THE SPECULATION around Carlton veteran Dale Thomas' contract status is having a mental impact on the 2011 All Australian, assistant coach John Barker says.
Thomas was let out of the side that faced Sydney on Saturday afternoon at the MCG, a week after he missed the 90-point loss to Port Adelaide for what the club said was soreness.
Thomas, who is the final year of his original four-year deal, reportedly has a contract trigger for 2018 if he plays a certain number of games this season.
Barker told Melbourne radio station 3AW on Saturday the coaching staff wanted Thomas in the senior side.
"We're keen for him to get some real form up," Barker said.
"There's no doubt the speculation and constant talk about it is affecting his psyche.
"We're keen for him to play some good footy, get going from a confidence point of view and come back in and have some impact, because his experience is the type of experience you need in games like last Friday."
Thomas turns 30 in June and was a member of the 2010 Collingwood premiership team. He moved to the Blues at the end of 2013 as a free agent.
He has played 47 games at Carlton for a career total of 204.
Carlton CEO Steven Trigg told ABC Radio on Saturday Thomas' selection would not be influenced by his contract status.
"You can't operate like that. I know that there would be a commercial hard-head out there who would go: 'It's just business'," Trigg said.
"But if we start influencing a coach's selection based on what's in a contract, you're in a lot of trouble, in terms of the culture of what you do.
"We've said this to his management – he gets selected on merit, he gets another contract on merit, and it's as simple as that."
The Blues have banked salary cap space and will continue to do so to make a run at free agents over the next two off-seasons, according to Trigg.
"When we've been disciplined enough to go to the draft and get the youth and play it as much as we possibly can, then we'll be in a position to go and find ourselves some free agents," he said.
"That might come at the end of this year (but) it will most definitely come at the end of next year."
