3 Seasons into 1

I don’t know about everyone else, but I was and still am pretty emotional right now for all the good and rather frustrating reasons.  I know that there are voices around regarding how Carlton had the game in their hands and lost it in the last seconds. How it was a game; they should have won but didn’t. How for some, including Carlton supporters, that the match against Brisbane Lions will be a loss of epic kind.  Here is my view.


I have always believed that the season is not just one, but three in one.  The proof is simply in the physical evidence of season 2024. 


From the start of the season to the main Bye rounds, Rounds 12 to 15, the ladder showed that Carlton was second. Sydney had won 13 of its 14 games. Carlton—10, Essendon—9, Collingwood, Fremantle, GWS, Geelong, and Port Adelaide had all won 8. At the bottom of the ladder, Melbourne—8, Brisbane Lions, Bulldogs, Gold Coast, and Hawthorn—7.


Now, after all the team’s main bye rounds, things changed.  It was not until Round 19 that things went pear-shaped for a few teams (Carlton being one of them), and things blossomed for others. We saw Carlton drop to 4th. Brisbane Lions rose to 2nd after being 8th.  GWS rose one spot. Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn began their rise.  While Essendon dropped down.  At round 21, Carlton had dropped to 8th spot. Western Bulldogs rose to 7th, and Hawthorn hovered around. Essendon dropped down to 9th.   Sydney, who had been the outright favourite, began to lose games.  Instead of being two to three games ahead of everyone, they were now only one. Collingwood, touted as the red-hot favourite, was now 11th.


Carlton had their fair share of major players out with injury.  It meant that the rest of the season rested on those players who, for some, had either not played any senior AFL games or just a few. It meant that for the game on Sunday, the team was up against the very team that had beaten Geelong and was now determined to seal the fate of their opponents – Carlton.  They wanted to inflict disappointment of chances lost and conclude their season on a high note. They were up against a depleted and inexperienced side (for some) who did not have the luxury of time and experience to furnish themselves with how to combat the pressure that St Kilda plied the team with.  In the end, it came down to a game that we all could only watch and hope. An opposition team that we didn’t particularly like, but for a brief moment, we all were Port Adelaide supporters.


As the final siren went for the Fremantle/Port Adelaide game, Carlton said a big, hearty thanks; our chances and hopes were back in play again. Now we have a week off to regroup and hopefully get some of our injured players back, who had, before the major bye, got the team to be in a position to be in the top four.


What I am alluding to is that with each bye that a team has, it is a way of re-setting the game. It is a way to give those with injuries the chance to recover and return. It is a way to literally start again.  This season has shown that there is no way anyone can comfortably state with certainty what will happen in every match.  The way some clubs began at the beginning of the season, has not given them a sure-fired path into the finals.  We have seen losses from clubs that should not have lost. We have witnessed wins from clubs that took us all by surprise. 


Either way, in every scenario, it is not what transpired in the past but what a team must and should be looking for in the future. What they can control now will ensure that when the time comes, they will have the opportunity to erase past mistakes and, hopefully, achieve success. 


I am and always will be a firm believer in the power of positivity. I do not and never will subscribe to the notion that what was terrible in the past will be the same moving forward. It achieves and does nothing.  I believe the team will reset and regroup, and with some of its major players back into the team, it will give the opposition a sense of fear.  The season has now reset itself, and the Finals campaigns for all teams involved have begun. 


I know that Brisbane Lions will be fearful for the simple reason that Carlton will be out for redemption. We’ve done it before, and we will do it again. But win, lose, or draw, we have to and need to support the team and the club and know that they will be doing everything in their power and ability to ensure success.

#GOBLUES!

P.S. Said I would. Each week we are in the finals, another flag goes up outside my home!

Determination! Leadership!

Before the match on Sunday, I waited nervously.  All I wanted to see from the match was that the team, whoever was playing, gave it their all, at every moment of the game. I wanted to see the young, inexperienced players that came in take on the game. To show that they have not only worked hard for their chance but why they were chosen in the first place. I wanted us to win, of course, but more than that, I wanted to see the heart back into the team. Not only did this happen, but so much more.


