AFL great Wayne Carey’s advice for Charlie Curnow

One of the game’s greatest key forwards Wayne Carey has put it on Charlie Curnow to make more contests after a quiet match against Collingwood.

Charlie Curnow didn’t have his best night against the Pies. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

AFL great Wayne Carey says Charlie Curnow has to “get to more contests” after the Carlton spearhead’s form was questioned after a goalless weekend.

Curnow has kicked 13 goals in his past six matches – and 0.2 against Collingwood on Saturday night – which prompted a troupe of Fox Footy commentators, including Jonathan Brown and Jack Riewoldt, to accuse Curnow of wanting “easy spots” and “perfect kicks”.

Last year’s disappointing three-goal finals series was also part of the post-game discussion which, in light of Carlton’s defeat, zeroed-in on the performance of the dual Coleman medallist.

Popular opinion is the slumping Blues cannot win the premiership unless Curnow can have a greater impact.

Curnow’s form has dropped off in the last month. Picture: Getty Images

Carey said he’d like to see more of Curnow out of the goalsquare and roaming around the forward 50m, much how Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron, Giant Jesse Hogan and Bulldog Jamarra Ugle-Hagan play.

Regarded by some as the game’s greatest player, Carey praised Curnow for his ability to kick a quick bunch of goals, but lamented his inconsistency in matches.

“Charlie this year, for me, still has the matchwinning ability because we’ve seen it and that’s something I rate really highly, but it’s his consistency over four quarters,’’ Carey said.

“I can’t remember a whole game where he’s had a four-quarter effort.

“What I do admire about him is he can be real quiet and then kick three goals in five minutes and that takes a strength, which not a lot of players have in their weaponry.

“In saying that, he does need to get more consistent.

“Carlton wants him to kick four goals and have 20 possessions ala Cameron Rayner at the moment. They’re different players, but I think Charlie has the ability to do that.

“I don’t know what his highest-possession game this year is, but in my opinion, if you kick four or five goals and you’ve only had nine or 10 possessions, that’s not a great game when you have that athleticism.

“A great game for a key forward is to kick four or five goals and have 20 possessions.’’

Carey believes Curnow doesn’t use his natural athleticism near enough.

“You’ve got to have more ways to skin a cat,’’ he said. “He’s a really good mark, we know he’s a great athlete, but he’s got to get to more contests. That’s just not marking contests, that’s getting front and square, getting handball receives.

“Jeremy Cameron gets up the ground – he’s become more of a midfielder and drifts forward, which makes him hard to match up on.

“Charlie could pay that role quite comfortably. But it’s all about work rate. Maybe for the athleticism he has, maybe his work rate is not there.

Curnow came off sore in the last term in the loss to the Magpies. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“I don’t have the kilometre clock on him, but for me it’s about getting to more contests full stop. It’s going to stoppages, it’s taking the key back to places they don’t want to go.

“Charlie has got ground ball game, he’s got good second-effort game, if he doesn’t mark it he recovers really quickly, he keeps his feet. So, he’s got all the attribute but I’m not sure it’s all coming together for him, certainly not over a four-quarter effort.’’

Carey acknowledged that Curnow didn’t launch at the ball like, say, Bulldog Aaron Naughton or Hogan.

“I think the way Hogan works up the ground, works back, clearly his marking, he just gets to a lot of contests, and he really throws himself at the footy, which I guess Curnow doesn’t do, like a Naughton or Hogan.’’

Despite kicking 3.7 against the Bulldogs and 4.2 against North Melbourne in recent weeks, Curnow’s season profile highlights his inability to retain the ball when targeted by teammates.

He is the second-most targeted player in the league behind Gold Coast’s solo key forward Ben King. Third is another solo key forward, North Melbourne’s Nick Larkey.

His retention rate is 38 per cent, which has him ranked 38th of the league’s top 50 targets. The top three players are Sydney’s Tom Papley (63 per cent), Jamie Elliott (59 per cent) and Jye Amiss (57 per cent).

Curnow’s goal percentage from being targeted is 15 per cent, which has him ranked 36th in the league’s top 50 targets. The best three players are Josh Treacy (32 per cent), Jeremy Cameron (32 per cent) and Jake Waterman (29 per cent).

Brown’s criticism of Curnow on Saturday night centred on Curnow’s positioning.

“He was looking for easy spots and you don’t get easy spots,’’ Brown said. “He’s got to make it easier for his teammates to get him the ball in critical moments.’’

Riewoldt said: “I’d like to see him be a ground-and-pound forward, stick yourself between the goals and where the ball is, kick it to me and I’m either going to mark it or bring it to