I have to ask a question, and that is simply, what is it that you, as a supporter of Carlton FC, want? The answer is easy for me: I want us to win a Premiership in the not-too-distant future. That is what I want, and right now, I can see what the club is aiming to achieve in terms of what has occurred during the trade period.
Now that this major trade period has ended, while what we have lost has a sense of sadness, it is neither terrible nor catastrophic. Not even one that will send us backwards. On the contrary, it is a forward-looking understanding of what the club needs to do in order to raise another Premiership Cup. Isn’t that what we all want?
Sure, it does come with sadness that players of our club who loved being there and were loved are now no longer playing for the Navy Blue, but that is the very nature of what a hopeful, successful club needs to do, isn’t it? I think it is!
There have been many players not only in the entire footy world but at Carlton that have in the past, by their very dedication to a club and our club, actually deserved and should have earned a chance to play for a Premiership, but it didn’t happen. Players such as Eddie Betts, Kade Simpson, Andrew Walker, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Ed Curnow, and Matthew Kreuzer, in my view, are players who should have won a Premiership, but it was not in their cards.
I loved these players and what they brought to the club both on and off the field and I’m so thrilled that Kreuz is still a part of the club as an assistant coach. Also, seeing Kade Simpson assisting the Hawthorn FC is a great thing to see, as who knows, he could come back to Carlton in an assisting role. But the point is that there will always be those players that we love who will either retire without a Premiership or move on to other clubs.
These players that move on to other clubs, while some have achieved a semblance of success, Zach Tuohy being one, others have not. It does not mean that we should not celebrate their time at Carlton as long as they acknowledge their time at Carlton. Jarrad Waite and Lachie Henderson went to other clubs and, while playing at those clubs, grabbed their guernsey right in front of Carlton supporters and did not once acknowledge their time at Carlton. Waite only did so after he left North Melbourne, but not for a long time. On the other hand, we have two current players who have now found new homes. They thanked and acknowledged the opportunity that Carlton gave them and understood that for them to get more game time, they needed to move to other clubs, even if it had a tinge of regret.
The uproar from supporters over what our list management has done in trading out Matty Owies and Matt Kennedy is, in my view, very short-sighted. I have loved watching these players don the navy blue and play for Carlton, but I understood that they were not really going to be players who would be in our top 22 when we hopefully and eventually, play in a Grand Final.
In order for a club, any club, there are times when the heart must be pushed aside for the head. That there is a need to understand that in the long run, a club needs to ensure longevity in its playing group and to get, hopefully, the very best for the club. This does mean that we may have to trade away good, not great, but good players for younger players who have more potential. It means that we need to get younger players who we develop to be a part of a hopefully Premiership team.
I love what we have gained in terms of draft points and picks. We have the capacity to draft players from a draft group that, in 2024, has the best prospective talent pool that we have not seen in a while. If that means that we have to let go of players who have been passionate about playing for the Navy Blue but who are not really going to be a part of the growth in the playing group, then while sad, I understand this process.
If what we all want is to raise our 17th Premiership Cup, then unfortunately, it will mean those peripheral players will simply not be there. I love what Owies and Kennedy brought to the club and the team, and I wish them the best for their futures. But I want to win a Premiership. I want the club to be that fearsome group that clubs come to game day with much trepidation, not just for now but long-term.
This was a good trade period for Carlton. I can’t wait for the draft period and what season 2025 will bring.
#GOBLUES!
SPORTZ 