Here's a little something I don't think I have mentioned anywhere in regards to my view of the Carlton Football Club, in particular a statement I made three years ago after my team won the wooden spoon. As we all know, the 2015 season was the horror show we just wanted to end quickly. The constant humiliation on the Friday night stage. The record-breaking loss to the premiers. The disengaged coach and personnel. Bugger all young talent in sight. All on the back of the worst off-season any team could ever have, with big pay packets handed to club rejects and high picks wasted on below-average mature-aged recruits. Coming off that season you'd think the changes would not so much see an immediate turnaround, but would prevent us from looking as pathetic as what was seen throughout each week. I without any hesitation whatsoever, would come out saying that 2015 was as low as we could get. We wouldn't see that again in a long time and couldn't possibly get any worse. Well sometimes I think I should've shut my big mouth because it didn't take long for me to be proven incorrect.
What did I want from Carlton going into this season? It was simple really. To avoid last place. That wasn't too much to ask for. But they couldn't even seem to deliver on that. And not only could they not avoid 18th, but they created a significant gap between themselves and the next worst team in Gold Coast (by 2 wins may I add), the one team that are supposed to be in a worse condition. Whether we like it or not, the blues are so out of phase with the rest of the competition that it has even led one or two "experts" throughout the year questioning the idea of relegation. The facts stand as they are. 2018 was Carlton's worst season in 117 years, with a measly two wins and an ugly percentage of 59. They were outclassed by teams younger and more injury-riddled than they were. They continued to get spanked on prime-time television. And it didn't take long for Melbourne to surpass them in the overall wins tally to make the blues the worst side of the 21st Century. Sure you could make a few arguments otherwise about 2018, such as the talent brought in through the doors since then and the number of injuries (yet 2015 was no different in this area). However, the numbers don't lie. Carlton were terrible and there is no defending that.
Even the women's team was appalling earlier in the year. Just another wooden spoon to go in the fast-growing collection of wooden spoons. But it wasn't any surprise to me. From the moment I heard Carlton were throwing everything they had to bring in Tayla Harris and Nicola Stevens, I knew things weren't going to end so well. The management team stinks like the Carlton of old, putting all of their eggs in one basket and expecting high profile players to carry the whole team to ultimate success. It all came back to bite them on the arse and it was much deserved. Even captain Brianna Davey at one point was believed to have wanted out of the toxic environment. Hopefully Daniel Harford and the many other additions brought in will hurry and help knock some sense into the club. It's going to become a lot tougher building a strong women's team with the smaller talent pool and six new competitors joining the AFLW competition over the next year and a half (Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Richmond, St. Kilda and West Coast).
In spite of all the woes in 2018, I still refuse to change my stance on the club's future (Carlton Football Club: Of Two Minds). Why? Because it's a fact. All clubs have their peaks and troughs. Some more severe than others. But for anyone to think there is no improvement moving forward, it would say more about how insane or delusional they are. Perhaps my team might not win a flag with these young kids. Maybe they will, who knows? But it's not like we'll be stuck in the cellar forever. A lot of the other teams will eventually experience sitting down the bottom or below us. It's a natural part of the game. The blues certainly won't look as bad in years to come. It's just a matter of whether they will achieve what they are currently aiming for. Right now, it doesn't seem like they're going to. However, one thing I am happy about is that they're focusing on the draft. Carlton were never doing that before Brendon Bolton and Stephen Silvagni stepped into Ikon Park. It tells me that some things have changed for the better.
I got to give it to the faithful. To spend their earnings on following the boys through the toughest of periods is nothing short of commendable. And for Carlton to achieve a record 56,000 members surprises me. I mean the club sucked money off people and gave bugger all in return. So this free 2019 membership for current members is a great show of respect. The only disadvantage from that is that they are possibly sacrificing millions of dollars, therefore risk putting themselves in the red. Then again, they have to somehow get out of the hole they dug themselves into. They have to earn more respect from supporters by showing signs of improvement. Also reveling in history and reminiscing of the 'good old days' isn't such a good idea. Blue-baggers of the younger generations such as myself are not only starving, but are being tormented by this stuff. If Carlton want to be a club of today, then they have to start really showing it. It's a fact that never needs to be proven. Success puts bums on seats.
