Carlton news: Update on Charlie Curnow’s pre-season after injury battle
He’s been defined by injury setbacks over the past few years, but Charlie Curnow is ready to show Carlton fans what they’ve missed — and it starts with pre-season.
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Charlie Curnow is optimistic he can put together his first flawless pre-season since the start of his knee problems after finishing the season pain-free and with no ongoing injury problems.
Curnow has endured five significant setbacks with his knee as well as three surgeries, but after a patient build-up played the last four games in the AFL with no issues.
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While he is jumping out of his skin to keep fit through the off-season, the Blues are holding him back to ensure he manages his loads and stays fresh ahead of the November pre-season start.
He was thrilled with the state of his knee as he finished the season and believes he can get back to his best.
If he can stay fit in a forward line with Harry McKay and Jack Silvagni, it will give new coach Michael Voss an array of options alongside ruck-forward Tom De Koning, Jack Martin, Zac Fisher and injury-prone tall Mitch McGovern.
While Curnow kicked 2.5 in those four games, he showed glimpses of his old form and hopes to put together a pre-season full of match simulation.
The Blues will go into the 2022 season much hyped, with president Luke Sayers labelling Carlton a destination club and with new chief executive Brian Cook leading the charge.
Four-time premiership star Jordan Lewis believes with Adam Cerra and George Hewett bolstering the midfield, the Blues can climb up the ladder.
“We always speak about the side that jumps up … in Cerra, Young, Hewett (Carlton has) three players that will play in their best 22,” he told Fox Footy.
“You look that their spine, (Jacob) Weitering, (Liam) Jones, (Sam) Walsh, (Charlie) Curnow, (Harry) McKay and then all the other players that play around them. For me it’s the side that jumps up next year and can be a real threat.”
Voss told the club’s best-and-fairest award presentation last week that after discussions with officials and players in recent weeks, there were remedies he could put in place for instant improvement.
“I think the initial stages purely has been just them getting to know me and me getting to know their story, and it’s really important to spend time understanding each other and the story we have to tell,” he said.
The extra sessions setting Blues on right path
Coleman medallist Harry McKay has revealed he will be ready for the start of pre-season training, having recovered from shoulder surgery that prematurely ended his 2021 season.
It comes as a number of Blues have already been back at the club doing some personal training to keep fit over the break, including Zac Williams, who is keen to build a better base heading into 2022 than what he had leading into his first year with the club.
McKay missed the final two games of the year after going under the knife to fix a high-grade AC joint injury. But his 58 goals from 19 games was still enough for him to win the Coleman Medal.
He will be right to start training on day one of the pre-season, which is a boost for the Blues in ensuring he gets the best possible lead into the 2022 season.
“The body is really good, the shoulder is pretty close to 100 per cent now which is nice,” McKay said. “It has been a pretty good summer so far, being able to train, and I am really enjoying getting to work. I would be playing now if the season was up and running.”
McKay finished third in the John Nicholls Medal behind winner Sam Walsh and runner-up Jacob Weitering.
It was a fitting reward for his greater consistency throughout the season, which he stressed came off the back of a good pre-season and the assistance of teammates.
“I had a really good summer (last year) and put in a lot more hard work,” he said. “I felt at times I was a bit more consistent which has given me something to work on.
“I think it is about confidence in preparation. I feel like I tried to get the best out of myself.”
Best and fairest runner-up Jacob Weitering said 2021 had been a tough year for everyone at the club, but he said the players were already working hard on their fitness base.
“The boys have been getting into the club and training … there have been 15 to 20 boys (at the club) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Weitering said.
“I can honestly say to the fans and the supporters … We had a tough year, we had the (football department) review and we had to fight through that.
“We had to perform under that pressure and media scrutiny.
“Clearly, the boys are passionate and ready to go for next season. It is going to be very exciting. There is a real freshness to what is going on (at the club now).
Williams endured a tough first year at Carlton due to suspension, fitness issues limiting his impact when he was in the midfield and a hamstring injury ending his season early.
He has been one of the players who has already been spotted at Ikon Park, working in an effort to build his tank which he hopes will mean more midfield minutes in 2022.
Walsh, Docherty can inspire Blues to finals
Retiring Carlton greats Eddie Betts and Marc Murphy have urged the Blues playing group to channel the professionalism of Sam Walsh and the fighting qualities of Sam Docherty in an effort to drive higher standards into the future.
The Blues haven’t played finals since 2013, but Betts and Murphy believe new coach Michael Voss can lead the club back to September success as soon as next year.
Betts pinpointed the work ethic and desire displayed by 21-year-old Walsh – who won his first John Nicholls Medal on Thursday night – as something that should drive the club’s younger players next year.
“The football club has the talent; we have just got to believe in the game plan,” Betts said.
“All the boys, just look at what Sam Walsh does week in and week out … the stuff he does with (assistant coach) Lukey Power, doing weights, the extra touch and the extra craft to get himself right, and it showed the way he played this year.”
Betts, who retired after his 350th game in the last round of the home and away season, said his simple message to the players centred on making sure every moment counts.
“You can’t take things for granted,” he said. “Make sure you do everything in your power to make yourself better, to make your teammates better, to play the best footy you can, because with the click of a finger, it can all be gone.
“It was 17 years (his career), but it felt like two and now it is all over.”
Murphy, who bowed out in Round 22 after his 300th game, said the players’ commitment to shave their heads in support of co-skipper Sam Docherty – who is battling a recurrence of testicular cancer – showed how close they were as a group.
“You only have to … see the support they have got for their skipper who is going through a really tough time at the moment. Everyone in the footy club, not just the players, have shaved their head in support of the skipper,” Murphy said.
