Resting somewhere within the first few pages of the AFL Board on the popular BigFooty forum, is a thread commonly revisited by proud footy supporters. Its title being the very thing it asks. If a team starts with two losses from its first two matches of the season, is it time for them to look at building for the future? A question strongly supported by a damning stat that reveals only six times out of around 58 in the last ten years has any team made finals after failing to register a win from their first two games. It too is a question that my beloved Carlton Football Club, proceed in giving further fuel towards. This comes after a record-breaking ninth straight season without a single win in either of the first two rounds. Exactly 3,311 days (at the time of publishing this piece) since the blues last found themselves on the right side of the results at this point of the premiership season. Back when I was in the midst of my secondary rank of education. Just one of the many cold hard truths, stinging the Carlton faithful.
It probably wasn't something asked all those years ago, since the stat was in the process of becoming what it is now. But with the power of hindsight or unadulterated imagination, we could somehow sense the likely frustration felt by blues fans at the time, who saw their club sack Brett Ratten and hire Michael Malthouse for the sole purpose of getting the club to be both consistent performers and regular finals contenders. Fast forward eight years and the club remains encountering the same problem, only with the added rough etchings of two more wooden spoons, two further senior coach sackings, losing records and the club's worst season in it's 157-year history. A period fitting for the wider population to conjure up some rib-ticklers at the expense of the aching blues supporter base. How does that proverb go? Tomorrow never comes. Or perhaps it is just Carlton doesn't know how far the future is. They probably don't even know the what the word 'future' means.
Jokes aside, all of this is part of a much larger storm cloud which continues to cast shadows over the entirety of Ikon Park. And it didn't take very long for my footy team to inspire me in addressing this exact issue. All that was needed was another strong opportunity to show progress and another means of failing to make good out of it. If this doesn't sound familiar to us blues fans now, then we obviously aren't paying much attention. But then again, nobody could blame a certain few for owning such an approach. From what can be gathered after all these years, it seems the very thing that is holding this club back from further sweetening its existence in Aussie Rules, is itself. Carlton in the 21st century, are victims of their own incompetence. And knowing how long it has been this way, it can be asserted with the greatest amount of confidence that the most distressing hurdle extends far beyond the 22 sent out to the field each weekend. I am talking about a red wine stain on fresh white carpet.
There appears to be an ongoing pattern in play each and every season for the blues. One which sees them commonly fooling the nation into a change of ways and ultimately crumbling under the weight of expectation. Whenever something is on the line, one can bank on Carlton disappointing with immediate success. Time and time again without any hesitation, they will stay loyal to the pressure gauge, add fuel to the media's fire and stick a knife into the heart of their frequently deceived members. Remember when we were all once asked by the blues during a previous attempt at redemption whether we could smell what it was they were cooking? Whichever way we look back at it, it obviously didn't go to plan. But what is even more obvious is that Carlton isn't able to ask the same question now, as they have proven countless times that the kitchen is simply too hot for them.
What's harder to swallow about this, is how it has spread through time and space? The fact it has lingered since the days under Ratten. The fact it now not only affects the men's team, but the women's team as well. A psychological impediment acting somewhat similar to that of a virus, infecting all matter it touches. Regardless of who has stepped foot into Carlton's territory in the last decade, all have been consumed by the presence of an unwanted guest. A guest hard to remove as they have well and truly wrapped themselves fittingly around every corner of Princes Park and gained some control of the club atmosphere. Maybe this is indeed nothing but a metaphorical representation of my abstract point of view. Maybe it is just my belief in superstitions being demonstrated. But even so, it doesn't look to be losing any cogency. If anything, it's proving to be all the more true every time I see my team perform.