Before I continue, after the match, I read with laughter some of the comments posted on social media, some from non-supporters, but those that gave me a real laugh were from some who are supposedly Carlton supporters. These comments ranged from “we should not be celebrating a mediocre performance.” That “Voss cannot coach and needs to go ASAP!” That certain players who are just beginning their careers need to be “traded at the end of the season and are useless.” It seems that for some if we lose, it proves their point of how weak we are and how pathetic the coaches are. And if we win, well we are still weak and pathetic.  It seems that these so-called “supporters” are not real supporters, or they are either trolls from other clubs or just cannot see what others can.  It seems that no matter what the outcome, we are a useless club.  To those, I say, “Jog on, mate!”


The team on Sunday consisted of two debutants, as well as players who had played a few games and were brought in to fill in the gaps of our injured star players.   The average age of the team was 24.5 years old. Of that, eleven players are under the age of 25.  Thirteen players have played less than 50 games. This means that if they had played all games, they have only played for two seasons or less. Nine players have come from other clubs. While they have been in the system, their time at their previous clubs did not meet the expectations that these clubs perceived these players were capable of. But at Carlton, they are showing what they are capable of.

In this team, nine players have played over one hundred games, with only one player over two hundred – Patrick Cripps. Of those who have played over one hundred, six have come from other clubs.  Only three players have played more than 100 games, including Crippa, Weiters and Walshy, who have been at the club since they were drafted. There is a point to all of this.


In 2022, Geelong’s winning Premiership side, out of 46 players, eighteen had played over 100 games, most above 200.  Six had played between 50 and 99. Seven players had played 50 or less.   The ones who had played the most games, were prolific in garnishing the club a Premiership. Geelong is still one of the oldest playing groups and have more AFL game experience.


Collingwood’s 2023 win saw thirteen players who had played over 100 games, with four over 200.  Seven players had played between 50 and 100 games, with fifteen playing less than 50.  Five of that squad played in the Grand Final and had played less than 50 games. Those who played 100 games are either in their late twenties or early thirties.


Why is this important? If we look at the team that played on Sunday, most of our playing group has played less than 50 games at the AFL level. The average age is below 25.   This is a vital factor in why the game on Sunday was magnificent, and showing a level of positivism in the club and the team itself that anything can and is achieved with a steadfast determination and self-belief.  Sure, it was against a bottom side, but it was a side that had come off from a two-game winning streak, and we were not only playing at their home ground, but we had dropped out of the eight. Our morale was low; theirs was not. Our team was decimated by injuries, with substantial missing players. Theirs was not.  

But what was so significant in this game was the constant pressure, no matter where the ball was. What was so significant was that the game was Carlton’s to shape and mould, and the team had more to gain and, at the same time, more to lose. The team showed what it means to be a team. It showed that together with a leadership group that surpassed all expectations can and does inspire. From soccer-like goals to unexpected defenders suddenly kicking multiple goals. To players who had been faltering, suddenly showing what they are capable of and why the club believed in them in the first place. But it showed so much more. It showed that a passionate determination to push yourself and play in a way that can only lead to success is one that should never be underestimated. Yes, it was against a bottom team. Yes, the last game of the season will be very important. But this game, this win is a catalyst moment for the club: that if there is a belief and a will to do all that you can to become a winning side, no matter who is there, the result will be just that – a win. 

It allowed less experienced players to develop and grow to become better players. It allowed new players to experience the intensity level that an AFL game provides. But more than that, it gave the club a chance to show that no matter who is in the side, the game is on our terms and that a win is something that we can control. 

#GOBLUES!

All photos courtesy of the AFL

Stronger Together! Mean it!

As I packed my gym bag for my afternoon session after work, I thought about the T-shirt I took to wear and what the words on it stood for. I pondered its meaning and significance. It seems that the words on the front may mean something to me, but I’ve realised, to some, it is just lip service. I’m talking about the “Stronger Together” T-shirt, which has also been a phrase put on other merchandise.


