MICK Malthouse won't be putting any pressure on Chris Judd to play on next year, saying the Carlton champion will be left to make the decision on his own.
Judd was outstanding in the Blues' 15-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday night, finishing with 27 possessions (14 contested), five clearances and a goal.
It continued Judd's good run of form since he returned from a hamstring injury in round 13 against Hawthorn.
Before then Judd had played just six minutes of football in 2014, injuring his hamstring in round five against the Western Bulldogs in his first game back from Achilles tendon surgery in February.
At that time, it seemed Judd's 30-year-old body would most likely force him out of football at the end of this season.
But the past three rounds suggest he still has much to offer the Blues as they seek to regenerate under Malthouse.
Malthouse told reporters after the Blues' 15-point loss to Collingwood on Sunday night he sensed Judd's decision would come down to whether he thought his body had another year of football left in it.
"I'm not going to ask Chris, that's a decision he has to make," Malthouse said.
"It depends on what he wants out of his football, we know he'll give us this sort of effort every week.
"As it gets closer to the end of the year, he may knock on my door and tell me what he wants to do. I'm not going to be pressuring him for an answer one way or another.
"He's played enough football to understand what he needs to achieve.
"I don't think it will be (about) how we're going, it will be more about whether his body can take another year.
"He hasn't played a lot of footy this year, so it depends on whether he wants to put himself through a long pre-season.
"So we'll wait and see."
Malthouse praised Chris Yarran's performance in defence on Jamie Elliott, saying he thought the 23-year-old was starting to understand just how good a player he could be.
Before Elliott was substituted out of Sunday night's match with a hamstring injury, Yarran kept him to five disposals and one behind, while providing the Blues with much of their drive off half-back.
Yarran's speed and ability to break the lines was one of the reasons the Blues were able to drag themselves back into Sunday night's match after a slow start.
Malthouse said his focus with Yarran this year had been: to try and get him playing consistently; and to challenge him by playing him in different positions.
"You can argue the case that Elliott's probably an All Australian at this stage and I thought that [Yarran] did a fantastic job, but he can equally go to the wing and be damaging and he can to the half-forward line and kick a goal," Malthouse said.
"The thing that I've tried to do with Chris this year is just probably stabilise his consistencies. I think also just (developing) a self-belief.
"I don't know whether Chris really fully understood that he can be a seriously very good footballer.
"So if that's one step today, it's a good step and I think he's taken several through the year.
?"I think that we're really seeing Chris Yarran develop a belief in himself, which gives us great heart."
