Carlton aims to make footy fun again for Eddie Betts
The smile is back on the face of Eddie Betts since his return to the club were his career began, and Carlton coach David Teague intends to keep it that way.
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David Teague wants reborn Carlton forward Eddie Betts to find the fun in his footy again and is confident in doing so he can also recapture some of the form that made him one of the AFL’s most watchable players.
Teague was instrumental in coaxing the 33-year-old from Adelaide to Ikon Park at the end of last season and has noticed the beaming smile return to Betts’ face since returning to the club where his AFL career started.
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Betts is coming off a difficult final season with the Crows where his enjoyment levels waned as his role within the team changed.
But Teague is confident that is about to change and that the Blues can be the beneficiaries - on and off the field.
When asked if Betts can put his stamp on the AFL competition again, Teague said: “You would have to ask him, I don’t know if that is his motivation.”
“I don’t think he has had the fun and joy in his footy (in recent years), so for me as a coach I want to see him having fun and joy.
“I think if he can get that, he is still going to be a very good footballer.
“Will he be the Eddie of 2015 and 2016, who knows? But if he gets half of that, that is still a very good player. He seems to be enjoying his training, so for me that is the first step.”
Betts played 184 games and kicked 290 goals for the Blues from 2005 to 2013, before taking his game to a new level at Adelaide across six seasons, three of which came with All-Australian selection (2015-17).
Teague said the leadership Betts had already displayed in his return to the club had already added so much to the group.
“The main reason we got him is to play football and we see him as a leader not only to our small forwards and our indigenous (players) but to everyone,” he said.
“He has got some great qualities, he brings a different dynamic to the group in terms of his life story and his past.
“He’s challenging our defenders to get better, our small forwards are learning off him and he has an energy and an infection that our supporters are going to love.”
“He is a beautiful person and I hope some of our younger guys learn you can make it to be the best and still be a really good person.”
Originally published as Carlton aims to make footy fun again for Eddie Betts