Now that the dust has settled on this year’s Trade Period, and now that we have all had some time to digest what transpired, and now that we have all had a chance to look at some of the most idiotic and laughable comments by both supporters and “media” commentators. Here is my take.
For those who have stated that the club will lose “thousands of supporters” if Charlie Curnow leaves, it is a delusional and very narrow-minded viewpoint. Here is why. If a club’s success hinges on one player who we have seen is a tad temperamental, then that club will never succeed because they are catering to an individual rather than what a club is about.
A club houses a team that is not based on a few individuals but on the entire body of players who come together to play for that club. If a player who does not see this and decides to go to another club in the hopes that they will be treated differently, they will not succeed, because the game and the club will not cower to individualism. Success is not based on that, and it never will be.
Some have even suggested that Vossy is toxic and that the club should go down the path of sacking yet another coach. While I do agree that season 2026 will be a pinnacle one for him, I do not agree, nor will I ever subscribe to the need to sack yet another coach just because the season did not pan out the way we all wanted. Is he solely to blame? No. Should some players bear the way the season ended, absolutely. Should some of the assistant coaches bear some of the responsibility? Absolutely. The point I am trying to make is that it takes an entire team, across all facets, to be successful, as long as every part of that team is on board. If one or a few are not, they are not seen as team players, and that can — and will — change a team’s direction. Jacob Weitering stated it perfectly before the trade period, that “you want guys that play for the jumper, and play for the club. If you want to play for the club, then you’ll stay. If you don’t, you’ll be moved on.”
These past few seasons, we have seen one club succeed when it mattered because of that very ideal of understanding what it means to be a team. They did not finish in the top four in both seasons, but in the end, they raised the Premiership Cup because they played as one. They played as a team, and it was a team effort that got them winning back-to-back Premierships.
To clarify, Brisbane Lions Charlie Cameron forgot this at one stage during the season, and the team did not perform as expected. You could see that others in the team remonstrated this to him. Now, I am not saying that it was his performance alone that determined the final outcome, but the point is that once he was reminded that the club is a team sport, his mindset changed, and he became not the primary focus of Brisbane’s game, but a part of the rise to the top. It was on display at the Grand Final.
With the players who have left and what Carlton has acquired during the trade period, it shows that the players joining Carlton want to play for a club, for the team. They want to be part of the whole to ensure its success.
2026 will look a bit different on the field, but maybe, just maybe, this will be the catalyst for growth in a club and a team that have been stifled by those with a singular outlook and knee-jerk reactions. And maybe, success for Carlton is not that far away. On this, I can see it.
#GOBLUES
https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1916189/full-qa-every-trade-deal-summed-up-plus-whats-to-come
Images courtesy of AFL
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