McCaw strode through Sydney Airport's virtually deserted arrivals hall last night as the All Blacks touched down for Saturday's Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies.
Refreshed after a short break following their dual losses in South Africa, the skipper welcomed Carter back but warned against too high expectations.
"It's nice to have him back; he's worked pretty hard to get ready. He had a game on Friday night which a few of us saw, and he played pretty well," McCaw told reporters.
"It's nice to have him back in the squad but we've got to be careful we don't just expect a guy to change everything. We've got to iron out the things that went wrong in the last couple of weeks."
McCaw arrived on the first flight from Christchurch, with Carter and coach Graham Henry among the Auckland contingent who touched down 45 minutes later.
Carter was confirmed in the 26-man squad yesterday morning for his first test of 2009 after a solid match for Canterbury following a long layoff with a knee injury.
Henry said Carter impressed him at the weekend but echoed McCaw's thoughts.
"Dan's in good shape. He's played well at the level below (test rugby). We can't expect him to do the job for us. He'll be another player in the team and I'm sure he'll play well," Henry said.
"He's playing well, he's really keen and he's obviously enjoying playing rugby again after six months so I'm sure he'll play well... if he gets selected."
Carter attracted the most attention as he touched down, signing several autographs and posing for photos, while his teammates strolled through almost unnoticed.
The few talking points in Henry's squad was the axing of prop Neemia Tialata, with Wyatt Crockett summoned as the fourth prop, while backup halfback Piri Weepu was left out after rolling his ankle at training last Wednesday.
Henry said Tialata, a first choice prop at the start of the year, needed to log more game time after suffering an injury in South Africa.
Weepu could have been passed fit, but Henry said they didn't want to risk him aggravating the injury.
McCaw meanwhile raised the trans-Tasman stakes, saying both teams' seasons were on the line at ANZ Stadium.
"In the context of the Tri-Nations it might even be out of our control now, but if we're going to be a chance we've got to win the last three games starting on Saturday.
"From our point of view the Bledisloe's still on the line and we're like the Wallabies, we value it pretty highly... but if you don't win this week the Tri-Nations is all but gone, I would suggest."
The All Blacks can seal the Bledisloe Cup for another year with victory to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
But the Springboks, with three home wins over the All Blacks and Wallabies, were within touching distance of the Tri-Nations title.
The All Blacks and Wallabies will train today, with both starting sides to be named on Tuesday.
