‘I just want to stop talking about it and do it’: Meet the real Charlie Curnow
His laid-back persona makes him one of the most elusive players in the AFL. Here, Charlie Curnow reveals the pre-match dinners that are fuelling Carlton’s premiership push.
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EXCLUSIVE: Over bowls of pasta at a Fitzroy restaurant, you’ll find the nucleus of what Carlton hopes is its next premiership team.
Leading the charge is Charlie Curnow, the towering 194cm forward and dual Coleman Medallist. “There’s about 10 or 12 or us, we go down [to the restaurant] … the day before a game,” Curnow says.
“That’s always a bit of a buzz for the week. The lead-in to the game is almost the best time, too.
“I keep it pretty simple. I kind of go with the flow.”
At the table, are players including Curnow’s co-vice captain Sam Walsh and midfielder Adam Cerra – part of a group who have signed long-term deals with the club, and are all chasing the same dream.
“It’d be like a huge break-up if someone left,” the 28-year-old says, of the core group. “There’s nothing been said, but … everyone has shown their loyalty.
“I can’t see anyone leaving. It’s like your school mates, we’ve been together for so long – it just feels right. We’ve got to win a Premiership.”
This comes from a player who is acutely aware that Carlton has been waiting decades for its next flag.
“You come through the club … and see all the premiership cups. Our last premiership was 1995, and the players that played in that team are held in such high regard,” Curnow says.
“It is amazing to think of our names up there with them – (Anthony) Koutoufides, SOS (Steven Silvagni).
“The list now is a really, really good list. It’s hard to not think what it would be like. Every year we say, ‘this year!’ F**k, I just want to stop talking about it and do it.”
‘ALWAYS A BIT OF BANTER’
The way Curnow plays his footy – with a high-flying electricity that brings Carlton fans to life – is in stark contrast to his laid-back off-field persona.
Curnow’s softly-spoken nature comes, in part, from his upbringing on a farm just outside of Torquay, where he grew up idolising Tom Hawkins and Buddy Franklin.
“We always played footy in the backyard,” Curnow says, of himself and his older brothers George and Ed Curnow – who played 221 games for Carlton – and sisters Charlotte and Eliza.
“I guess when we were younger – and I was talking to mum about this last night – we spent a lot of hours outside.
“We used to play rollerblade hockey in the shed,” Curnow says of his upbringing, as the youngest of five children. “We had horses, we had our go at Pony Club, we did a lot of surfing – we still do a lot of surfing.”
After the throws of battle under the bright lights of the MCG, you’ll find Curnow with his board in tow, driving to Jan Juc – where he has a holiday home near his parents, Cassie and David – to surf.
“I go down there and that’s like a release for me,” Curnow says, of his tight-knit family – which includes seven nieces and nephews – who he credits for “riding the highs and lows more than anyone”.
Also riding the highs and lows is Curnow’s close friend, teammate and former housemate Walsh, who describes Curnow as “very infectious”. “He’s probably one of the most competitive guys (at the club) … and he’s able to have a bit of fun,” Walsh says.
“There’s always a bit of banter that goes on. He’s always busy with something.”
Curnow is already setting himself up for life after footy, opening About Time Bathhouse – a wellness retreat – with Ed late last year. He also has a stake in the clothing brand Listen, and in Barry’s Drink – an alcohol brand he co-owns with fellow AFL players including Bailey Smith and the Daicos brothers.
When Stellar sat down with Curnow, he was wearing a backwards cap with his curly hair poking out underneath – a far cry from the fashion forward looks he sported on set.
Of course, the curls make him a distinctive figure on the field. “I have shaved (my hair) a couple of times, it can get annoying at this length,” he laughs.
The brief on Stellar’s set? “Control the fizz,” Curnow adds.
He’s had an interrupted pre-season with injury but Curnow won’t let it dampen his impact this season – and he is “on track” to return during the early rounds.
“I’ll still be able to get plenty of work in to be ready,” Curnow says. “I’m feeling really good – and can’t wait to get out there.”
After another devastating finals exit for Carlton last year, Curnow – who was out, at the time, with an ankle injury – is sick of the pain of missing out.
“There is that unsettling feeling – of unfulfillment, each year that you finish (short),” he says.
“And each team would have it, apart from one team (who wins). Football moves so quickly. You never really have a chance to look back and think, ‘what’s going on?’”
Curnow is well aware that all eyes will be on him – and Carlton – as the 2025 season starts.
“You’re less aware of it (criticism) the older you get,” Curnow says.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about among the boys at the moment. Being in the Carlton Football Club, (scrutiny) kind of comes with it.
“You do get used to it. I’ve learnt that there’s always something that will be thrown our way, because we are a bigger club, the noise is louder.”
For more from Stellar, click here.
Originally published as ‘I just want to stop talking about it and do it’: Meet the real Charlie Curnow
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