Star Blues defender Jacob Weitering is set for a longer stint on the sidelines after aggravating a calf injury, but his absence is being well covered by an emerging star who looks like a "Carlton footballer".
Weitering was initially considered a chance to return for Saturday's 53-point win over West Coast, before being ruled out for the third match in a row.
After the 17.15 (117) to 9.10 (64) triumph in front of 41,861 fans at Marvel Stadium, interim Blues coach Josh Fraser revealed Weitering had suffered a setback in his recovery.
"There's been a slight recurrence there," Fraser said.
"I can't give you much more than that, because I don't know at this point in time, so that's something we'll dig into a bit early in the week.
"Our priority for Jacob, as it is with any player, is to make sure we set them up really well to return with a clean bill of health and come in and play a role for us."
Carlton's defence has stood up magnificently despite Weitering's absence.
The Blues have conceded scores of 67 points, 65 points and 64 points across that three-game stretch, with first-year defender Harry Dean thriving with the extra responsibility.
Dean, a father-son pick taken at No.3 in last year's national draft, is just 18 years old but stands at 193cm and is mature beyond his years.
The son of dual premiership player Peter Dean played a key role in restricting West Coast to just four marks inside 50m on Saturday.
"You saw pretty early on how competitive he was," Fraser said of Dean's progress this year.
"When young players come in, you want them to play to their strengths, but I think he's got a unique set of strengths in that he's the ultimate competitor.
"He looks like a Carlton footballer. He brings an edge, he's demanding on his teammates.
End-to-end in a flash with the Blues 🏃♂️#AFLBluesEagles pic.twitter.com/T7dSz45a0k
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"I've loved what he's added to where we're going for a player in his first season."
Carlton (7-8) will have the chance to notch their seventh straight win when they take on Richmond at the MCG next Saturday night.
West Coast (4-11) host Adelaide on Friday night, and Eagles coach Andrew McQualter conceded his team simply weren't good enough against Carlton.
Carlton won the possession count 445-301, contested possessions 142-114, inside-50s 61-49, marks 133-66, marks inside-50m 20-4, and tackles 61-48.
"We took a step backwards today, which was disappointing," McQualter said.
"But we'll go away, we'll figure out why and how, and more importantly, what we do about it."
The Eagles hope Tim Kelly (hamstring) will be fit to return against Adelaide, but young ruckman Cooper Duff-Tytler is set to undergo scans on his calf.
