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He said he had his fingers crossed that the injury would not mean a long time on the sidelines for Murphy because he was an important player in the team.

"To lose your captain at anytime [is] frustrating," Bolton said. "He does set up and organise.

"He is a quality ball user so we would rather have him out there [but] they are things you just can't control so what it does require is other guys to fill that void in terms of communication and organisation."

Bolton also defended the decision to play Murphy last week, saying it was the right decision even though the outcome was disappointing.

He said the club was not even weighing up whether it might be beneficial if Murphy decided to leave as he was such an important person at Carlton.

"We're not talking about losing Marc Murphy at the moment so that one doesn't come into the equation," Bolton said.

The Blues head to Kardinia Park for the first time since 1997 after losing to Melbourne by 109 points last Sunday at the MCG and have included Jacob Weitering after a stint in the VFL, with the Curnow brothers, Ed and Charlie, also returning.

Bolton said his talented, young midfield saw the challenge of playing against Geelong's star-studded midfield as the perfect opportunity to develop and would not be daunted.