Carlton v Western Bulldogs: Analysis and news from AFL Round 2

After decades of mediocrity, Carlton is finally climbing out of the doldrums — and it’s as much to do with the mental approach the club has taken as it is the talent at Michael Voss’ disposal.

Charlie Curnow of the Blues and Alex Keath of the Bulldogs

Likened to Anthony Koutoufides and tipped by Dermott Brereton to become the AFL’s best player, Charlie Curnow was once the centrepiece of a seemingly never-ending rebuild.

From 2017 to 2019 it was Curnow who kept the flame of hope flickering for crestfallen Carlton supporters.

Then, disaster slowly set in.

Curnow injured the medial ligament in his left knee in the final match of 2018 and jarred his right knee in the second match of 2019.

Curnow booted 7.1 against Western Bulldogs in round 14 and strained the medial ligament in his right knee the following week, ending his 2019 season.

In October surgery was required to stabilise the patella after Curnow took a tumble while playing basketball with Patrick Cripps and Zac Fisher.

The next month Curnow slipped on tiles walking upstairs at his family home in Torquay and fractured his kneecap.

Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney, who suffered a similar injury, feared Curnow would never be the same again.

Charlie Curnow of the Blues and Zaine Cordy of the Bulldogs

Curnow was pumping iron in the home gym during Covid lockdown the following April when a squat went wrong and a hairline stress response in the bone was detected.

“His patella is showing us that there is still a weakness around one of the original screw holes. This stress response is an indication to us that his knee requires more time to heal,” football boss Brad Lloyd said.

“It remains difficult to determine if Charlie will be ready to play this season, however, it does appear more unlikely than likely.”

Curnow missed the entire 2020 season and suffered a fresh stress injury to the patella in November.

“His specialist orthopaedic surgeon feels that surgery to reinforce the area of bone stress will hasten his return to training and minimise the risk of further injury,” Lloyd said.

More surgery. Another season in doubt long before it had even started.

The ‘Curnow Curse’ had every Carlton supporter wondering if they would ever see this wunderkind again.

It was a fair question. Curnow missed 43 consecutive games, which was almost former coach David Teague’s entire reign (50 games).

Boy, those Bluebaggers must’ve gone home from Marvel Stadium on Thursday night feeling bullish.

THE SIGHT ALL FANS WANTED TO SEE

There was Curnow at his captivating best, five years after Brereton’s bold prediction.

The mercurial forward booted five goals, his final three coming at critical moments to quell the Western Bulldogs’ fightback.

Girlfriend Amaani sat right behind Curnow’s fourth, a right-foot set-shot from 45m on the boundary.

“I had really good family support, my partner stuck by me the whole time,” Curnow said after he celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in five years.

“All that stuff helps and gets you in every day to your rehab.”

Last week the twin towers of Harry McKay and Curnow brought the ball to ground for the smalls and this time the power forwards did it all.

Patrick Cripps of the Blues celebrates his teams win after round two

They combined for nine goals as the Blues booted 100 points back-to-back for the first time since 2016.

Caretaker coach Ash Hansen said Curnow was a “lovable kid” and it was hard not to fall in love with the chemistry Carlton is creating.

McKay is the monster and Curnow is the creative athlete. It’s a perfect match.

Externally, Charlie will be all the rage. Internally it is all about celebrating the little things.

What stood out to new coach Michael Voss about Melbourne’s march to last year’s flag?

The selfless language seeping out of the club.

A TEAM UNITED

Suddenly these Blues are singing to the same tune.

McKay said there was “genuine care and excitement” for those who help teammates.

“It’s been a big shift and I’m loving it,” McKay said.

Take your pick from Thursday night. What about Sam Docherty smothering Tim English at halfback, leading to Jack Silvagni’s first goal?

Or running machine Lochie O’Brien running straight at Ed Richards to lay a crucial tackle right before three quarter-time?

Or Jacob Weitering’s six spoils in the last quarter when the Blues were under siege?