When it came out, after the club’s momentum last year, supporters snapped it up as they all wanted to be a part of the “stronger together” campaign.  They all felt that they, too, believed in this mantra and wanted to show the world how “stronger together” the club is.  Now, when the club is faltering, it seems that some are storing the merchandise away because now, when the club needs supporters to be “strong” and do it “together”, it doesn’t fit their narrative anymore. They are only prepared to be “stronger together” when the club rises, not when they are not.


How hypocritical is this?  Do supporters feel that now that the club’s narrative has changed, where there is an even more vital need to be “stronger together”, this mantra is only worthwhile spouting when the club is successful? What underlying meaning do the words “stronger together” have that I am just not seeing because now the club is not as successful? Am I missing a hidden phrase or word that implies that “stronger together” is only when the club is successful does this phrase have meaning and a purpose?


I wore my T-shirt and matching jumper and am not ashamed to show my support. The words “stronger together” mean that together, we can create a strong and supportive environment that enables the club to know that there are those out there who support it in its endeavours to become a strong club, one that we can do together.


If you only see this as being a mantra when the club is rising, then it shows, to me anyway, the true nature of who you really are. Because as the saying states, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” which implies that when conditions become difficult, those with a strong will and character are more determined to succeed and support those that are down, to rise them back up . Michael Jordan stated that, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”


Success does not come in a way we want or in a certain time frame. If we have embraced the phrase “stronger together” in the past, we must also embrace it now. When it is needed the most.

#GOBLUES!

Perspective & History!

Let me say a few things. Yes, I was guttered about the result on Sunday. But, and there is a but, I understand where the team is and where it is heading. Now, you may disagree, but that is fine. But if you do, don’t state that ‘I am delusional’ or ‘blind’ or ‘have no idea’ etc. etc. etc.  Using one word or a few words to state how you disagree proves nothing to me as it does not prove anything. If you disagree, I want to know why and maybe I can be persuaded.
I have repeatedly stated where I think the club is, and I have not changed. Sure, we have been decimated with injuries, and that plays into how we are faring so far this year.  But let’s take a step back and rationalise this. 


Firstly, Michael Voss has been a Head coach since 2022. Before that, how many other coaches did we have in the past ten years? Five!  If we take this further, let’s look at those teams in the top eight in order.  Sydney – John Longmire has been Head coach since 2011, thirteen years.  Port Adelaide – Ken Hinkley has been Head coach since 2012, twelve years. GWS – Adam Kingsley has been a Head coach since 2023, and yes, he has only been in that role for just over a year, but the previous coach was Leon Cameron, who was there since 2014, eight years.


Then there is Geelong—Chris Scott has been Head Coach since 2010, nearly fourteen years. Yes, he won a Premiership in 2011, the year after he took over from Bomber Thompson, who had been coach for ten years. Yes, he took the club to a Premiership in 2022. It took him another eleven years to get the club to Premiership contention.


As we move down, Brisbane Lions—Chris Fagan has been Head coach since 2016, nearly eight years, and has taken the club to a Premiership but not won. Fremantle—Justin Longmuir has been at the helm since 2019, nearly five years. Before that, Ross Lyon, who had been there for seven years and took them to a Grand Final, did not win. 


Western Bulldogs—Luke Beveridge has been Head coach since 2015, nearly nine years. Before that, they had Brendan McCartney for two years, Paul Williams for a year, and Rodney Eade for six years. Sure, they won a Premiership in Beveridge’s second year as coach, but their season has been up and down since then.


Lastly, Hawthorn—Sam Mitchell took over from Alistar Clarkson in 2022. Clarko had been Head coach since 2005, for sixteen years, and took the club to four Premierships. He won his first three years after taking over, and it took him another five years to win three straight.


