Carlton's punitive action against three players late to a recovery session could quite easily cost the club on Saturday when the Blues tackle Adelaide in an AFL "trial final" at Etihad Stadium.

However Crows coach Neil Craig said he believed the decision to suspend Cameron Cloke, Eddie Betts and Jeff Garlett was the sort of step necessary to building a robust and disciplined club.

Craig knows from personal experience that suspending key players on the eve of an important game is unlikely to be looked upon kindly by supporters, particularly if the match ends up being lost.

In 2007, the Crows suspended Ben Hudson, Bernie Vince and Darren Pfeiffer for breaking a player-imposed curfew prior to their road trip to Geelong.

Hudson's absence in particular was viewed as a critical blow to Adelaide's chances of upsetting the Cats, leaving then youngsters Ivan Maric and Jonathan Griffin to battle Brad Ottens and Steven King in what turned out to be a dreadful mismatch.

"At the time there was a lot of debate about whether it was the right or wrong decision, particularly among our supporters," Craig said on Friday.

"They were saying 'you're going to Geelong, you've got a really important game here, and now you're going to play Maric and Griffin. What are you doing?'.

"From a short-term point of view, the answer to that would be (it was a) strange decision, but I've no question at all from the long term point of view, what it did for us as a football club it was just about standards, and how we value preparation and performance.

"Sometimes you have to take the flak and the criticism in the short-term, if you want to get that. If you went the other way, you're not going to get there in the long term, because the standard has been set, hasn't it?"

Craig is wary, too, of the galvanising effect the suspensions will have on the rest of the Carlton squad, but said he would be extremely disappointed if his players were found wanting for motivation in a game that would stretch them in several areas.

"We'd be really disappointed if we sat here on Monday and we didn't win because Carlton had more motivation because of that situation," he said.

"It's a great game for us, one the prize on the end of it, not just us, both clubs playing potentially for a home final and that's good for us.

"Our defence will be tested to the max because Carlton, from the stats we have, are the best in the competition at going from the back 50m into their forward 50m, they are the best in the comp at the moment, over the last four or five weeks.

"Our forward line looks reasonably potent on paper but it needs to be able to function.

"We're treating it as a trial final, not just for the players but for the coaches as well."

Patrick Dangerfield and Brett Burton add plenty of talent to Adelaide's 22 in place of Richard Douglas and Robert Shirley (hamstring).

The Blues have recalled Dennis Armfield, Steven Browne, Shaun Hampson, Chris Johnson and Chris Yarran for Richard Hadley (broken arm) and Joe Anderson alongside Betts, Cloke and Garlett.

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