Carlton coach Michael Voss is hopeful Adam Cerra has avoided serious damage after the unlucky midfielder sustained another hamstring injury during his side's tense one-point win over Melbourne.
Cerra was one of the Blues' leading ball winners with 21 disposals, 11 contested possessions and four centre clearances before he hobbled off during the third quarter at the MCG on Thursday night.
It was the 24-year-old's second game back from a three-week spell on the sidelines with a previous hamstring injury.
"It's a slight hamstring - a minor hamstring, I should say - so we'll get that scanned and see where that lies," Voss said after the Blues' 12.5 (77) to 11.10 (76) victory.
Cerra's latest setback adds to the soft-tissue injury crisis at Carlton this season, with a host of key players sidelined throughout the campaign.
Mitch McGovern and Jack Martin returned from hamstring injuries against Melbourne, while Adam Saad and Jesse Motlop are still out of action with similar issues.
Saad and Motlop could return this month, with the Blues facing ladder leaders Sydney (away), Gold Coast (home) and Port Adelaide (away) in the coming weeks.
Voss was pleased with Carlton's intensity and pressure in defence against Melbourne, believing that trait can be the difference as his side chases a top-four spot to set up a premiership tilt.
"Melbourne were able to keep doing it for a little bit longer over the course of the whole night, but we've shown that we're quite good at that phase of the game over the last 12 months," Voss said.
"But we're still in our infancy in its development and it only reinforces the importance of it.
"Off the back of it, we can play the offence we want to play."
