2023: It’s here. It’s time.

Written by Jono Baruch

So here we are. It's the eve of a new season.

All the elements are back. The excitement of the new year. The feeling of 'thank god I have something to watch on Friday night and on the weekend if I don't have plans'. The feeling of getting back into a routine.

There's also the feeling of nerves and anxiousness. The feeling and readiness to ride the bumps of the 23-week home and away season and go through the wringer of emotions. The elation in victory and the flip side is the anguish of defeat.

The feeling of having your weekend either made or broken on a Friday night or having the ability to set you on the course for the start of your week. It's absolute madness, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

It's just footy, right? The knowledge and acceptance that 23 guys kicking a ball around a park for two hours on the weekend has the ability to do so much to our minds, emotions, and health. It's an unhealthy obsession but it's not here, it's a gaping hole in our lives that we can't live without.

The excitement is palpable. The question of what if? The ponderings of the potential of what a new recruit might add. The scribblings and debates of who fits into your team's best 23. Who's going to rise? Who's going to fall?

Who is going to write their own story this year?

Whose turn will it be to ascend the mountain? 

For our club? The one that sprung back to life last season. Excitement is at a fever pitch.

So much excitement about what might happen in year two under Michael Voss. Excitement about the stability in the second year of the Luke Sayers, Brian Cook administration era.

Excitement through the playing list which boasts three reigning All- Australian players, the reigning Brownlow Medallist, and the reigning back-to-back Coleman Medallists.

A list with seemingly, all the pieces there to make something great happen. With a brand-spanking new facility that is the envy of 17 other clubs in the league.

But the story is only just beginning. And the pressure is on.

The pressure is on because it's time. The pressure is on because everyone is sick and tired of waiting for this club to take the next step.

The players, the admin staff, the supporters, the media, and the entire football community. There comes a point in time across every football club's journey when pity and being the butt of all jokes turns to a level of impatience bordering on anger.

Not only is it the Carlton fans and people that are ready for Carlton to finally be good, but The wider football world has also declared they are too.

You can see it in the predictions and the crystal balls. You can hear it in the talk around town in the cafes, pubs, and on talkback radio.

Carlton is once again relevant and in a meaningful way.

So, what of the season ahead? What narrative will the 2023 story tell?

Will they be impacted by the heartbreak of 2022? How will it be playing on their minds? Will it drive them throughout the whole 23 weeks plus what comes after?

How will they start the season, and will that dictate the way it moves forward?

Will there be any visible improvements and layers to the style of the play? How closely in tune will they stay to the one of that brutal midfield on display early last season? What layers will be added in the second year under Michael Voss?

Will there be a clean run with injuries? Will the same select handful who seemingly take their positions in the rehab room each year be regular attendees there again or will they get a change of fortune?

Will the forward line function again? Who will emerge as the third key goalkicking threat?

Who will emerge from the pack as the surprise to go from interchangeable to indispensable from the team? 

Will the slingshot off half-back and fast ball movement be effective without Zac? How much time will Doc spend in the guts? Can Crippa level up again after winning the Brownlow? Will Jacob finally get his blazer?

These are all just some of the questions being asked. Crucial parts to the next chapters of the story.

Our story. One that’s been followed and ridden through every peak and trough. And yet here we are still here, unbroken, and ready to dive into what’s next because that’s just the hook a good story, I mean footy has.

Beneath it all, there is a sense of apprehension and excitement that consumes all Carlton people and footy fans.

While the rehab room might have been busy at times throughout the summer, Round one isn't the finish line. Neither is Round 23 and the aim is to ensure that everyone is right to go right when the whips are cracking.

If 2022 was all about what could be, 2023 is the time to start showing it. Sans a couple of injury concerns they couldn't be better placed.

For a club that's renowned for doing alot of talking, the actions on the park are now what matters most.

The next chapter of the story is always the most exciting. Make it your own.

The time is now.