Now, let’s remind ourselves of Carlton’s journey.  Brett Ratten, from 2007 to 2012, five years. Mick Malthouse 2013 – 2015, two years. Brendon Bolton 2016 – 2019, two and half years. Then David Teague from mid 2019 to 2021, two and half years.  Since 2007, we have had five coaches. We thought we would give a coach a few years, and then if it doesn’t work, we could sack them and try again. And if that doesn’t work out, sack them and try again. And if that doesn’t work out, sack them and try again. 


We went through the salary cap breach in 2002, which set the club back ten years. So, if we take it that we had to start our rebuild in 2012, we have turned over coaches and not had consistency in the club and the team for twelve years. It makes no difference whatsoever about the talent in the club, as we have seen some of the best players at Carlton, and not one of them has won a Premiership at Carlton.


To flood social media and the media as a whole spouting their disgust and anger at the team and the club itself shows that there is, in my view, no fundamental understanding of what it will take to get a Premiership cup.  Sure, be upset, be guttered even, but to be angry and not support the club anymore is a blinkered view of an arrogance that is steeped in an era that is no more and never will be if we take the attitude that we have been taking by the turnover of coaches.  I don’t get nor understand this notion that there is an expectation that because of last season, it is a given that we have to be in the top eight. We are not the only club to have great players, and the competition has become a very, very close one. 

I just don’t understand this feeling of entitlement that some have just because we have not won a Premiership for twenty-nine years, that given that past that we have gone through, well, it is our right to win one when we have not earned it yet. This need to bag and boo players and coaches achieves nothing positive only to vent our own frustration. It does not incentivise anyone to do better. It never has and never will. 


To plaster vitriol so that it makes us feel better solves nothing. I was upset by the loss, but I was more upset about the reaction of some who had no fundamental understanding and didn’t want to understand the club’s unique situation.  We may not make it to the Finals this season, but we have the core guts of being a team that will make it. We just need to know that consistency in our coaches, our players and, yes, our fitness and stamina will get us there.  If you can’t support a team when they are down, then you don’t really have the right to support them when they turn it around and become the team we all want to see.

Now, SEN has posted a post about how Carlton has let the supporters down for a long time. That is accurate, but it doesn’t mean that we have this expectation of success when the club has not been prepared to go for the long haul. If they don’t, this will be a repeatable occurrence nobody wants to be a part of.

#GOBLUES!

Momentum & Support!

After the game on the weekend, I took some time before I wrote something. I wanted to see what was being said, written about and discussed not only by commentators but also on social media.  There were some good points, bad points and some downright nonsensical, disruptive and very nasty comments made.  While these did not surprise me, they made me think that maybe I was seeing something completely different and that perhaps I was on my own here in terms of how I saw the club and the direction it was going.


It seems that I am taking a view that is on the whole positive in its position and not all the doom and gloom that others are seemingly taking. I do admit that this is my nature in life. To see things from a different perspective and for the most part, a half-glass full, rather than one being empty.  It seems that, for the most part, I am in the minority, albeit a very small one. Maybe I am wrong.
I just cannot understand why others don’t see what I see or try to see in the development and growth of a club that has, for the past ten years, been one of instability, inconsistency and breeding a culture of entitlement that repeats every three years when the going gets so tough that there is a need to change hoping that this time, it will work in a time-frame that is, in a sporting arena, virtually impossible. 


A few comments in previous blogs state that supporters are like this because it has been 29 years since our last Premiership.  That is not in question; what is in question is that I cannot think of another club that went down the quagmire of the salary cap issues that set this club ten years backwards.  Then we changed, and changed, and changed, and changed, and changed again our coaches because some strongly believe that it is our right as the Carlton FC to achieve what has to be achieved in a time frame that is simply not possible. 


But enough with the need to reiterate that what has gone on in the past does have a massive effect on our present and future, I will state something that I wrote before the major Bye. It has to do with momentum.


Let me say that while I was disappointed and even perplexed about Saturday’s game, the only thing that really upset me was the reaction that some seemed to have regarding the coaching team. Some even suggested that Michael Voss would be sacked at the end of 2025. For some, maybe he should be sacked now!