I'm not going to list all of the reasons I found for this disastrous year, because I already have (Carlton Football Club: 10 Reasons For The Horror). But what I will do is conduct a brief polished review of what took place. Possibly look at what went right and what didn't. Focus on certain players. Maybe provide some numbers and see what needs to be addressed over the off-season. This does have my opinions standing out. But once again, this blog is about welcoming different opinions anyway. If you disagree with something, feel free to let me know in a constructive manner. Any offensive language won't be tolerated. Try not to be selective either. That meaning don't pick something out and use it to judge the whole piece (that sort of behaviour says more about you than it does about me). I've put a lot of effort into this piece and tried to get it done as quickly as I possibly could. It's not perfect. But I know for a fact that it's relatively more insightful than the average money-hungry journalist. Allow me to review the nightmare (or to be more accurate, night terror) that was the 2018 season of the Carlton Football Club.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
As expected, there is bugger all to choose from. However I stumbled across three. Two of them obviously being the two wins. One against the old rivals in Essendon (and didn't it feel great putting a damper on their season). It was amazing see Harry McKay kick some classy goals. Ed Curnow gave Zach Merrett a bath. Patrick Cripps continued his strong form and Lochie O'Brien showed some patches of good play in just his fifth game. The 35-point victory against the suns later in the year was impressive. I just loved how there were more than 10 individual goal-scorers and everyone got around each other after a goal was kicked. A nice display of unity. And I could go on to say the season opener against Richmond was a fantastic viewing. Liked how we took it up to the reigning premiers as Charlie Curnow went on to show the nation how high his ceiling could be. Disappointing how we could not replicate that performance the following week, given the deplorable skills. It's a good thing we faced Richmond in round one, because if it were any other week we probably would've been belted by more than 150 points.
SEASON LOWLIGHTS
Gee, where do I begin? There are too many to count. First came the footy inept bunch against Gold Coast at home in round 2. Then there was the pathetic showing against North Melbourne in round 4 that saw us hold the new lowest score at Blundstone Arena. There was the 109 point hiding from Melbourne, which if I recall was their biggest winning margin against us. Not long after we were obliterated by a younger Fremantle team at home, which included the goalless half, the 70-point deficit and a rightful booing from fans at half-time. We travel up to Queensland and faced the then 17th place Brisbane with two Ruckmen (one going down within the first 5 minutes of the game), a helpless Charlie Curnow and an on-watching Harry McKay in the crowd. Immediately following that was the Friday night humiliation provided by St. Kilda, a team that's supposed to be worse-off. Who could forget the infamous GWS game? The one that saw us destroyed by a side 7 goals to 1 in the last quarter with no bench and occasionally 16 on the field. Last but not least, the round 23 match against Adelaide where the commentators questioned our unclear game plan and lack of direction. 8 forgettable matches within as sea of losses. Just about a waste of everybody's time.
WHO HAS IMPRESSED?
Paddy Dow
He might have finished on -52 in my scoring system, but that hasn't in anyway made me think any less of him. After all the heavy number of injuries and lack of midfield support has seen this first-year draftee with a more than necessary workload. Despite the weight carried on his shoulders, he fought hard and impressed onlookers everywhere. Paddy Dow started off a little slow, but really began to pick up and show some brilliant dash and evasiveness out of congestion in the second half of the year. There were moments of play when I was genuinely excited with his delivery. That running goal against the Suns was mouth-watering. The ability to rarely get pinned ensures me this boy will definitely be in the picture of Carlton's hopeful glory. And he is the seventh rising star nominee from our club in the past three seasons. To anyone who thought we made a mistake with this kid, think again. Dow is going to be something special for us. I just know it.
Zac Fisher
Zac Fisher was the surprise packet for me. Probably one of the only positives I could find this year in regards to improvement. Never did I expect him to up his game the way he did. Although he is small, he is super quick and crafty with his left foot. He looks to share a heart that can be as big as Kade Simpson's, and he isn't afraid to get his jumper a little dirty. He can kick many goals on the run and appears to be one of the few that knows what he's doing when the ball is in his hands. Wouldn't surprise me if he eventually became a leader. He does seem to be liked a lot by non-Carlton supporters around Australia. They say the blues can't develop their own talent, but Fisher is fast proving to everybody that it's the opposite. His season was cut short (five weeks early) with a broken leg from a trip. But I still think he has done well enough to cement a spot in the top ten of the best and fairest. Big names like Alex Jesaulenko and Brendan Fevola have made 25 a special number. If Zac Fisher continues to play the way he did this year moving forward, then he most certainly will make the number even more special than what it already is. You just can't hate the Prince of York.
