Carlton coach Brett Ratten is confident his side’s running ability won’t be compromised by three injury-forced changes for Friday night’s AFL clash with Fremantle at Patersons Stadium.

The Blues’ shock 30-point loss to Essendon last week came at an extra cost, with Jeremy Laidler (knee), Andrew Carrazzo (shoulder) and Chris Yarran (foot) all copping injuries.

Laidler and Carrazzo are set to miss 6-10 weeks, while Ratten was hopeful Yarran would only miss one week.

Ratten confirmed Andrew Walker and Dennis Armfield would be two definite inclusions against the Dockers.

Walker hasn’t played since injuring his quad during the pre-season, but Ratten backed the 25-year-old to make a solid impact upon his return.

“His running and what he’s done through his rehab was more just about us giving him extra time,” Ratten said on Thursday.

“We were happy with his testing and the things that he’s done. He’s an elite runner of the competition, not just our football club, so we won’t have any problems there.

“I think the players we’ve brought back in the team would be in our top six in running.

“When you think of Armfield and Walker, they’re elite runners of our football club, so I don’t think we’ll have a problem with running out the game.”