Before the major Bye, teams such as Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Geelong, GWS, and the Western Bulldogs were struggling.  Even last year’s Premiers were languishing. I have often stated that it is not how you start a season but how you perform after the major Bye Round. It is the momentum you gain by not being the very best at the beginning but how you progress after every match, and that translates into how you perform after the Bye. 
In season 2023, we saw this in full action with Carlton.  Sitting fifteenth before the Bye Round to finishing in the top eight, the team’s momentum and determination showed what is being shown in the teams now sitting in the top eight. 

We are seeing a Sydney Swans team, which was touted as Premiership favourites for most of the season, falter and now only be one game ahead of four teams below them.  Who would have imagined that the game against Port Adelaide would see this team not score at all for the first half?  We saw Fremantle get beaten in the last seconds of the match by a team outside of the eight.  Yet we believe that because we are Carlton, it is a given that we will not succumb and beat a team that is not only our life-long foe but one that is gaining momentum after a poor start.


I’m not going to point fingers at the team, as plenty of others do that, and this is not the point of this blog.  There has to be some rationality in thinking and unmitigated support and positivism directed not only to the club by supporters but within the club as well. This will only happen if we understand that what we have been through is not going to be something that will change and suddenly become what we want it to become in a few years. 

We have to have the momentum to know that right now, we are on the right track. Sure there may be a few steps backwards, and it might not happen in the time frame some want, but it will happen. It is up to us as supporters to do just that – support, no matter what the score is.


If we want to build a club that is a force, it takes time and patience. It will not occur with the constant barrage of nasty negativity and the need to change when things don’t pan out the way they should in the time frame that we want. This will never achieve any kind of successful momentum. I know we have not had the success we crave for quite some time, but since 2023, our momentum has slowly grown, even if we have had a few setbacks. But hey, maybe I am alone here, but it will not stop me from keep on believing this. 

#GOBLUES!

Dear Supporters!

After the weekend, after looking at the match results and discussing this with friends, I firmly believe and stand by what I have always thought and written about. Carlton is not in the same position as it was three years, two years, or even one year ago; it is better. Many will not agree, so be it, but hear me out.
Sydney has long been touted this season as the team to be in the Grand Final. As I have stated before, its coach began coaching the club in 2011. In that time, they have won a Premiership—once. They have been in the top eight for all except two years. Again, they have won the Premiership in thirteen years—once. Yet Carlton supporters expect the team to win it in just two years since Michael Voss took over.


Geelong’s Chris Scott has been head coach since 2011. When he took over from Mark Thompson, who resigned at the end of 2010, he was gifted a playing group that he did not shape nor mould, but he was handed a playing list that did win a Premiership in 2011. It then took him until 2022, another eleven years later, to mould and develop a Premiership team. Yet Carlton supporters expect the team to win it in just two years since Michael Voss took over.


Collingwood’s Craig McCrae took over as head coach in 2022, and though he did win a Premiership in 2023, he took over when Nathan Buckley, who had been the coach in 2021 after trying to get the team to a Premiership since 2012 when he was appointed. The club did not go through five other coaches in that period that Carlton went through. Yet Carlton supporters are expecting the team to win it in just two years after a tumultuous previous eight years.
Let’s go further. Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley began his coaching at the club in 2013. The club was featured in the top eight at that time, but he did not take the team to a Grand Final win.  So, in that period, he has gotten the team to become successful but has not garnished for the club that ultimate prize. Yet Carlton supporters expect the team to win it in just two years since Michael Voss took over.


Then there is Justin Longmuir, coach of Fremantle. He took over in 2020. In that time in 2020 the club finished twelfth. In 2021, they finished eleventh, and in 2023, they finished fourteenth.  They had consistency in their coaching team as their previous coach, Ross Lyon, had been head coach from 2012 to 2019. In that time, he had taken the club to a Grand Final only once, his record had been that he took St Kilda to two Grand Finals, loosing both. Yet some supporters expect Carlton to win the ultimate prize in just two years since Michael Voss took over, given our tumultuous past.