Matthew Lobbe
All it took was pick 95 to get this guy in. People laughed at us and asked us why we did it. Well given the way things panned out this year, the answer should well and truly be staring them in the face. Matthew Kreuzer was struggling to stay on the park with groin and heart problems. Andrew Phillips went down as soon as he came back in and Levi Casboult was completely out of form. Matthew Lobbe was the last resort and many were hesitant to bring him in, especially given the fact he wasn't dominating in the twos. But we all should be eating our words after his six games. I don't think I have ever been prouder with a recruit for a while. Lobbe is the only player in my scoring system to have not received any negative score after an AFL match. Age and injury might have him never reach his peak again, but he has most certainly proven that he is far from a third-string ruckman. Plus he has a wise head on his shoulders. A good teacher for the younger rucks and key position players. 29 or not, I would be holding onto to this one for as long as I possibly could, and I'd let him decide on when to finish his football career. Port Adelaide could have certainly done with him when Ryder went down, so that's a win for us.
Harry McKay
A lot of people were asking the question. A lot of people were demanding for answers. A lot of people were eager to see what this third-year player was capable of bringing into the main side. I was unashamedly one of those people. What was the story with Harry McKay? Why wasn't he getting games from the very first round? That question only started to become more relevant when he shined on the big stages from time to time. Some say it was an attitude problem, and it might've been that. He does come across as a bit of a smarty-pants. Nonetheless, what McKay does is sometimes unbelievable. For a 200-centimetre kid that can play both forward and ruck, he sure has a neat pair of hands and a quick pair of feet. He looks so agile and at times this year he played like a small forward. The ball-gathering and goals on the run were superb and not what you're to expect from a player of his calibre. McKay is one of the very few players I genuinely look forward to watching on the weekends. He can take pack marks and kick set shots from tight angles. He has it all. After this year, there is absolutely no reason for him to not be playing regular footy for Carlton (unless of course he is injured). Might be the only player in his draft year to not get a rising star next to his name (speaking about our drafted players of course), but he could just about be the most exciting of the lot.
Dale Thomas
There is no denying that this guy did not deserve what he was getting when he walked through the club doors. He was injury prone and taking away valuable opportunities for younger players. I remember the earlier years at Carlton under Mick Malthouse when Dale Thomas couldn't ever kick the ball. It was like he lost his depth perception and the ball would barely scrape his shoe. He embarrassed the club and was made into a joke throughout the entire AFL community. He even made the blues hard for me to watch. But I've got to admit that in recent years, his work rate has been quite sufficient. And last year, he removed the clause of his contract and decided to instead earn more years of footy through hard work. Got a heap of respect for him because of that. He'll never be the star player he was at Collingwood, but he is the experience we desperately need to maintain. After his performances in 2018, Thomas has earned another year at the club and he shall continue to lend a helping hand to the next generation of navy blue stars.
WHO HAS DISAPPOINTED?
Levi Casboult
As soon as I saw the work rate from Harry McKay coming in for his second string of matches, I led myself to believe that Casboult would be nearing the exit. Upsetting really, considering he has one of the best sets of hands in the competition. For too long he has struggled to kick accurately, and just when he rectifies that his level of influence on the game is well below par. He no longer has that drive the team needs from him. I guess the fractured rib could have had some prolonged effect on his game when he returned. Then again, he was now and then performing badly prior to that incident. The younger group look to have surpassed him in terms of delivering the requirements. I won't however take anything away from his time at the club. He might have a tainted reputation for poor set-shot kicking, but he's been a serviceable player for nine years. And many times I heard of how frustrated he was with his own game. So he's truly deserving of having his name on the number 41 locker. However there lies some harsh realities now, and they tell me that Levi is approaching the end of his Carlton career. He does have another year on his current contract, but if I were managing the list I would still put him on the table and take whatever offer I could get.
