms of performance. To have a quarter like we did last week, it’s extremely disappointing. You’ve got to go to work on your game, we let ourselves down defensively. We’ve got to be better, and we have to ask more from one another throughout this game.”