The point that I am trying to make is that, yes, we have the talent. Yes, we have the ability to go all the way, but we should not be so cocky to assume that because of all of this, we should be and must be Premiership favourites, given that we have not had consistency in our coaching and, therefore, game plan.


I understand that we have been waiting a long time to come close to touching that Premiership Cup, but it will never, ever be achieved if we keep changing our coaches, believing the next one will do better. History has shown it won’t work.  You have to have consistency in the coaching group, especially the head coach, to instil in the players a belief and a culture that ensures that they will get all the support they need and facilities to ensure that each player that pulls on a Carlton top, has the tools to be a champion.
Those who call up and say that other coaches will be better than Michael Voss are, quite frankly, delusional and narrow-minded.  They don’t understand what it will take to get the club back to where it wants to be if you believe the grass is greener on the other side.


Do we want to be a club that wins one year and falters the next? Do we want to be where Collingwood is sitting now? Where the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne are sitting now? Or do we want to be where Hawthorn and Richmond were?  Alistair Clarkson, the coach of Hawthorn from 2005 until 2021, won the Premiership in 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2015. The club went from fourteenth to eleventh, fifth, and second.  Clarko was revolutionary in his mindset and began his role understanding that the club needed a sweeping change in both its playing group and its culture. His achievement in this area is one where the club rose, faltered, and then rose again for three successive years.  He understood that consistency on the field and off would be critical to achieving success.


Richmond’s Damian Hardwick was its coach from 2010 to 2023.  In that time, they won the Premiership in 2017, 2019 and 2020.  In 2010 Richmond were second bottom of the ladder. It took the club seven years to finally develop and grow enough to become Premiership winners. Hardwick was at the helm of the club for thirteen years.


In both Hawthorn and Richmond cases, the coaches understood what it would take to become a powerhouse club, yet supporters expect Carlton to become this type of club under a coach who has had to remould the club after a tumultuous time when the hiring and firing of coaches is dependant on a whim. Despite all expectations, he took the team to the finals in 2023, falling short yet seeing real growth on and off the field.


Supporters should not expect Carlton to perform differently or more so just because it is Carlton. There is a need to understand that long-term success does not just happen over a few seasons; it takes time and consistency both on and off the field. It takes maturity from its young players, and it takes more than just being a star of the game. As supporters, we need to understand this. If some out there don’t see it, that is their right. If their fickle nature means that after a few years of being a head coach of a club who does not live up to your expectations, only to get rid of them, you are free to leave. It takes courage and dedication to become a successful long-term group, and I firmly believe that we are heading in the right direction despite what others may say.

#GOBLUES!

Disappointed? Yes! Giving Up? No!

Firstly, let me say I am disappointed and a tad upset. But I am not and never will disregard supporting the club as it makes strides in its bid to achieve the ultimate prize. After a match, I go on social media to see how others react, and it surprised me that for one Carlton group, the admins had to switch off comments due to the sheer nastiness and vitriol directed at players, coaches and the club.  Under the guise of ‘venting’, they believe they have the right to make their feelings tainted with nastiness and self-entitlement public. 

While there is no issue in vocalising an opinion or view, there is if it has the underlying theme of name calling directed at players, coaches and the club.  Regarding the ‘self-entitlement’, some believe that the club ‘owes them.’
This is a sporting club that we support. There will be many highs and just as many lows, and we have gone through many, many lows in the past. We are now starting to slowly savour the highs that come with consistency in the administration and coaching of the club and also amongst the playing group. Sure, it needs tweaking, fine tuning, solidifying, but it does not need those out there sinking to a level that does and achieves nothing except for the sole purpose of venting based on a nasty undertone. Let’s focus on the progress we’ve made and the potential for even greater success in the future.