Nick Graham
Six years, 48 games and still struggling to carry his VFL work-rate to AFL at 24 years of age. Sorry Nick Graham, but it's time to pack your bags because you've had long enough. It's a shame because I really liked this guy. I'm not afraid to admit that I was a fan of him in the earlier years, and was calling for him to have a decent run with the big boys. But unfortunately, the sub rule made him a common victim. The Malthouse era saw Graham in the green vest just about every single time he was promoted. Most of those times was coming on within the final ten minutes of the match, having little opportunity to make a statement of any sort to the coach. Before you know it, he was dropped for the very next game. You gotta feel bad for the man. This might've mentally got the better of him (or maybe it didn't). Regardless, recent form tells me he just can't take his game to the next level. There's no point keeping someone that can't cover for anybody. His time at Carlton is over and I expect an announcement in any day. Wherever he goes, I wish him the best.
Sam Kerridge
Where did the Sam Kerridge from 2016 go? Throughout all of this year (excluding the few weeks on the sidelines with a groin problem), he looked completely out of it. Kerridge has that big-sized body, but he just can't seem to think effectively enough with ball in hand. Most times it's just the blind thump out of congestion to enemy territory. This guy has fast become one of the more frustrating players to watch. So much so that during the last game, I stormed out of the room in anger after witnessing him kick the ball straight down the throat of an Adelaide player (no Carlton player within 30 metres). I was then ranting on to my family about how abysmal and directionless the team looked. Carlton's skill level is way below AFL standard, and unfortunately for Kerridge he is one of the big reasons why. He has had his great moments at the blues and was a nice replacement for Ed Curnow when he went down last year. But if the club really wants to make progress, then they have to make tough calls. Based on what fans have seen this season, Kerridge is (and should be) well and truly out the door.
Cameron O'Shea
A fine example of a mature-aged recruit gone wrong. Carlton picked Cameron O'Shea via the Pre-Season Draft, fearing that another club would poach him as a rookie before their pick 20. It seems that desperate act could have them laughed at, especially given the way things have turned out with him this year. Without a doubt, it was a nice show of respect from the club to reward him with a second chance at first league footy after his exceptional season with the Northern Blues in 2017. However it doesn't look as if he has taken advantage of the opportunity. What I think is quite embarrassing for O'Shea is that he a defender. Defenders are known to use the ball relatively better than the rest of the team given the amount of time and space they receive. In his 11 appearances, he has averaged 11.73 disposals and 4.55 clangers (around 1.50 more than the next biggest offender down back in Jacob Weitering). Ouch! Don't think I have ever seen a player in his role butcher the ball or make silly mistakes as much as he has.
Cameron Polson
There are some really promising young players on our list. Many haves consistently shown glimpses of their power and have proven how they can take the club upward. But for some reason, one of the sixteen drafted kids over the past three drafts hasn't been exciting me as much. That being the other Cameron. The second-year player taken at pick 59 in the 2016 national draft. Cameron Polson right now, looks to be a one-trick pony. He's somebody who is only applying pressure. A good sign of effort, but it doesn't so much cover for anything else. His abilities with ball in hand are currently limited and rarely in his twelve games this year did I see him gather a clean possession. I sure don't want him to fail, as I desperately hope the blues can prove to the rest of the league that they can develop their own crop. That performance of his in the very last match of the season against Adelaide needs to be his benchmark. Otherwise he could be one of the first kids shown the door. As of right now, a full-strength list to choose from wouldn't have him anywhere near the best 22, (probably not even as an emergency). I'm sure he knows he has to work on his game and focus on answering for his deficiencies. May he continue to develop and prove that his extension was worth it. Oh, and may somebody please give him a rule book to study on over the break? He is the last player I want to see infringe the 10-metre space next year.
FINAL SEASON SCORES
1. Patrick Cripps - 288
2. Ed Curnow - 195
3. Kade Simpson - 175
4. Dale Thomas - 121.5
5. Marc Murphy - 104.5
6. Sam Kerridge - 64.5
7. Sam Petrevski-Seton - 54
8. Matthew Lobbe - 51
9. Charlie Curnow - 50.5
10. Matthew Kreuzer - 48.5
11. Zac Fisher - 29
12. Matthew Kennedy - 18.5
13. Nick Graham - 4
14. Darcy Lang - 3.5
15. Ciaran Byrne - 1
16. Aaron Mullett - 0
17. Matthew Wright - -4.5
18. Matthew Shaw - -5
19. Tom De Koning - -10
20. Andrew Phillips - -10.5
21. Harry McKay - -13
22. Patrick Kerr - -20.5
23. Jed Lamb & Caleb Marchbank - -22.5
24. David Cuningham - -26
25. Jarrod Garlett - -30
26. Jacob Weitering - -30.5
27. Cameron O'Shea - -34.5
28. Levi Casboult - -38
29. Liam Jones - -45.5
30. Lochie O'Brien - -46
31. Jarrod Pickett - -48
32. Paddy Dow - -52
33. Lachie Plowman - -55.5
34. Jack Silvagni - -56
35. Cameron Polson - -84
36. Sam Rowe - -116
This scoring system is heavily based on stats and influence around the field, so it may see some players such as Sam Rowe look worse than normal. It is not a perfect system and it doesn't exactly reflect on who will poll well for the best and fairest either, since Paddy Dow, Harry McKay and Lochie O'Brien have more often than not met their expectations. However these results do tell me that Patrick Cripps is certainly the clear winner and that he, Ed Curnow and Kade Simpson are likely to round up the top three. There are a few things I picked up from my score chart:
1. Patrick Cripps was best on ground for Carlton a whopping 10 times. Both Ed Curnow and Kade Simpson were best on ground 4 times. Sam Kerridge, Matthew Lobbe, Marc Murphy and Dale Thomas each had 1.
