David King believes Carlton should be furious with Jack Martin if they go down narrowly in Friday night’s Semi Final against Melbourne.
Martin will miss the clash after being hit with a one-game ban for striking Nick Blakey in Carlton’s Elimination Final win over Sydney.
With Martin out, Jesse Motlop has moved from the sub to the starting 22 while Matt Kennedy has also come into the side with the option of playing forward.
As Harry McKay is also out with concussion, a lot will now rest on Charlie Curnow’s shoulders given their number two and three forwards will now sit on the sidelines.
Martin has kicked multiple goals in four of his last nine games but King believes his impact has been even more than that inside 50 for the Blues.
As a result, King feels he’ll be sorely missed on Friday with his absence potentially costing Michael Voss’ side.
“They'll be furious with Jack Martin if this is a sub-two goal loss,” King said on SEN The Picks.
“He has been everything for them the last eight weeks when I looked at all the numbers.
“Charlie Curnow is number one in all their offensive stuff, anything centre-forward, anything that seriously impacts the scoreboard like score involvements, forward 50 disposals, forward 50 contested possessions.
“Coming in at number two in all categories is Jack Martin.
“So it's not just his 14 goals in that period (since Round 16). It's the rest.
“It’s the tackling, the pressure, the crumbing, the contested possessions.”
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King’s co-host Sam Edmund also agrees that Martin will be sorely missed going forward due to his attack at the contest and ability to nail chances.
“He’s a hard operator for a light frame and generally when he gets a look, he's clinical,” Edmund said.
“He's a very good finisher as well under pressure.
“He will be sorely missed.”
If Carlton beat Melbourne, Martin will be available for a Preliminary Final matchup against Brisbane at the Gabba.
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