Chris Cavanagh looks at eight reasons why Carlton will improve in 2018
A FIT Patrick Cripps, the second coming of Anthony Koutoufides and a batch of young guns have the “reset” Blues building. Here are eight reasons why Carlton will improve in 2018.
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ENTERING their third year under coach Brendon Bolton, the Blues are building.
Their win-loss record might have gone backwards in 2017, but there is plenty of reason for optimism among the navy blue faithful.
Here are eight reasons Carlton can improve in 2018.
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ACQUISITIONS
Yes, Bryce Gibbs has gone and found a new home at Adelaide after finishing fourth in Carlton’s best-and-fairest this year. But it was not all bad news from the trade period. The Blues picked up two promising young midfielders in Matthew Kennedy (GWS) and Darcy Lang (Geelong) as well as adding the more experienced Aaron Mullett (North Melbourne) as a delisted free agent. Matthew Lobbe (Port Adelaide) also found a new home at Princes Park as a backup ruckman for Matthew Kreuzer. So the Blues came out of the period very much a winner.
CHARLIE CURNOW
Former Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton has said Curnow has the ability to be the best player in the competition within two years. In just his second season, the versatile 194cm big man finished 10th in Carlton’s best-and-fairest with 20 goals from 21 games while also averaging 14 disposals, almost six marks and nearly five score involvements. It was an impressive year from a player who still has just 27 games to his name and does not turn 21 until February but you sense it is just the tip of the iceberg for what could be ahead in 2018.
ALL THOSE RISING STARS
Curnow was one of five NAB Rising Star nominations for the Blues in 2017 — the most of any club. The other four players were Caleb Marchbank, Sam Petrevski-Seton, David Cuningham and Jack Silvagni. No other club had more than three nominations last season, which indicates Carlton has some serious young talent in the wings. Consider this — reigning premier Richmond has had just five nominees in the past four years combined.
THE REBUILD 3.0
No rebuild — or ‘reset’ as Blues coach Brendon Bolton refers to it — delivers results overnight. But entering the third year under Bolton’s reign, we should expect to see some significant improvement. The coach has been teaching his side to defend over the past two years with success, the side’s average score against dropping from 107 points in 2015 to 93 points last season. The next step is to release the shackles on the offence. Carlton averaged only 72 points a game this year but expect that to rise in 2018, improving the likelihood of winning more matches.
THERE ARE SIGNS
Yes, Carlton won only six games last season after triumphing on seven occasions in 2016. However, there were statistics other than the win-loss record that pointed to improvement. The Blues suffered only three losses by 50 points or more in 2017, down on six the previous year. They also won 35 quarters of football, up on 29 in 2016. If they can improve their consistency across games a little more next season, the wins will come.
MORE CRIPPS
Patrick Cripps is a young star and his absence across the back end of the season proved costly for the Blues. The midfielder suffered a broken leg early in his side’s Round 16 match against Melbourne which Carlton went on to lose by eight points. The Blues then won just one of their final seven games of the season without Cripps after a positive first half the campaign which had them triumph in five of their first 14 matches. Carlton does not have the depth to cover such a loss so will warmly welcome the return of a fit Cripps next season.
MORE JONES
One of the surprise stories of 2017, the career of Liam Jones looked over until a move from the forward line to defence gave him a new lease of life. After some solid VFL form, the former Western Bulldog received an AFL call-up in Round 12 and kept his spot for the rest of the year holding his own against the opposition’s best forward most weeks. He finished ninth in Carlton’s best-and-fairest despite playing just 12 games. The Blues will be hoping his development in defence can continue across a full season in 2018.
KIND FIXTURE
Champion Data ranks Carlton’s draw as the competition’s 11th hardest next season but it appears like a kinder fixture than most. The Blues face double-up matches against Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, Fremantle and Gold Coast which on the surface looks a fair bit better than their double-up matches this year against Sydney, Richmond, Melbourne, Essendon and Gold Coast. There are still six interstate games though, which Carlton needs to find a way to perform better in. Since 2014 the club has won just three of 23 games outside of Victoria.
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