Mick Malthouse: Too much looking in the rearview mirror has dragged Carlton down; now is the future

Former Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says it’s time for the Blues to forget the past and focus on the future — and they have a leader of the same ilk as Geelong legend Joel Selwood in Patrick Cripps to take them forward.

Mick Malthouse says Patrick Cripps is in the same class as Geelong legend Scott Selwood.

Losing is a habit. And like all bad habits, it’s a hard one to break.

Just ask Carlton.

But last week the Blues did break it and today they have the chance to get on the winning wagon that’s headed towards to the top eight.

Having coached at four different clubs, I was always surprised at how different each one was — culturally, historically and habitually.

When I started at Carlton in 2013, perhaps in the same vein as Denis Pagan I was an outsider coming in, so I was instantly aware the Blues were a victim of their own history.

And I’m not talking about the cheating scandal that robbed the club of precious draft picks, because that can only be used as an excuse for so long.

I’m talking about the 15 VFL premierships, particularly in the late 1970s and ’80s and all the stars from that golden era. It defined Carlton. Those were the glory days.

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Levi Casboult (right) is congratulated by teammates after kicking a goal against the Bulldogs.

There isn’t a problem with being proud of your history, premierships are to be celebrated and remembered. But history can be worn as a millstone or used as a catapult.

The issue I saw at Carlton was that there was a giant rear vision mirror in front of the club that needed to be turned the other way. Forwards. To the future.

This was a club that had won just one AFL premiership (1995) which had left them short of success in current terms. And yet, several stars of the past continued to command too big a voice and yield too much influence.

What this club was struggling with, was that when the “A” replaced the “V” the competition changed and the clubs needed to change with it.

The negativity at the Blues was discerning and at times overwhelming.

Players need to know there is a future, a new history to be made, instead of constantly being compared to past champions and past feats.

Patrick Cripps after the Blues’ victory last weekend.

Kade Simpson and Brendon Bolton savour the success.

Luckily, there were some wonderful people at Carlton, Stephen Kernahan being one of them. Inspiring and positive, he helped begin to drag the board from the VFL era into the AFL era and way of thinking. His tenure as president was far too short.

Today, I believe, the evolution is on track and the Blues have a bright future.

Stephen Silvagni appears to be on top of what is required to take the team forward.

The age-old adage, “let the baker bake the bread”, is very true in list management. The coach has some say in the finality of who comes, who stays and who goes, when it comes to recruitment, but there are people in those jobs for a reason (recruitment manager and list manager) and it is their role to help find the talent and find the room in the salary cap to keep them.

Too often in the past few years the club has preached “patience” and “green shoots”. There has been and will be younger sides than Carlton. There is no point picking young players and then lamenting their inexperience.

In last week’s win against the Western Bulldogs, the Blues were on average a year older than their opponents. Today against Hawthorn they will be a year younger.

But in reality, age doesn’t matter.

The Carlton side that won last week had nothing to do with youth and everything to do with the balance of the team.

Patrick Cripps applauds fans as the Blues get on the board for the first time this year.

Plus 12 first-round draft picks in a team is a sign of quality in anyone’s book.

Matthew Kreuzer, at almost 30, is the Sherman tank of the team. Quietly spoken, but a wonderful on-field leader, he makes a massive difference in any game.

I was fortunate to have him up and running in my first season at the Blues before he broke his foot and remained sidelined for the rest of my time there.

His absence was like an abyss within the team.

Patrick Cripps is the epitome of what you want at a club as a leader and a player, and it was evident when he was first drafted. Cousin to one of my all-time favourite players, Chris Mainwaring, above all else Cripps has integrity.

He will become a warrior, if at 24, he isn’t already in the same class as Joel Selwood, Jack Ziebell and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy.

Club legend Stephen Kernahan in action during 1996.

Stephen Kernahan tenure’s as president was “too short”.

Alongside teens Sam Walsh — who has all the attributes of an outstanding person and player — and Paddy Dow, there is the potential to form one of the most formidable midfields in the league.

There is some fantastic talent forward and back, too. Defenders Jacob Weitering, Caleb Marchbank, Lachie Plowman, Nic Newman and Liam Jones, who has been almost unbeatable this season.

Forwards Mitch McGovern, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, who kicked four last week and will have his ups and downs, but will learn along the way.

Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy and Dale Thomas, all in their 30s, add terrific value.

Balance.

You pick to win. And win they did, by completely dismantling the Bulldogs and kicking more than 100 points in a game for the first time in almost three years.

Another win today could sling Carlton into genuine contention for the top eight.

Mick Malthouse says it's time for the Blues to look to the future.

Coach Brendon Bolton wears his heart on his sleeve and you can tell he has the players playing for him. Constant defeat and a constant struggle to stay afloat takes an enormous toll on you. I’ve been there.

But a win would have given him some respite. The shackles come off and he would feel uninhibited going forward. He certainly would have slept better.

It is as important for Carlton to have broken the ugliness of losing, as it is to break the umbilical cord of the past and become the club it wants to be in the future.

That can start against a proud Hawthorn team today.

With so many inconsistent teams and movement up and down the ladder, the Blues and Hawks may very well be playing off for the same spot in the eight.

Except the Blues are on the up with a talented team and the Hawks have plateaued with ageing stars.

There will still be tension in the build up, moves to be made, and a reliance on the systems and senior players to promote the game structure during the four quarters for moves that can’t be made (without a runner on tap).

But there will be positivity and hope in the Blues’ rooms as well today.

At the start of the season I predicted that Carlton would be close to the eight and I did so for a reason. The Blues are a good team, with a proud history, now in a car pointed in the right direction — today and beyond.