Or Matthew Kennedy (15 disposals in the last quarter) taking a flying mark on the wing to break a run of about six re-entries when the Blues just couldn’t clear the footy?

Docherty, whose comeback from cancer will be hard to top as the story of the season, said “trust” was key to the new gameplan.

“We’re not very one on one at the moment,” Docherty said. “It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of running.”

Last year the Dogs went on an eight-goal burst to convert a 27-point deficit into a comfortable win against the Blues.

They were far from alone.

Carlton as a team are looking better than they have in years

EXORCIZE THE DEMONS

Carlton’s season crashed under waves of momentum, but psychologist Tara Kavanagh got to work exorcizing those mental demons.

Cripps is probably leading the Brownlow Medal with six votes, having booted five goals and broken the Bulldogs with a bullocking first half.

But Hansen declared: “The selfless nature of his game has never been greater”.

Hansen said the Blues wanted to “embed their identity” and Sam Walsh said they wanted to “build their identity”.

So, what is this identity?

“Be reliable teammates to each other,” Walsh said.

Well, talk about reliable.

Walsh (34 disposals) ran 3.7km in the first quarter after healing from a syndesmosis injury in five weeks when it takes some players eight.

Bulldog Adam Treloar conceded: “When teams win contested footy they generally win the game”.

The Blues were +38 for contested footy with their brand new midfield.

“No disrespect to our previous midfields in the last six years, but this group that we’ve got now is a serious midfield,” Weitering said.

“When it’s their moment they go and when it’s not they protect each other.”

Cripps, Walsh, Kennedy and George Hewett combined for 133 disposals.

They absorb pressure like sponges and then spin the Sherrin to the outside.

“We’ve got some guys who love putting their heads over the ball – Georgey Hewett, Matty Kennedy to name a few,” Cripps said

When Marcus Bontempelli started to “heat up” it was Hewett who cooled him down.

When he was signed as a free agent last year some supporters were probably asking: “Who?”

Walsh was almost one of them.

“He’s played outstanding. I honestly didn’t even see that coming,” he said.

The Bulldogs are building and will take plenty away from the second half. They leaked 45 points from turnovers in the first half and zero in the second.

They took 11 marks inside 50m after halftime. They did everything but finish off their work and Champion Data’s expected scores even had them in front.

MORE TO COME

But for a Carlton team missing Jack Martin and Adam Cerra on-field and plenty more off-field it was a win dripping in maturity and resilience.

The super-impressive Hansen ran the show and several VFL development coaches were in charge of lines that are not even their specialty due to the club’s mini Covid cluster.

But after nine consecutive 0-2 starts from 2013-2021 a cluster of victories beckons.

Winnable games against Hawthorn, Gold Coast, Port Adelaide (MCG), Fremantle, North Melbourne and Adelaide lie ahead.

There are premiership pieces everywhere - McKay, Curnow, Cripps and Walsh, McGovern, Weitering is a mighty spine - and now a sustainable system to boot.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan of the Bulldogs, Zaine Cordy of the Bulldogs and Charlie Curnow of the Blues contest the ball

Last August president Luke Sayers declared finals were the expectation, long before they had even appointed Voss as coach or recruited Cerra and Hewett.

“Our expectation, based on the list that we have, we are looking to make finals in 2022,” Sayers said.

One bookmaker has already paid out on a return to September.

At 0-2 – historically a tricky spot to recover from – Dogs coach Luke Beveridge said he wasn’t a believer in past results dictating the now.

But recent history shows there is always one team that leaps from outside the top eight into the top four.

Last year it was premier Melbourne. In 2020 it was minor premier Port Adelaide.

In 2019 it was Brisbane Lions, rising 13 rungs from 15th to 2nd.

In 2018 it was grand finalist Collingwood and Hawthorn. In 2017 it was premier Richmond.

In 2016 it was Geelong and Greater Western Sydney. In 2015 it was grand finalist West Coast.

There is a long, long way to go.

But in 2022 there is no club better positioned to continue that trend than the old, dark, navy Blues.

Originally published as Carlton v Western Bulldogs: Analysis and news from AFL Round 2