Nowadays, people generally detest the harshness a neutral reality can sometimes bring. They often like to adorn the unpleasant truths with a forged smile and an overly optimistic perspective. They will scrape the bottom of the barrel for any positive they can find, regardless of its merits. And at times we think sure, there is no blaming these people. I mean not many want to sit around and listen to the voice of a 'Negative Nelly', right? We are always looking to avoid the depressing issues and search for anything that brings us joy. The real question is how can it be applied in this scenario. We are discussing a professional football club, stuck in a ditch for just about 20 years and still struggling to get out of it in a proper fashion. We have most certainly taken this route and have done so countless times. Has it been working? Or is it perhaps that we are just running away from the problems rather than dealing with them? Too much flight and not enough fight.
Six rounds into the 2021 season, the talk surrounding Carlton's inability to climb up the ladder continues on. With several 3-5 goal defeats, it is again a lengthy list of reasons as to why this is. Many coming in thick and fast, including the form slump of the leaders, the work load of the veterans, the disorganisation of the defence, the methods of attack, the lack of communication, the questioning of effort, the leniency of the coach, the inflation of the club board, the incompetence of the current hierarchy and so on. A few even suggesting that it is a bit of everything, leaving us to ask how we fix it and where it is we start. It can all lead to a lot of confusion. But I step forward to raise the idea that it may not be as confusing as we are making it appear. What if there is just one problem that sticks out the most, and once solved will account for everything else? Just fixing one piece and then having the rest click perfectly into place.
The journey to every solution would start with one simple question. Do we have the right people assigned to the challenge? Every week, the messages off the field are mixed. It sees media outlets with enough ammunition to create a bigger mess. And it too has the state of the Carlton board remain for debate, even after their recent successes in the financial field. What is for certain is that we have been informed by those such as the outgoing president Mark LoGiudice and the CEO Cain Liddle that the club is in a good state with a healthy culture. Co-captain Sam Docherty came forth prior to the season commencing, sharing his confidence and excitement of the blues going places. So how come it hasn't shown? Why another underwhelming start? Why has the team again failed to deliver what was expected of them? With the evidence of record memberships and a long-lasting debt officially paid out, it seems reasonable to rule out this being an off-field issue. So it narrows it down the slightest bit, looking towards the on-field crew and the board's connection with them.
We look at how exactly these losses are happening. There is the team's impotence to keep their head in the game for the entire two hours. We see an occasional lack of pressure being applied. We see the team structure fall apart as their opponents slide through it with ease. There's no clear strategy of attack, as inside 50's are rushed and more often than not lead to costly turnovers. There appears to be next to no communication between teammates during play. No instinct to defend or cover a man exists. The leaders aren't leading the way they should be. And many players are being rewarded for delivering very little. So with there being multiple problems in play, we're led to believe that the source of the failure is likely situated a little further up the ranks. The coaching staff. With it are a whole new set of questions. Are they in sync? Are they creating these problems? How are they dealing with them? Do they even see them and are we to trust that they do?
What mightn't be helping Carlton address its issues, is the senior coach coming under fire on a weekly basis. When it comes to struggling teams, we often like to think that it's nothing more than a witch hunt brought forward by the media to create drama and generate profit. The talk has come so soon, with David Teague not even reaching 2 years in his position. But looking deeper, there could actually be a rational explanation for this. One only needs to look at Teague and ask what it is he stands for. We know he has more than ten years of experience in the coaching department and has rubbed shoulders with some of the AFL's most successful senior coaches. From the way he expresses himself, we gather that he's someone who isn't afraid to speak. He comes across as somebody who treats his playing group with the utmost respect and connects with them at eye level. But with it being a club long tied to underachieving in the modern era (and continuing to do so), there is a pattern that remains a possibility.
Most failed coaches at Carlton in recent times have later been found to lack for something. With Mick Malthouse, there seemed to be no care or understanding of the contemporary game. Then there's Brendan Bolton, who never carried with him the real connection to football that players could benefit from. So with the talks of a coaching shake-up once again being raised, could the pattern still be there? Is there something David Teague lacks right now? Judging from his approach to the media and public, much remains unknown. However, some common criticism points out that his vocabulary is small and he holds himself back from really hitting the nail on the head. It is unsure as to whether Teague has the characteristics needed to untangle the team's knots. Many are finding it difficult to read any honesty from him. He continues to be somewhat of an enigma, and because of this there will always be lingering doubts. But if it were that simple, would any absence of asperity or rough edges cost Teague in the end?
