Battle-tested Blues ready for Tigers

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says the Blues are ready. Source: DAVID CROSLING / AAP

CARLTON coach Mick Malthouse says his battle-hardened side goes in to Sunday's blockbuster MCG elimination final fully equipped to challenge Richmond after playing two "mini finals'' in a row.

Captain Marc Murphy said the Blues could ill-afford to give the Tigers a five-goal head start as they did in Round 21, but said they would take heart from the good things they did in the eventual 10-point win.

Malthouse also stated emphatically that his team deserves its place in the finals.

Carlton won 11 games for the season, one less than seventh-placed Port Adelaide and three less than Essendon, but were promoted to eighth-spot after the Bombers were relegated to ninth last week by the AFL Commission.

"How are we lucky to be there? We've won enough games to be in the finals. I can't see what's wrong with it,'' Malthouse said.

"Why don't we (deserve to be in the finals)? Are we supposed to hand it back to someone? Who's supposed to have it, do you think? If we're not supposed to be there, who should have it?''

Murphy said it did not bother him if people label the Blues as lucky to feature in September.

"We're in the eight now and we're playing off for the opportunity to go forward,'' Murphy said.

"We don't consider ourselves lucky at all.''

The availability of dual Brownlow medallist Chris Judd remains clouded, but Malthouse said if the midfielder was to return after three games out with a knee injury he will be fit to play.

Star ... Carlton hopes to have Chris Judd back against Richmond. Source: News Limited

The coach said Brock McLean (quad) and Heath Scotland (quad) were also doing everything possible to prove their fitness.

"Anyone who runs down the race in a finals game has been through the griller,'' Malthouse said.

"Are we confident? We're confident that (Judd) has trained pretty well last week, he trained again pretty well today and, I would suspect by Thursday, the medical staff will make a decision on whether they are able to be picked.

Then it's up to us to pick them.

"If we have too many players like that, you've got to be careful. You don't carry injured players in to finals.''

Malthouse described games against Essendon and Port Adelaide in the last two weeks as mini finals and said those games "certainly stiffen you up'' and "make you a little bit more aware of what's required'' in September.

"If you can get through those games unscathed injury-wise ... it's a great lead-in,'' he said.

"And we've got the added day break. There's a simple thing about finals if you live in the same town, Richmond and Carlton, playing at the MCG, is not a disadvantage to either side.

"So finishing fifth or finishing eighth is Even Stevens, that's just the way it works out.''

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