He called on the players to take every opportunity to get better, not just think it is going to happen in the future.
“It is almost a message (to) … live in the present,” Murphy said when addressing the players in a virtual interview at the John Nicholls Medal.
“(It should be) ‘Why can’t we do it now’, rather than thinking ‘We will be better next year’.
“We had a few years there in ‘09, ‘10 and ‘11 where we thought we were probably going to be a premiership side after that, and unfortunately it didn’t go the way we would have loved.”
Walsh said winning the club’s best and fairest was “a huge honour”.
“John Nicholls was a legend of this club, so thanks to him and all the people who have helped me get to where I am today,” Walsh said. “It is a massive privilege.”
He said the elevation to the club’s group so early in his career had “fast tracked” his learning.
“Since I came into the club, I have tried to work as hard as I can and earn the respect of my teammates and that probably has led to me being in the leadership position,” he said.
“From there I have tried to be the best person and train as hard as I can and try and get the best out of my teammates. We’ve got a group that wants to work hard and I think there will be plenty more people who will step up in that leadership area and take us places hopefully.”
He thanked sacked coach David Teague and former assistants John Barker and Brent Stanton – as well as Luke Power who remains at the club – for support in a difficult season.
“It is well documented that it has been a tough year, (so) to Teague, JB (John Barker), Lukey Power, Stants (Brent Stanton), you guys worked with me the most and every time you walked into the club you were looking to get myself and my teammates better,” he said.
“You guys worked hard to the very end, you are great people. I thank you for your support.”
No outside noise: How Voss, Cook have re-energised Blues
Carlton will stop at nothing in its pursuit of future success and will refuse to bow to outside pressures or expectation, according to new president Luke Sayers.
Speaking at the club’s virtual best-and-fairest count – where Blues young gun Sam Walsh won his first John Nicholls Medal – Sayers said there had been a rejuvenated energy following the appointment of new coach Michael Voss and incoming CEO Brian Cook.
“I hope you have already noticed we will not listen to external pressure or expectations,” Sayers said at the members’ only count
“Our club knows better than anyone the direction in which we are heading, and we will not stop until we get there.
“We have now got the right people in place; we have got world class equipment and facilities; and we feel we have got a building mindset and energy that is going to catapult us out of the gates (in 2022).”
Walsh, 21, capped off an extraordinary season by winning the John Nicholls Medal with 183 votes from defender Jacob Weitering (172) and Coleman Medallist Harry McKay (118).
Sayers praised the football department for the resilience it showed in the turbulent aftermath of the season, while also thanking sacked coach David Teague and CEO Cain Liddle.
“Every day you walked through the doors at Ikon Park, you were all in,” Walsh said.
“That is all the club could have asked for. We are eternally grateful.”
Sayers added: “It has been 58 days since I became president and it is fair to say a fair bit has happened in that time – some of it very challenging, a lot of it is super exciting.”
The club also sent a special farewell to retiring club greats Eddie Betts and Marc Murphy.
Walsh has even more currency now as he and the club work towards a lucrative long-term contract extension potentially before the start of next season.
He beat last year’s winner Weitering by 11 votes, adding to his 2021 achievements which included a fourth place in the Brownlow Medal with 30 votes, his first All-Australian selection and captaincy of the AFL Players’ Association’s 22under22 side.
Walsh has one year to run on his contract, but after preliminary discussions on a new deal a few months ago, the Blues will meet with his manager Scott Lucas in the lead-up to Christmas.
The 2018 No.1 draft pick also won the Bill Lanyon Inner Blue Ruthless Award, recognising his bravery, resilience and commitment as well as the Carltonians’ William A. Cook Trophy as the coterie’s best player.
Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd said Walsh seemed destined to join the list of John Nicholls Medal winners.
“When Sam was drafted to our club in 2018 he was determined to succeed and make an impact in the navy Blue and (this) serves as recognition for doing just that,” Lloyd said.
“What he has achieved in his career to date is extraordinary and becoming a John Nicholls Medallist marks another very special moment for him, which we and the whole Carlton family should be extremely proud of.
“While he is an undeniable talent, it has been extremely rewarding for our entire football club to see him continue to progress over the course of the last three years and enjoy another prolific season.”
Weitering, 23, maintained his impressive form this season, also winning the Coaches Award and the Most Valuable Bluebagger Award.
Lloyd said McKay, who kicked 58 goals from 19 games, took “a big leap forward in his game this year and as an emerging leader of our group.”
Patrick Cripps finished fourth (112), ahead of Ed Curnow (100), Adam Saad (97), Lachie Plowman (86), Liam Jones (80), Eddie Betts (75) and Jack Silvagni (71).
Silvagni won the Spirit of Carlton Award, for his relentless effort in demonstrating the true spirit of the Carlton Football Club on and off the field. Liam Stocker won the Best Young Player award, while Marc Pittonet was named Best Clubman.
👉 | Sam Walsh has even more currency when he sits down with Carlton to look at a new deal after claiming his first John Nicholls medal.
— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) October 14, 2021
SEE THE LEADERBOARD: https://t.co/Latvaw0uCX@MaccaHeraldSun#JNM2021pic.twitter.com/NQUeHZU9v3
2021 John Nicholls Medal leaderboard
Sam Walsh 183 votes
Jacob Weitering 172 votes
Harry McKay 118 votes
Patrick Cripps 112 votes
Ed Curnow 100 votes
Adam Saad 97 votes
Lachie Plowman 86 votes
Liam Jones 80 votes
Eddie Betts 75 votes
Jack Silvagni 71 votes
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