Behind me sat a ‘supporter’ who, after the third time that they made a derogatory comment directed at our and the opposition players, I turned and gave him a rather nasty look. I noted where he was sitting; if he had made one more comment like that, I would have reported him to the club and the stadium. There is no need at all, in any way, to behave like this. We can be critical, disappointed, upset, and angry, but the names this man called players are deplorable.  Another supporter yelled at the umpires, vocalising their anger, but did not stoop to the level of name-calling. 


I have stated before that five years ago I wrote a timeline of where I thought the club would be for the next five years. So far, I have not been wrong.  The reason is that I understand and look not at the short-term success of the club, but the long-term.  I don’t expect others to see it this way, but this is what I believe based on the evidence before me.  I have no issue if others don’t agree, and that is what makes this sport or any sport exciting: we can all have different views and opinions, but it should be based on the evidence and not on emotion. I understand that we are all emotionally tied to the club and what it means for us, but that alone will not make a club successful in the long run. Let’s stay committed to our long-term vision for the club. 


Season 2024 is proving to be one of the closest we have seen for a long time. There is no guarantee which club will eventually make it to the Grand Final.  There have been losses from clubs that should not have lost and wins where clubs should not have won. Why should Carlton be any different? 


We are a club slowly building to where it eventually wants to be. If we want successful longevity in the game, we have to understand that sometimes it just does not work out. But there will be times when it all starts clicking into place, and the memories of our losses will fade into the past.  The game on Friday night showed that we are not quite there yet to achieve this long-term success. We are making strides, but we are just not there yet.


We have to also stop with this name-calling directed at players and coaches. We can be upset, angry, frustrated and disappointed, but not nasty and derogatory comments directed at the club and those who want to strive to be successful.


Always: #GOBLUES!

Image courtesy of the AFL

It Ain’t Pretty…but hang in there!

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.

This Will Not Be Popular…but I don’t care!


I went out on Sunday, and a stranger who saw me wearing my Carlton scarf (proudly) yelled out, ‘That was embarrassing, wasn’t it?’ I smiled, said, disagreed, and yelled, ‘Go Blues!’ It was not that I was embarrassed. I was disappointed, sure, but not embarrassed.


After the game, I looked at the comments made by ‘supporters.’ I put that word in parentheses because what was written shows me that they are not supporters in any way, shape or form.  The language used and the vitriol aimed at both coaches and players illustrate how fickle they are and why, for them, it is only in the success that they will support. The suggestion that some have made to get rid of the coach, get rid of some players, and replace some with others when you don’t know why they were not selected in the first place is ludicrous!


I understand the frustration and the disappointment, but to suggest that we are a ‘disgrace of a club’, that there are players that should be ‘booted out of the club’ together with some of the coaches, as was mentioned in some of the social media, is hilarious, to say the least, and a lack of complete understanding of where the club is situated right now from where it has been.


This club’s journey cannot and should not be compared to other clubs. Tell me one other club who has gone through five changes in coaches in ten years? Name one other club that crawled through the quagmire of the salary cap issue to try and become a success again, only to chop and change coaches when the timeline did not suit some.  Which other club has gone through this? Not one! Yet some supporters are arrogant enough to believe in the hype that we are Carlton and better than the others in terms of what can and should be achieved in a fixed amount of time; their time.


We have not had consistency, clarity nor a decent culture at the club until Michael Voss stepped in.  He stepped in September 2021 and had a full season as senior coach in 2022. In 2023, we went from being fifteenth to finishing fifth! Nobody thought we could or would, yet we did.  In 2024, we have solidified what Vossy and the team have been working on regarding consistency, connection and strength. It takes time to change and to grow when a team has had so many changes. For the team to become what the coaches believe they can become.  There will be great peaks of success and also deep chasms of failure. In each case, the team and the club learn from what this entails. It will give them more knowledge and understanding to give them the success they strive for.


Why are we so special that because it is Carlton, this growth has to be at a pace set by unrealistic expectations that do not consider where we have come from?  For any club to be consistently successful, it takes time. Yet it seems, for some, time is not something that should be relevant to Carlton’s journey so far. 