2. Jarrod Pickett and Sam Rowe were the two only players to never gain points in an AFL match this year.
3. As stated earlier, Matthew Lobbe is the only player to not have lost any points.
4. Cameron Polson was the worst on ground 5 times, the most of any player. 1 of those times he tied with Sam Rowe.
5. Marc Murphy received the most tens (5 times). Dale Thomas the most nines (4 times), Charlie Curnow the most eights (6 times), Patrick Cripps the most sevens (4 times) and Ed Curnow the most sixes (6 times).
THE HARD TO READ FACTS
Turn away if you wish. Some of these are a little hard to swallow:
1. As mentioned earlier, this is Carlton's worst season in 117 years. Since 1901, the year when federation began.
2. Carlton are the first club to collect both wooden spoons for the men's and women's teams in the same year.
3. Carlton has won more wooden spoons than any other team since 2000, holding a clear advantage at 5, the next teams have 2 (Melbourne, Richmond, St. Kilda and GWS).
4. Despite the highly-admirable warrior Kade Simpson has come to be, this is something he'd wish to forget. He is the only player in the competition at the moment to have 4 wooden spoons next to his name. Marc Murphy immediately follows him with 3.
5. Richmond's AFL team have won more games than our AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW teams combined in 2018 (18 to 16).
6. We currently hold the lowest score ever kicked in Tasmania with 4-6-30.
7. The two highest scores of the season were against us. Melbourne in round 9 (159) and Adelaide in round 23 (165).
8. This is the first season in Carlton's history that hasn't seen them record a win at their home ground; Etihad stadium.
9. Our streak of games without triple figures extends to 55 games and counting.
10. Excluding the two new teams Gold Coast and GWS, Carlton have finished the season on a percentage of 59.3%, the lowest percentage since Fitzroy in 1996 (49.5%). Fitzroy after that season ceased to exist, having merged with the Brisbane Bears to become the Brisbane Lions.
11. Excluding the two new teams Gold Coast and GWS, Carlton is one of two teams to have never played in a grand final since 2000. North Melbourne is the other, which won the flag against the blues in 1999.
12. Carlton currently sit third in years since their last premiership (23 years). Their last flag was in 1995, the year before I was born. I am 22 now. Go figure!
13. Patrick Cripps the star he is, will run away with this year's John Nicholls medal in a landslide and will have 2 of these next to his name. Shame to think they both come in the same years as his team wins the spoon. Hopefully people will see through this. And I'm sure he'll notch another one up easily when the side performs much better.
14. The last Friday night match Carlton won was against North Melbourne by 23 points on July 18, 2014. Since then they have gone to lose 13 consecutive Friday night matches (this includes the record-breaking 138 loss to Hawthorn in 2015) by an average of 60.54 points. That's more than 10 goals a game. Talk about embarrassing. Adding to that, we might not see another Friday night match for a few years.
15. 19 wins in the past four years. That's not even a season's worth of games. Ouch!
16. Including all the finals series except 2018. Carlton are the worst performing side since 2000 with just 158 wins, as Melbourne passed them this year and now have 165. The best team in Geelong has around 292. That's 134 more wins.
WHAT DO WE NEED?
