Star rookie Sam Walsh signs contract extension with Carlton until end of 2022

Carlton supporters have been belted from pillar to post by a club woefully out of form and languishing at the bottom of the ladder without a win in 2019. But they got some good news today.

Sam Walsh might already be Carlton’s second best player. Picture: Michael Klein

Michael Gibbons perhaps best summed up Sam Walsh in the pre-season.

“We’re happy he’s on our team, he’s a superstar. A superstar,” Gibbons said in February.

Today it was confirmed that Walsh would be on that team for a little while longer, having signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Carlton until at least the end of 2022.

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It’s not a relief because this has never been anything other than expected. But it’s a warm hug for battered Blues fans with that familiar 0-4 sinking feeling.

Plus, it must be said, 18-year-old Walsh is arguably Carlton’s second-best player four games into his AFL career.

Whether that’s an indictment on the club’s current predicament, because of Walsh’s freakish talent, or both, is a debate for another time.

Sam Walsh might already be Carlton’s second best player. Picture: Michael Klein

For now, this is a timely little boost for Blues fans looking at a re-signed midfield of Walsh, Patrick Cripps (2021), Zac Fisher (2021), Paddy Dow (2022) and Sam Petrevski-Seton (2021) and hoping it can grow into something special.

“The club has welcomed me with open arms from the moment I got drafted,” Walsh said.

“The coaches, staff and entire club provide us with everything we need to get the very best out of ourselves, which I have loved. It just motivates you to get better every day.”