CARLTON is sweating on the fitness of George Hewett ahead of Thursday night's blockbuster encounter against the reigning premiers Geelong, as the tough midfielder battles a hand injury.

Hewett was seen by medical staff during last week's season-opening draw against Richmond after having his hand stood on during the match, but played out the game. He was sore earlier this week, but the club ruled out significant damage.

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However, Blues officials are still uncertain as to whether Hewett will take his place in Thursday night's game at the MCG and will put the important onballer through a fitness test on Wednesday to determine his availability.

Hewett was one of Carlton's best players against Richmond, finishing with 28 disposals and eight clearances, and has established himself as a focal point in the team's engine room since arriving at the club during the 2021 Trade Period.

"We've got to assess him later," Blues coach Michael Voss said on Wednesday.

"He did pull up sore. We just haven't necessarily tested that out. We'll test that out later today, so we won't really know until a little bit later today."

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Elsewhere, Carlton is hopeful small forward Corey Durdin will recover from a hamstring injury in time for the clash against Geelong but the timeline for star midfielder Sam Walsh (back), as well as Jordan Boyd (foot) and Matt Cottrell (foot), hasn't changed.