A FIRESIDE chat with his parents could be key to setting Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow straight in front of goal in the clash with West Coast.
The Blues' leading goalkicker was wayward in his last outing, kicking a costly 1.4 in the close-run defeat to St Kilda on Friday night.
The performance prompted some unsolicited words of advice at a family gathering over the weekend ahead of this Sunday's meeting with the Eagles at Optus Stadium.
"Dad didn't say too much but he just tells me to kick through it and I get a few different comments from different people," Curnow said.
"A few of our family and friends were over, so I had a few tough conversations around the fire.
"It's all a bit of fun with good friends and stuff, so I smile and nod, always."
Curnow works more closely with assistant coach Ash Hansen on his goalkicking and has booted 45 majors this season from just 15 games.
The career-best return has come after Curnow rid himself of the injury woes that limited his output over the previous three years.
The 25-year-old has combined with Harry McKay to contribute a total of 76 goals, helping to put the Blues in the hunt for a top-four spot.
Their blossoming forward-line partnership has been a long time coming.
"The whole time I've been at the club we haven't been able to play that much footy together, but this year's been great," Curnow said.
"He had his injury for a few weeks but having him out on the field makes my job a lot easier.
"We can rotate and take a bit more time off the ground to get a bit more of a rest.
"Then we've also got Jack Silvagni and Tom De Koning floating around and it's all a bit of fun at the moment."
Despite the loss to St Kilda, which left Carlton (10-5) a game outside the top four, there is a sense the Blues are building something special under first-year coach Michael Voss.
Curnow is one of several Carlton stars out of contract at the end of next season but expects the prospect of team success to keep the group together.
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"It's been mentioned a couple of times but the great thing about our club is we haven't seen many players leave and I don't think many players will leave in the next couple of years," Curnow said.
"Our main focus is trying to get better as a team and I think we're building something.
"It's a fun club to be a part of, we've got great people and good coaches, and it's been a good start to the season."