More Midfield Support
Carlton needs to continue to rotate their midfield crop until the right combination is found. As big, talented and intimidating as Patrick Cripps is, he is getting kicked around like a hacky sack and is looking worse for wear as the season progresses. Marc Murphy and Ed Curnow are not going to hang around forever and the kids have got another year or two of development before they really begin to hit their straps. Preferably an experienced ball-winner, but given the club's low level of attractiveness people would be happy to take anything that can provide more support than that from the likes of Graham and Kerridge. We are said to be in the race for giant Dylan Shiel (although Essendon and Hawthorn are looking as more likely suitors). And it is believed that the blues are somewhat interested in potential number one prospect Sam Walsh. I see it this way. If Carlton don't at least get one of either these two or Bailey Smith during the off-season, then I am going to have some significant doubts about the direction my club is taking.
A Change In The Coaching Personnel
There has been some changes at both board and management level, with Cain Liddle having walked in as CEO at the start of the season and Brad Lloyd immediately taking over from Andrew McKay as Head of the Football Department. But there still looks to be some changes that have to be made a little lower down the ranks. There are some coaches that aren't necessarily making strides and winning the hearts of blues fans. Josh Fraser doesn't exactly excite me a lot as the VFL coach, and I'm sure quite a few people think the same way. And as much as I respect John Barker for what he did to help make 2015 look better compared to Malthouse, I believe there comes a time when a man's services are no longer required. Carlton should at least try to lure Sam Mitchell to Ikon Park. Or perhaps they can convince Brett Ratten to return if a coaching role isn't found. Whatever it is, they just need to work on this. It already looks to have begun, with midfield coach Tim Clarke leaving to make way for someone new. That's a good start.
A New Game Plan
There is one thing that does worry me regarding Bolton's vision (and feel free to correct me if I've mistaken anything). I faintly recall a press conference sometime this year where he downplayed the importance of scoring. He might've stated that there was more to the game, which I see as being something that can be debated amongst footy fans. But nevertheless, this is the same guy that's telling both us and his players the team is out on the field to try and win. And it's the same guy with a negative and obscured game plan that tells players to take it slow and solely play 'keepings off' with the opposition every week. The seventeen other teams are all about speed, pressure, getting the ball forward and trying to widen the gap. All Carlton is doing is increasing numbers in the backline and chip-kicking the ball around like it's a light training session. I mean the aim is to outscore the opposition and notch up the four points. To hear something like this while I experience two and a half seasons of no triple figures is concerning.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored with the way my team played. Who wants to see 50 to 70-point scores and 10-point margins over 120 minutes of game time? Who wants to see endless chip-kicking between defenders when the game is far from finished? Honestly, it's a snooze-fest and it does nearly everything injustice. The league hates it. The supporters hate it. The journos hate it. I bet even the players themselves hate it. You're wanting players running forward with ball in hand. You want them showcasing silkiness and taking regular shots out of the pack. I can imagine the likes of Zac Fisher, Paddy Dow and even Jarrod Pickett doing this more often than they do now. Sure the kids already are exciting to watch with their small glimmers and sparkles of talent, but one can only think about how much more of this they'd be seeing if the whole team took the game on from the very beginning. Right now for me, it's hard to watch Carlton when they play a style that drains life out of the game, because I know I can see so much more from this group of players. Bolton and his assistants just don't seem to want to explore it.
Has such a style ever seen ultimate success? Look at Ross Lyon. He may have had great winning percentages from this hideous-looking brand, but twelve years have passed and he has not tasted a single premiership. Three grand finals at St. Kilda and one at Fremantle. Not a single win in any of the four. The strength of offensive play is too much for him to handle. And in recent times, the dockers under his care are seen to have no further answers to the regular fast-flowing avalanches from their opponents. The landscape has changed drastically over the course of five years and the game is not as friendly with Lyon's methods as it used to be. So if Carlton continue to follow suit and stick with these unsettling ways, then nobody is to expect them going far. The rest of the competition will easily account for them through agility, good vision and sharp ball use. 100-point thrashings will be a common visitor for the blues.
My advice would be just as meaningful as the next door neighbour's, but it ten cents worth no matter who says it. I say scrap it. Completely bin the defensive game style, because it will no longer work. As mentioned in the last Carlton piece, this low-scoring brand spits on footy fundamentals. It encourages slow-thinking and creates a team imbalance. Full-backs and defensive wingers are basically the flippers of a pinball machine, kicking ugly on the last line of defence all the time while the forwards become a stranger to the ball. What I'm beginning to fear the most, is the team's inability to improve on this area. I worry if they'll ever improve on their skill and quick decision-making. I'm scared that this slow style of play will cement too hard and the kids will not be able to increase their agility and hit more targets under pressure. If we stick to defensive play for too long, it might see a crop of talent go to waste. So I say it's time to start from scratch and teach them what wins them the game. And no gradual changes, because we have very well learnt that such a strategy was proven ineffective this year.
