Carlton veteran Kade Simpson says Charlie Curnow and Jacob Weitering are set to take AFL by storm

CHARLIE Curnow “could be anything” and Jacob Weitering continues to impress veteran teammate Kade Simpson who believes the Baby Blues can lead the club back up the ladder.

Charlie Curnow is one of the most exciting young players in the competition. Picture: Getty

CHARLIE Curnow “could be anything” according to Kade Simpson, with the Carlton veteran confident the Baby Blues can propel the side forward next year.

Carlton has finished 14th (2016) and 16th (2017) in Brendon Bolton’s first two years as coach, but has finally emerged from a well-publicised 2007-2014 drafting and trading nightmare to lay the foundations.

Athletic forward Curnow (27 games), Jacob Weitering (42 games), Sam Petrevski-Seton (20 games) and Jack Silvagni (28 games) were the nucleus of an emerging group Simpson believed meant the club was in good hands.

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“Charlie Curnow, we saw what he did this year, but he really could be anything,” Simpson said.

“Ed (brother Ed Curnow) keeps him pretty grounded and keeps him in check. They’re a great family and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

“‘Waiters’ (Weitering) is the same; a really smart kid who wants to learn and wants to work hard. Waiters and Charlie could really take the competition by storm in key position posts.”

Charlie Curnow is one of the most exciting young players in the competition. Picture: Getty

Simpson turns 34 in May, yet has been a model of consistency, playing every game in four of the past five seasons and is on track to reach 300 in 2018. The rebounding defender finished fifth in this year’s best and fairest and was runner-up last year.

“‘Bolts’ (Brendon Bolton) said as soon as he walked through the door at Carlton that as long as I’m playing good footy there will be a spot for me,” Simpson said.

“He wasn’t there to retire me or shut the door on my career. I think having a good relationship with ‘SOS’ (list manager Stephen Silvagni) and Bolts and being open about everything goes a long way.

“We talk regularly throughout the year about how my body is feeling and what I’m thinking; do I want to go around again or is this it?”

Kade Simpson believes the Blues are on the rise. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Simpson’s third consecutive one-year contract wasn’t announced until the Blues’ best and fairest night on September 22, but was never in doubt.

“Obviously you’d love a bit of security with multiple-year deals, but the reality of the industry is once you’re over 30 it tends to be one year at a time and I can live with that,” he said.

“I’ve said it a few times to people that once you’re retire you’re retired forever. I still love playing and I enjoy the hard work and the grind of pre-season and the week-to-week in-season, so I’ll keep trying to churn out as much as I can.”

Simpson said the loss of Bryce Gibbs would be felt, but was hopeful new recruits Matthew Kennedy and Darcy Lang could fill the void.

“It’s always a tough time of year. He is one of my best mates, we spent 10 years in lockers nearly next door to each other and I was obviously sad to see him go,” he said.