How about the rest of the coaching group? This being an area that has seen more discussions within supporter circles throughout social media platforms. Is it the right combination to lead the club up the ladder? Are each of the assistants assigned to the right role? Most importantly, do they meet with Teague's plan? It's a relevant point, given there are a few faces at the club that have been around Ikon Park for quite a while. We've got Dale Amos, hired for Bolton's system and looking after defence for six straight seasons with 'hit and miss' results. Also present is John Barker; a long-time servant of Carlton's coaching department, working under several systems and juggling different responsibilities (including a very short stint at the steering wheel) for more than a decade. They come with their fair amount of footy knowledge and are respected by the players, but are they and the senior coach a match. Did Teague put the effort into finding his ideal team of assistants, or did he simply show too much heart and give into loyalty?
With all of this in mind, Carlton could likely find itself with the right answers sooner rather than later. The amount of questions can make it seem like a lot to consider. But as mentioned a little earlier, it could possibly be just one thing needing the most repairs for everything else to the come together with greater ease. This 'one thing' from my personal perspective, is indeed the club mentality. Having looked back at the recent history of the blues, I have gathered that common theme from multiple showings. The constant under-delivering whenever the stakes are high. The word 'expectation' nothing more than a form of kryptonite to all who don the monogram. Like a school student always pushing the deadline back for overdue homework and sinking further into punishment. Carlton for as long as I've known them, have lacked the backbone to block out all noise and bear the weight of the footy world's projections.
Our best hope is not so much who specifically is fit to lead the team, but rather who can simply see the elephant in the room and feel the need to address it. From there, things may not end up looking so bad. There are so many ways to tap into the group on a psychological level. That is of course with the right people involved. I sometimes like to imagine myself as the senior coach of Carlton, discussing a strategy of my own to the playing group. In my head, I seek with them the best way to approach footy. Take a premiership season in general. What is awarded at the end of every premiership season to the best team? A premiership cup and premiership flag. How exactly does a team get awarded these? By winning games. What is required to win games? The adequate amount of effort and skill. A series of basic questions and answers, all of which are neatly ordered.
Carlton in reality have been found succumbing to media's ideas and setting the bar very low for themselves. The Malthouse era saw bars raised high, with no plans to reach them presented. Just complete misguidance and apathy all around. The period under Bolton was all about green shoots and being defined by effort and pressure whilst ignoring the win-loss ratio. Towards the end, the blues were not even putting in any effort at all and kids were getting eaten alive by almost every single opponent. All of this makes me wonder whether it is that obvious. Carlton need somebody to raise the bar high and provide the appropriate plans to reach them. At the moment, a benchmark of finals sees the team constantly booking September holidays. A benchmark of just recording wins sees the team more often than not left wanting. So should they just go hard to the max? Regardless of whether or not they look to be anywhere near it, should they just be told 'flag seventeen and nothing less'? It may have the club sounding crazy, but maybe (JUST maybe) that will likely see the team putting more work in and getting the ideal results.
May this be nothing more than just a theory of mine. I am like every Carlton supporter right now. Searching for what might be holding my club back from taking the next step. Growing sick and tired of being sold promise and told to wait. My passion for footy at times has waned solely because of this. Other times see me too passionate, with a confused mind and mixed emotions. The yearly disappointment and scrutiny that comes with it. There almost seems to be no end. Nevertheless, I hang around knowing that all things both good and bad eventually come to an end. That and the gut feeling my blues are still yet to search every nook and cranny for ways to overcome such frustrating hurdles. All I request is assurance and honesty. Is the club culture and environment as good as what is said about it? And if the one obstruction is what I believe it is, will Carlton be able to see it too?
Travis "TJ" James
