A DIFFERENT but familiar challenge awaits Carlton this weekend.

The Blues have played with a sense of freedom since Josh Fraser took the reins as interim coach back in mid-May, relishing the pressure valve being released and being rewarded with nine wins from 11 games under the caretaker.

But now, a Carlton side that's played with the looseness of a team with nothing to lose has something to lose again.

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Inside the top 10 for the first time all year, against a St Kilda side itself vying for finals, the Blues have seen the feeling of expectation return to Ikon Park.

Sunday night's clash against the Saints will therefore be another test of Fraser's credentials in winning the coaching role full-time, with the caretaker leaning on his now oft-repeated mantra of 'process over results' across this week.

"I think it's important, as a football club, that we attach ourselves to a process around this game and not get too outcome-driven," Fraser said on Friday.

"I just think this club, maybe historically, has ridden the wave. I just look at where we're at and I think we've got so much work in front of us still. There's no guarantee the performance that got that result against Brisbane is going to be enough against St Kilda. They're a different team, they're a well-coached team, a well-drilled team. We're going to have to have different levers to pull.

"But the occasion itself, these are the games you want to play in and the opportunities you want to be afforded. We've done enough work to this point to have the opportunity to play in a game like this. We'll lean into it, but it won't be so much about the outcome. It will be around the football we want to play."

Fraser had said he'd hoped to come to a decision on whether he'd enter the race to become Carlton's next full-time senior coach this week, but the Blues have allowed him more time to consider his call in the wake of his father's recent passing.

Should he enter the process, as has long been expected, Fraser would join Fremantle's Jaymie Graham, St Kilda's Corey Enright, Geelong's James Kelly and Hawthorn's Daniel Giansiracusa on the club's coaching shortlist.

Fraser said he was grateful for Carlton's patience as he considers his next coaching move and said the time he was taking on his call was a reflection on the significance of his impending decision.

"It's an acknowledgement of the responsibility that comes with being a senior coach," Fraser said.

"I want to make sure that I have all of that information and if I was to put my hand up and go through the process, that I'm all in on that and everything that comes with it.

"I'm coming to the realisation that you may never know if you're completely ready. But I've always been someone that, regardless of role, I've stayed open-minded to how I continue to get better anyway.

"I'm in a fortunate position where I've got an awareness of all of those things and I can take some time thanks to the club to actually get some more information around all of that and where that sits

"I'd like to think it's as simple as saying yes, and I've spoken previously around being very ambitious to be a senior coach, but now there's the opportunity for me to take all of the information on board and if I put my hand up then I'm all in and it's been a considered approach in that way. If I don't put my hand up, there will be a reason for that."

Fraser's main focus has remained on St Kilda, though, and the challenge of attempting to quell the influence of superstar midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.

The prolific onballer has won 40-plus disposals in three of his last six matches and is fresh from a mammoth 46-touch, four-goal effort against North Melbourne only a fortnight ago.

The Blues, who will again be without key defender Jacob Weitering this week – he will return from a long-term calf complaint on managed minutes in the VFL across the upcoming weekend – are likely to put significant attention into stopping Wanganeen-Milera's impact.

"Talk about decision making," Fraser laughed.

"It's been a tough one to get my head around, how we do that. I think we'll have a couple of plans for him. But we're also understanding you can't stop everything.

"Our ability to nullify his impact is important, centre-forward he's clearly damaging and then there's the metres gained aspect he brings as well. We're just working throug