Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says Lachie Henderson’s form in attack means Jarrad Waite might play in defence when he makes his AFL return from a knee injury.
Waite, who has been the Blues’ main forward target when available this season, hasn’t played a senior game since round 15 and the Blues have strung together three straight wins in his absence.
Henderson, who started the year in defence, has kicked a total of 11 goals in those three games and Malthouse said he was reluctant to tamper with a winning formula.
While Waite is expected to again be absent for Saturday night’s clash with Fremantle, Malthouse said when he returns it’s unlikely he will share the forward line with Henderson.
“I know this from going back a long time, Jarrad has played a lot of football in the backline,” Malthouse told Melbourne’s SEN radio on Wednesday.
“I’m reluctant to say that they both will play together in the forward line because I think you’ve still got to have that structure where you can still have a ruckman on the ground.
“When your lead ruckman spends a couple of minutes in the forward line and goes to the bench you’ve still got to have a ruckman.
“Jarrad nor Lachie, neither of these blokes are ruckmen, so the structure will change.
“Sometimes when things are working you get a bit reluctant to actually change up … so there’s a little bit of work to be done with those players together.”
While Carlton still sit ninth, a win behind eighth-placed Port Adelaide, Malthouse was happy with their season so far.
Their 41-point loss to Collingwood in round 15 is Carlton’s only defeat by more than 22 points.
“We’ve had a really good development year,” Malthouse said.
“We’ve had one real bad game, a stinker (against Collingwood) coming back off Sydney off a very wet track.
“Overall, the level of commitment by the players to engage in a campaign of getting the structures right and going forward and being competitive and getting through a few of the hoodoos, if you like, have been very encouraging.”