Carltonassistant coach Ash Hansen has been left "flabbergasted, bemused and shocked" by suggestions that star forward Harry McKay is not in the Blues' best side.
Speaking on Nine's Footy Classified, Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes urged Carlton coach Michael Voss to leave McKay out of his preliminary final lineup
"I think they're a better team without him just to be brutally honest. I think his issues can infiltrate the psyche of the group," he said on Monday night.
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"If he's missing goals in the first quarter from 10m out directly in front I think it's an issue for them, and I think they're playing pretty well without him. I think he adds pressure."
However, Hansen disagreed, stating that McKay is a crucial cog in Carlton's attack, especially alongside two-time Coleman Medal winner Charlie Curnow.
"I understand that it creates great debate, like who's the best – Michael Jordan or LeBron?" Hansen said.
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"It's a hard question, but this is a really easy question. We're a better team with him in it. He's in our side."
Since winning the 2021 Coleman Medal with 58 goals, McKay's scoring ability has taken a dip due to his inaccuracy in front of goal.
This season, the 25-year-old has undoubtedly struggled in front of goal, kicking just 27 goals and 27 behinds in 20 appearances.
McKay sat out Carlton's two-point semi-final win over Melbourne after he was concussed in the Blues' first finals win in a decade, but is expected to return to the fold for its preliminary final clash against Brisbane on Saturday.
McKay acknowledged that he struggled for a few days after the nasty collision with several Swans forwards before recovering quickly.
"The first couple of days it's not a great feeling, you're a little bit headachey," McKay said on the Ben and Harry Podcast, a show he hosts with his twin brother Ben, who plays for North Melbourne.
"The best way to describe it is, you're not quite right for a couple of days and then you take it pretty easy.
"After two or three days you kind of start to feel normal again and then it's just overnight. I think it was maybe day three or four and just quickly felt pretty good again. So yeah, I was lucky that I responded pretty well and bounced out of it as good as possible.
"It's all tracking really well, back full training this week and all going well, I'll be all good to play."
Without McKay out of the starting 22 with injury, the Blues have won seven of eight matches while averaging higher scores.
But in the 106-gamer's' defence, McKay featured in five games within the team's nine-match winning streak this season and was a key player in three of the victories.
His absence was also felt against Melbourne when Curnow was well held by star defender Steven May, who put in a best-on-ground performance. As the sole-marking target up forward, Curnow struggled to have a major impact on the game.
McKay was critical of his performance in the elimination final against Sydney after missing a sitter from the goal square and chided himself for straying from his set-shot routine.
"I was flat with the second one though because I should have been kicking the ball well," McKay said.
"I just got rushed and got really close to the mark and I was disappointed in myself for that one.
"Take away those misses, yeah I thought I was going alright."
Fellow forward Jack Martin is also set to return for the crunch clash against Brisbane after serving a one-match ban for striking.
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