How Fraser’s Blues will handle the finals; Saints axe No.3 draft pick

If you want something encapsulating how Carlton coach Josh Fraser has calmed the storm around his young Blues, his thoughts ahead of Saturday night’s wildcard final against Melbourne tell the story.

The Blues have gone from a 1-8 start under previous coach Michael Voss to win 10 of their last 13 games, along with a draw , under the newly appointed Fraser , and they will take to the MCG with the belief that they can beat the Demons in front of a bumper MCG crowd.

As he calmly spoke to the media on Thursday morning before training, dressed in shorts and a jacket with his now trademark hood, Fraser was asked how his young guns like Jagga Smith, Harry Dean, Talor Byrne and Billy Wilson will handle the pressure moments inside the MCG cauldron.

“They’ll be fine. They’ll be completely fine,” Fraser said without skipping beat.

“We have some good young kids with calm heads on their shoulders, and they are well-supported by experienced players. And this is a space we’ve grown in over the last four to eight weeks.

“We will stay well-connected and no one’s felt like they’re alone out there. I expect that to be the same.”

There is something telling in Fraser recognising the possibility that his players could feel isolated on a ground that’s surrounded by more than 90,000 fans – most of them likely Blues diehards.

He sees an upward trend in what the Blues are getting from their least-experienced players and what they could do in finals.

“There are those guys who’ve had Rising Star nominations, but there’s a lot of others that we’re really excited about. Jack Ison has played some football this year that I’m excited for,” Fraser said.

“Jagga has had a really consistent season, you see what you see on the weekend, but he’s a terrific young man and he’s going to be a great leader for this football club.

“Harry Dean has already attached himself to our supporters with the way he plays, he’s become a bit of a cult hero and we love having him at the club.”

Smith sounded the furthest thing from nervous when he spoke on Thursday following his Rising Star win on Monday night. Dean was runner-up, and named the AFL Players’ Association’s best first-year player.

Smith’s stellar season comes after he missed all of last year due to a knee reconstruction.

“We’re so focused on Saturday against Melbourne, I feel that if you are looking too far ahead, then you’ve not focusing on the right things,” Smith said.