Carlton is calling for patience but that’s not how the world of AFL works, writes Mark Robinson
FOOTBALL is traditionally an impatient environment. Carlton and Brendon Bolton are demanding it but the results and game plan are making the natives restless, writes MARK ROBINSON
Mark Robinson
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BRENDON Bolton might not be feeling the pressure, but you get the feeling he senses it all around him.
It’s probably why he delivered a kind of pre-emptive strike in his post-match press conference a week ago, sensing Carlton fans wouldn’t be thrilled after the loss to Collingwood.
While Blues fans hissed on talkback radio, Bolton threw it straight back at them.
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“We’ve done what we said we were going to do and what our supporters wanted two years ago,” he said.
He was right.
It has been unprecedented clean-out after the Malthouse years — 42 players in three off-seasons — and the fans lapped up the proactive approach.
But those same fans are now lapping at the door of despair.
Right now, Carlton having won one match from its past 14, a PR battle is raging.
Football is traditionally an impatient environment and Bolton is demanding patience.
The Carlton constituency is frustrated and angry.
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Angry they’re losing, frustrated the “green shoots” are labouring, exasperated by the skill errors and lack of goals, and maybe even angry, frustrated and exasperated by Bolton’s messaging.
We will hold the players to account. We hold them to incredibly high standards. The basic fundamentals were not executed. Through effort and perseverance we can turn it around.
There are some areas of growth. We’re young and need to build cohesion. We aim to win every game. We will never accept defeat. We have been transparent.
It is corporate speak for teams in transition.
Translated to footy fan speak, Bolton is saying: “Look, we’ve gone to the draft, we’re young, we’re not bloody good at the moment, we’re working hard to fix it, other teams are better and more experienced, we make too many damn mistakes, we have Charlie and Patty, Krueze is a warrior, Fish will be a star and we’re trying to kick more goals. OK?’’
Who knows if Bolton talks in the same corporate language behind closed doors. If he does, you might wonder if it’s wearing thin on the players.
But if he does, so what? That’s him.
At this point — Round 4 in his third season and facing North Melbourne in Tasmania — it’s incredibly difficult to assess Bolton the coach.
We don’t know whether he’s a good coach or not.
He started from a long way back amid what history now records as Carlton’s withering years.
It’s a broken record, but how good would the Blues be if they had Jeff Garlett, Sam Jacobs, Jarrad Waite, Eddie Betts, Zach Tuohy, Lachie Henderson, Mitch Robinson, Bryce Gibbs and Shaun Grigg, and not a mish-mash of draftees, second-chance first rounders and failed trades.
They talk of sustained success. This was sustained insanity.
It gave the Blues no other route than sweep clean and go to the draft.
They did. And they traded in. But who knows, outside of Charlie Curnow and Patrick Cripps, probably Zac Fisher, probably Caleb Marchbank, probably Sam Petrevski-Seton and maybe Jacob Weitering, what they’ve got.
The mounting losses are heaping pressure on selection.
The Harry McKay discussion is tiresome, though. He’s not getting a game because he’s not good enough at the moment. You reckon Bolton would leave him out of the team if he deserved selection?
Why they took him at No.10 is another discussion. Meanwhile, Jack Silvagni has been dropped and recalled and, this week, Jed Lamb is gone and Cam O’Shea and first-rounder Lochie O’Brien are in.
It’s been challenging and will continue to be challenging for Bolton.
Personnel is one aspect under scrutiny, game style is another.
After two seasons of defensive development, which cultivated a fighting spirit, Bolton this season has focused on ball transition in a bid to be more offensive.
It’s exciting, but it has opened up holes defensively.
We asked after Round 1 if Bolton would keep the faith in offensive movement. He has. After Round 3, he might be asking himself whether he should persevere.
It’s a tough juncture.
Because of their inexperience everywhere, their turnovers and the fact they’re not pounding the scoreboard, it has meant the opposition gets a decent crack with the ball. Those times have killed the Blues this year.
Look at the Collingwood game. Carlton had a horrific patch from the 15-minute mark of the first quarter to the five-minute mark of the third. In that 50 minutes, the Pies outscored them by 60 points. In the other 70 minutes, the Blues were 36 points in front.
Look at the Suns game. In two periods of domination, in the first quarter and 15 minutes of the third, the Suns were +50 points. For the remainder of the game, the Blues were -16 points.
Bolton is pleading with fans to look at the positives. Exhibit A is their method.
The Blues are playing on from a mark more than any side and are the fifth best team for generating an inside 50 from a defensive 50 chain. They are seventh for inside 50s overall. They’re getting it inside, but not scoring.
To attack, though, means you sacrifice a level of defence.
They are conceding 15 more points per game this year compared to 2017. They have been the third easiest team to goal against inside 50, have conceded the fourth most marks inside 50, and have the third worst points differential from turnovers.
So, front of the ball is lacking execution and the zone defence is under siege dealing with horrid turnovers. And often those turnovers come after the Blues have played on, which then leads to gaping holes in defence. It’s a merry-go-round of disaster.
And then there’s the midfield. Cripps is 23, Ed Curnow 28, Marc Murphy 30, Petrevski-Seton 20, Dale Thomas 30, Jarrod Garlett 21, Paddy Dow 18, Matthew Kennedy 21 and Fisher 19. Old and young and nothing in between.
There’s nothing Bolton can do other than ask for patience and understanding.
The question is: What happens from now? They have to go to the draft for the next couple of years and try to get as many selection as possible.
It might mean Bolton adopting the boldness of his mentor, Alastair Clarkson, and dispensing with players for draft picks and/or other players.
If Clarko can cull Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis to help the future of Hawthorn, then Bolton should look at trading Murphy for a first-round pick.
Because while the coach wants patience, the fans want action — and quickly.
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