We have the talent and capabilities to be a great team, but we are still learning how to achieve that. We are traversing a road that has the capacity to end in success, but there will always be kinks in that path and pitfalls that we don’t see coming that can either make or break us. 


So, it does not bother me one bit that this view will not be popular or acceptable, and I can guarantee that some will think it is laughable. Fine. Go for it. It just shows me that instead of having a debate about views and opinions, you choose to laugh at it without any rationale. It proves that you are the type of supporter I don’t respect and never will.


We all want that ultimate success. We were all disappointed in the past two weeks. But I am not embarrassed, nor will I sink to the level of nasty vitriol directed at the club. I know I am not alone.


Always #GO BLUES!

A Lesson to be Learnt!

The loss against GWS was and is a great lesson to learn.  It is a game that will be viewed by the club in its entirety for all the good and the bad.  Yet for some, it seems that all is doom and gloom at the club just because a team got the better of us in a season where we have been a better team than we were last season and the season before.


Heading into the pointy end of the season, rumours are rife as to who is likely to stay, who is expected to go and who is likely to be pursued by other clubs.  That all of this coupled with the loss, the club is “imploding.” In all these “likelihoods”, there is one element of truth: journalists and commentators have nothing else to write about and do so for their own relevance. But while others, to their detriment, see the negatives, I see the positives.


We are not the same team we have been in the past; we are better. But to get better, you need to have setbacks, times when things don’t work out the way you had hoped. It is in these moments that you need to take stock of where you have been and what you can do for the future to change these setbacks.  Nobody in the world can be and should be doing everything right every single time, as that does not allow reflection on how to improve. It makes people believe they are the best and there is no need to learn from mistakes.  It is these people who will never achieve any semblance of complete success because they are too arrogant to see past their own specialness. It is those who see what went wrong, learn from it and grow from it.


I am not saying we should not be upset, but we should not belittle coaches, players and others because they just did not perform in a way that we categorically expect. Every game is a journey into becoming more experienced, more knowledgeable and have a more understanding not only of our own abilities, but that of our opponents.  In order to do this successfully, we have to and must sometimes be disappointed. In this respect, this disappointment can be the catalyst of learning in a way that will make a person and a team stronger and more able to combat onslaughts and barriers to our performance.  This is what Carlton will take from the loss at GWS.
The noise from outside the club flips on the toss of a coin, and it is there to rile supporters up in a way that makes them feel validated in a world where one week, you’re a star; the next, you’ve imploded, only to become a star the next week.


Nic Newman stated in an interview that the team was “not paying too much attention to the outside noise” and that “football is too volatile to predict anything.” He stated that Michael Voss advises the players to “block out the punters and remain present.” This was reiterated in 2023 when Voss said that “touching base with the playing group every week” where the team “has a strong grasp what can and can’t be achieved,” where “needing unity and confidence to put the pieces together.”  This seems to have sunk in well and truly for the club. Newman also stated that this is showing as how well they are performing so far. He said that they are keeping “our focus narrow and look at what’s right in front of us rather than looking too far ahead.”


The club has the pieces to make it a successful club, even if the pieces sometimes get lost or damaged.  The club will pick up these pieces, examine them and make them work again in a way that will benefit each individual no matter where they sit in the game.  It will be a way to learn, grow and understand how to ensure these pieces are not lost or broken in the future.  That is what a successful club does and will do. We are not different.
It’s not just in our sport but in life in general. It’s about taking one step at a time, maintaining our focus on the next game rather than getting lost in what could be possible in the future or what happened in the past.


We, as supporters, should and must do and act the same. Sure, we can dream, but the control of that dream is out of our hands, and all we can do is concentrate on the “now, not the later. ” We must not worry about what could happen in a few months time or those that stay or go. All we can do is support and know that given where the club was a few years ago, the growth and the lessons learned will only benefit each player and the club, no matter who they are, for the future.

Happy birthday Michael Voss.

#GOBLUES!

All photos courtesy of the AFL.