AFL 2021: What Carlton can learn from Essendon’s draft-focused rebuild

Kevin Sheedy says Sunday’s Carlton v Essendon clash is a chance to see which club is ahead in their rebuild — and thrown in a swipe at Blues fans.

Harry McKay has blossomed into a star forward for Carlton. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Legendary AFL coach Kevin Sheedy has stoked the fire on the club’s simmering rivalry with Carlton, saying Sunday’s MCG clash could determine which of the battling clubs was closest to “getting off devil’s island” first.

In doing so, the current Bombers board member put the acid on Blues fans to come out in force on Sunday — as Collingwood and Essendon supporters did on Anzac Day — to witness firsthand the difference between the bitter old rivals.

“We’ve both been underdogs for a long time,” Sheedy said.

“We’ve both been smashed by the AFL (Carlton over salary cap penalties and Essendon over the sport supplements scandal), so this is a good opportunity to see where both clubs are at right now.

“Carlton hasn’t won a flag since 1995, and hasn’t played in a Grand Final since 1999. Essendon hasn’t won one since 2000 and we haven’t played in a Grand Final since 2001.

“Let’s face it, everybody has been living on devil’s island ever since.”

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Will Blues fans turn up in big numbers on Sunday?

Sheedy said Blues fans often didn’t turn up in the numbers that befitted a club that had produced a record membership of more than 80,000.

“I am not sure Carlton supporters (will) turn up … but let’s be honest, it’s time for them to pack their bags and turn up and find out where we all are.

“We know the Essendon fans will be there.”

The last time more than 60,000 fans attended a Blues-Bombers game was back in 2014.

Sheedy, who returned to the Essendon board at the end of last season, said the game presented a great opportunity for coaches Ben Rutten and David Teague to kick-start their seasons again given both clubs are 2-4 and sitting 12th and 13th on the ladder.

“This is like a final for both teams,” he said.

Sheedy took a little dig at the Blues’ recruiting strategies, saying: “How many draft picks have Carlton had (over the years)?”

“They recruited half of the GWS (list) … and if they had called me, I would have told them which ones to get and which ones not to get. What’s a phone call cost …”

WHO WON THE 2015 DRAFT?

Last week’s six-goal star Harry McKay was the second of three key-position players Carlton boldly drafted with its three first-round selections in 2015.

It was bold because history shows roughly half of the big men taken at the pointy end of the draft are busts.

The Blues had plummeted to the bottom of the ladder with only four wins, so they needed to get this draft right.

Jacob Weitering was the consensus top choice despite Josh Schache, who went second to Brisbane, booting a record 24 goals at the AFL Under-18 Championships.

They snapped up Charlie Curnow at pick 12, two spots after McKay, with Weitering also in their keeping.

“This is a significant day in the resetting of Carlton,” coach-at-the-time Brendon Bolton said.

David Cuningham (pick 23) and father-son selection Jack Silvagni (53) followed Weitering, McKay and Curnow into the club. Plenty has happened since.

Bolton and Silvagni’s dad, Stephen, are gone as coach and list boss, respectively, replaced by David Teague and Nick Austin.

Charlie Curnow hasn’t played since mid-2019 because of a knee injury. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Austin helped construct the talent-heavy Richmond and Western Bulldogs lists and started at the Blues last year, going on to negotiate the arrivals of Zac Williams and Adam Saad.

Carlton hasn’t returned to the finals and is wobbling at 2-4 this year entering Sunday’s clash against Essendon, which is exceeding expectations with the same record, as it retools for the future.

That’s an indictment on the Blues, especially since those three tall young bucks from 2015 all deserve a tick, although Curnow’s injury fate has proven a devastating blow.

It’s been a mostly sorry period afterwards of loading up on Giants rejects – a Silvagni legacy – too many draft whiffs and poor internal development. Austin and co. will hope to remedy that.

A knee setback in June 2019 cut Curnow down when he was on the verge of stardom, only a fortnight after he kicked a career-best bag of seven goals. He hasn’t played since.

Weitering and McKay endured early criticism, but the former contended for an All-Australian berth last season, while McKay sits second in this year’s Coleman Medal race.

Essendon midfielder Darcy Parish produced a career-best performance on Anzac Day. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Whether Carlton’s list crew should have picked three talls in the first round at once is up for debate, but that draft was thin on midfielders, outside of a few exceptions.

Curnow was on the Bombers’ radar with their fifth and sixth selections in 2015 but they instead chose Darcy Parish and Aaron Francis, who’ve become important contributors six years later.

Parish received last week’s Anzac Day Medal after a brilliant 42-possession effort and might one day mount a challenge to Melbourne’s decision to select Clayton Oliver over him.

The concern for Carlton is a defeat to Essendon on Sunday would effectively signal the Bombers have gone past Teague’s men despite, in many ways, pressing the reset button last year.

Saad left for the Blues, Joe Daniher (Brisbane) and Orazio Fantasia (Port Adelaide) are also elsewhere, Conor McKenna is in Ireland and Tom Bellchambers retired.

The Ben Rutten-led Bombers are embracing their new beginnings, with their three 2020 top-10 picks – Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Zach Reid – all making their AFL debut by Round 5.

Cox hasn’t missed a match, boasts extraordinary athleticism and skills for a 200cm footballer and looks a future star.

Can Liam Stocker become an important part of Carlton’s future? Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Essendon is guilty of not doing this sooner and has been mediocre for too long – in part from plugging holes with recycled players – but the penny has dropped.

Eleven Bombers in last week’s victory over Collingwood were 23 or younger and only two were older than 30, including medical sub David Zaharakis.

The Carlton team that lost to Brisbane had five players 30 or older, 12 who were at least 26 and seven in the 23-or-younger bracket.

They’re the demographics of a contender, not a squad sitting 13th through six rounds.

Tellingly, 11 from that side played for other AFL clubs, or 12 if Ed Curnow is counted.

None of prized draftees Cuningham, Paddy Dow, Lochie O’Brien, Liam Stocker, Brodie Kemp or Sam Philp is playing regularly, while Sam Petrevski-Seton’s never had an extended run as a midfielder.

Sam Walsh is the standout in the post-2015 crop, Zac Fisher has reinvented himself as a forward, and Tom De Koning looks a nice prospect but, again, has played only 10 games into his fourth season.

This is the group who should be helping drive the Blues forward – and still can be.