Carlton review latest: David Teague’s coaching philosophy under fire
Former list boss Stephen Silvagni worked to save a salary cap war chest to spend on star signings, but what do the Blues have to show for it?
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Carlton’s football department review has laid bare the team’s defensive failings amid concerns the Blues did not prioritise team defence during its pre-season preparations.
The Blues are the fourth-worst team in the competition at stopping opposition ball movement despite having one of the league’s best key defenders in Jacob Weitering.
News Corp understands the Blues’ football department review has zeroed in on the defensive aspects of the coaching program under David Teague and received underwhelming feedback.
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Teague, 40, is not expected to keep his job beyond this season after leading the Blues to a 21-27 record over two Covid-impacted years.
A board meeting scheduled for Thursday could seal his fate, even though he has a year left to run on his contract.
The Blues made some defensive adjustments over the bye, but the review panel has been told in interviews the lack of focus on defensive structure and full-ground team defence over the pre-season left it vulnerable in the back end heading into the season.
Instead, the focus on high scoring and slick ball movement was designed to become the team’s main weapon in 2021 under Teague, after eight years out of the finals.
Line breaking defender Adam Saad was lured from Essendon to Carlton on the promise he could play a big part in helping ignite the team’s scoring power from half back alongside fellow recruit Zac Williams.
Teague was pressed on the team’s poor defensive record in May, but told reporters the Blues’ goal kicking power could make up for any leaks.
The Blues conceded more than 100 points to the opposition five times in the first eight rounds, ramping up the pressure on the Blues from the outset.
“If we concede a big score, we just have to make sure we kick a bigger score. It’s scores for versus scores against,” Teague said.
But that imbalance has emerged as a key line of the inquiry throughout the football department review involving highly respected former Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh, Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich and ex-Western Bulldogs’ administrator Graham Lowe.
The Blues are ranked 15th for points against and stopping the opposition’s chains from defensive 50m to forward 50m. They are ranked eight for points for, and have not beaten a top-eight team this season.
The review has also delved deep into a disconnect between senior players and Teague, as News Corp revealed on Wednesday.
Co-captain Patrick Cripps required significant pre-game medical treatment and pain relief for a stress-related back problem early in the season.
There were eyebrows raised when Teague initially played down the onballer’s injury problems, fuelling suggestions Cripps was simply out of form, before the senior coach corrected himself.
Along with the defensive vulnerabilities, Carlton’s success at the contest has also dropped off considerably, despite the stunning rise of jet midfielder and Brownlow Medal fancy Sam Walsh.
The Blues have gone from being ranked third for clearance differential in the back half of 2019, to fifth last year, to 16th so far this season, according to Champion Data.
The Blues spent more than $2 million on recruits Williams, Saad and Fogarty in last year’s trade period but have slumped from fifth in contested possession differential to 13th this year.
Former list chief Stephen Silvagni worked to save up as much as $2 million in the salary cap to spend on star signings before he was moved on.
But a large percentage of that money is gone, with question marks hanging over the futures of No. 6 draft pick Sam Petrevski-Seton and pick No. 10 Lachie O’Brien.
Weitering said the players have ridden a tough rollercoaster of emotion this year after starting the season with bright finals ambitions.
“You can be on a real high one week and then on the flip side, you can be at the real lowest of lows,” Weitering said on SEN.
“We played St Kilda (and) we have a really good performance against a team looking to play finals and then we come up against Gold Coast and we don’t get the job done.
“It has been really disappointing. But again we will fight it out.”
Some Blues will head into isolation in a city hotel after training on Thursday in the lead-up the clash against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, as part of strict COVID-19 regulations to maintain safe distance from the general public.
It will mean a wait in the indoor cricket facility before warming up at Adelaide Oval for Marc Murphy’s 300th game.
“It will be about our mental prep and how we deal with that adversity, but again it is in order to play a game that we love and that is the mindset we have got to take in,” Weitering said.
Originally published as Carlton review latest: David Teague’s coaching philosophy under fire
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