From the very first day of preseason, have their eye on attack. Have the men adjust to quick thinking along with regular drills and skill sessions. Have them kick the ball around to each other and when one makes a mistake, send them to the bench and starve them. Make them desperate to rectify their techniques. Sometimes keep them out on the park until they get things right. Don't reward them for anything and don't make them chase for any reward. Make them play like they are avoiding punishment. If I were the coach, I'd taunt them. I'd be having them read the comments on social media. I'd have them reading their criticism. That way, they will fight to prove people wrong. They need to learn that footy is a challenging sport that requires more than muscle. They need to learn that they are playing for more than themselves. Footy training shouldn't be a preschool. It needs to be more like a boot camp. My methods may seem controversial, but I'm at least considering everybody here. The club, the league and the members and supporters. Making it all seem like sunshine, rainbows and the cliché 'we've got things to work on' isn't going to cut it.
Of course not all of this is going to take place. But just at least focus on high-speed football and the basic skills. Yes, it's true that all teams turn the ball over and make many mistakes. This will always happen and there is no eliminating this. But Carlton's mistakes are arguably more visible than any other team. I see them making mistakes no other team would and I see them always making them more often than their opponents. Something needs to be done about this. Also teach them to communicate on the field properly. The experience bunch need to speak louder and direct others. Until that is addressed, none of this zone defence crap should be seen. Our players are too indecisive and teammates are contesting with each other for the ball. You think you're watching the Benny Hill show, when they run into each other bumping heads while the ball spills loose to an unmanned opponent and they run into the open goal. When the leaking of goals stops, then they can try different strategies. As of now, communication and the simple skills have to be fixed.
A New Captain (Or Two)
I highly respect Marc Murphy for leading us through the dark times. But given his performances now, it seems he has more of his own game he needs to focus working on. Time for him to relinquish the captaincy and hand it over to a leader of the new generation. But who exactly? Interestingly, I'd encourage the idea of pulling off a GWS and Melbourne and making new history at the club (this time it's good history). Co-Captains. It's hard to decide between Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty at the moment. Cripps had an outstanding season but basing the decision on that makes it seem a little unfair as Docherty never asked to rupture his ACL. Besides Docherty looked to have been doing a fine job coaching on the sidelines and he generally is a strong communicator. Not to mention he bleeds navy blue and has supported Carlton ever since he was a kid. So why not both? I couldn't imagine a better duo than these two. What disadvantages can one possibly find from this?
Apply For A Priority Pick
It's humiliating, and we probably don't deserve one. But our team has demonstrated how far from AFL standard they are right now. If any assistance is offered, there should be no reason to not swallow our pride and chase for it. Apply for a priority pick. Whether it's a top-end one or one in the middle, we need all the help we can get. The supporters are getting restless and are sick and tired of hearing that they'll eventually get there when almost every year is being crossed out before it even starts. Teams in our position are forced to throw more money than contenders for free agents and most of the time will lose them to more successful sides. The punishment is there for poor management, but when there is little to no way out of it, then what's the point of a competition? I want to at least see my team competing with the rest as soon as possible, and I am sure many other people want that as well. So if special assistance exists, then I don't see why we can't at least try to put something forward to the AFL.
WHERE WILL WE FINISH NEXT YEAR?
I'm not going to sit around and say things can't get worse, because I should expect Carlton to disappoint. They're always the team to do so for me. I wouldn't be surprised if they became the first club to go through an AFL season without a single win. I wouldn't be surprised if the team sends themselves to a permanent Sunday time slot. And I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a few players become fed up and decide to leave. Any of these can happen. But reality says there is no worse position now than 18th. And a season with more than 2 wins shouldn't by any means be difficult to achieve. With Docherty back, a smaller injury list, improving kids and hopefully a couple of star players stepping through the doors during the off-season, things might not look so bleak. There's no point expecting anything more than the team finishing between 15th and 17th. Carlton should just about be at the stage where they've been potty trained.
Travis "TJ" James
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