After the game on Sunday, I had to take some time to think. Not only about the game but what I could possibly say that could or would provide some context about the game and the eventual win. I did not want to go down the same usual path that I had done in the past; I wanted a new perspective.
The game was frustrating to watch, and even though we won, it was only a win due to the pressure in the third quarter, which should have been the same pressure in the first half. We played a game in the first half based on fear and immaturity of our game decisions. We played a slow-paced one that is not really what Carlton has been demonstrating in the past. But yet, it is to be expected that teams will have watched our game plan and tried to combat the onslaught it has been delivering for a while.
Despite the setbacks, our team has shown remarkable resilience. We’ve had to cope with injuries to key players, but this has only served to highlight the depth of our squad. If we’re to be serious contenders at the end of the season, we need a squad that’s not just skilled, but also determined to secure the ultimate prize: a win and a Premiership.
We have seen clubs blast ahead before the major Bye and some falter who shouldn’t have really faltered. We have seen clubs struggle and fall after the major Bye, and others who were struggling before are now surging. This was always going to be the way, and we are seeing the competition become what we all love about this game: no real contender that can be guaranteed to be in the Grand Final of season 2024. That is exciting to witness and be a part of.
For Carlton, our games after the Bye have seen us falter and struggle a bit. Yet it is these teams that can regroup and become the team they were before the Bye and forge ahead at the pointy end of the season.
It may be one that will have losses, but it can also have wins that may be frustrating and full of pressure, but a win is a win. It makes no difference how a team gets to the end to be in a position to play for that ultimate prize; it is that they got there.
In this modern game, being a powerhouse of a club consistently and all the time will not and does not work for the team’s benefit. It is the steady crawl to the end. The sometimes setbacks. The sometimes injuries. The sometimes unfathomable games that involve surprise losses and wins will make the team not only better but more resilient. These clubs will benefit in the long-term for that ultimate achievement: a Grand Final win.
I know we have been waiting for a long time to see our club get anywhere near competing for that prize, but given where we have come from, we are making strides. Are we there yet? I think we need a bit more steps to take that leap from mediocrity to ultimate glory. But we are on the right trajectory, and pressurised wins witnessed on Sunday against a team that we maybe should have blown away will only make the team hungrier and more determined. It is these traits that will make a team a championship one. As the image states: together we write our own history.
I want the team to hold up that Premiership Cup. But I don’t want it to be a one-off fluke. I want long-term consistency. If we strive for that, we can be a team that was once feared before all the past turmoil took hold. We can rewrite history. I may be the only one who thinks like that, but hey, I am quite happy to stand alone in this regard.
#GO BLUES!
Image courtesy of Carlton FC.
SPORTZ 