BRENDON Bolton has lauded Matthew Kreuzer as "the spirit of Carlton" after the ruckman's heroic efforts in the Blues' 19-point victory over premiership fancy Geelong at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The Carlton big man had keyhole surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus less than a fortnight ago but bravely returned two weeks earlier than forecast against the Cats.
Kreuzer, pick No.1 in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, had 14 disposals, 18 hit-outs and also laid 11 tackles, winning a number of crucial final-quarter contests as Geelong's fight back began in earnest.
"Kreuzer is the spirit of Carlton," Bolton said.
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"You can hear it from our members when he gets near the ball. That’s the external, but he's also the spirit within our group. When big blokes play well and tackle like that, others follow."
The Blues' win was forged by resilience and an ability to meet every challenge the Cats threw at them.
That Carlton was down to two men on the bench after quarter-time, as skipper Marc Murphy and young forward Liam Sumner succumbed to ankle injuries, emphasised the defiant manner in which it won.
Murphy and Sumner will have scans to assess the damage to their injuries on Monday.
"It's a particularly gutsy win, considering," Bolton said.
"You lose your skipper who has led from the front in Murph in the first quarter, and Liam Sumner started the game really well with some really good pressure, and to lose him … I think it more needs to reflect on our players and their bond and care for each other."
Remarkably, last year's wooden-spooners are now just one game outside the eight with a win-loss record of 5-5.
Bolton said it was a credit to both Kreuzer and Levi Casboult that the pair was able to make such significant contributions in the victory.
Like Kreuzer, Casboult was expected to be sidelined for a significant period after what a diagnosis of a fractured tibia in his left leg.
In fact, it was a depression on his tibia, rather than a hairline fracture on the bone.
"It’s a testament to their professionalism," Bolton said.
"Kreuz went in and had keyhole surgery and recovered – he was hours and hours icing and looking after his leg, so [praise] to Kreuz for his mental toughness number one, and two, his professionalism.
"And then three, our medical team to assist with that. A group of people did a really good job to get Kreuz up, including himself. And same with Levi. We’re proud of both of them."
Bolton said he now had no choice but to turn his attention to the Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium next Saturday.
"It's the nature of a brutal competition, you can't enjoy it for too long," Bolton said.
