Carlton Mid-Season Review
Wow, what a season this has been so far. The Carlton Football Club, after years of being a laughingstock, years of being the butt of every joke the AFL has to offer, is finally, at least a semi-decent football team once again. Let’s look back at the last 11 games and dissect the season that has been.
Best performance - Vs Sydney Swans (H)
Let’s be honest, it could’ve been a multitude of matches. From Richmond in Round 1, the Dogs in round 2 and the Giants away from home, all these matches are games that will live long in the memory of Carlton fans. However, the game that announced the Carlton Football Club as a real top 4 chance in 2022 was the round 10 match against the Swans.
This win put the Blues 8-2 and cemented them in the top 4. While it was a close, nervy finish to the match, the Blues had the game won at halftime, due to the best quarter the Blues have played in a long, long time. It was a 9 goal second quarter and done in a manner which had your eyes glued to the TV. it was clearance after clearance, goal after goal, led by the main man, Charlie Curnow. Kicking 3 goals in that quarter, he was everywhere, giving the Sydney defensive nightmares that will follow them for a long, long time. The smalls chipped in as well, with Corey Durdin, Zac Fisher and Jesse Motlop all getting amongst the scorers.
The vibes around Marvel Stadium at the final siren were at an all-time level. The Carlton Football Club was cemented in the top 4 and played some of the league's best football. With so many stakes riding on this game, the Blues produced some of the best footy of the season, showing everyone that they are the real deal.
Worst Performance - Vs Gold Coast (A)
With the good, comes the bad. Let’s not spend too much time on this performance, but, it was round 4 and it was quite clear that the Blues had gotten ahead of themselves. After starting the season 3-0, the Blues thought they would turn up to Gold Coast, roll them over and walk back with the 4 points in an unceremonious fashion. However, the Suns wanted them more, and while a Patrick Cripps injury did hinder the Blues a little bit, there was no other explanation other than the Suns wanted it more.
Best Player’s
Well, the whole squad could get an honourable mention, and Charlie Curnow in particular, but, the best player in the squad this season is undoubtedly Patrick Cripps. Cripps, who has a season to forget in 2021, has come out in 2022 and flown out of the blocks. Arguably leading the Brownlow so far, he hit the ground running from minuet 1 and hasn't stopped since.
Having 30 touches every week, kicking bags of goals nearly every week, and for some reason being the ruck-relief that we didn’t know we needed. He has taken his game well beyond what we thought he could. He is standing up in big moments and kicking the goals that he would notoriously miss. Patrick Cripps is now becoming that player that we all thought he was going to be in 2017/18/19. He has a coaching group that has simplified the game for him, the fans on his side, his body has held up, he now has midfield support, he is performing at peak performance and it is glorious viewing every time he shakes a tackle and kicks another snag.
Most Improved
Just like the best player so far, this could go to about 5 or 6 players. However, it has to be Blue Abroad’s own, Corey Durdin. Making his debut last year and showing some spark, not many knew what to expect from Durdin this year. However, just like many, he burst out of the gates, kicking the goal to start the comeback against the Tigers, before elevating his game to levels no one thought.
His ball use higher up the ground is a surprising feature of his game, whereas his trademark pressure inside 50 and goal kicking ability has been on full show for everyone to see. After Matt Owies made himself undropable this time last year, his small-forward partner has done the same in 2022.
Second Half Preview
Just keep on keeping on. There really isn’t any major concerns for the Blues this season. The closest thing to that would be the poor second halves to games. However, the Blues do seem to hold on in these games, and although it will be good to see games out, to learn how to win well, you first need to learn how to win, and the Blues, despite their fantastic start, still have some learning to do.
Best Case Scenario
In terms of wins/losses, the best case scenario would be to finish the season with 8 more wins from the remaining games, putting the Blues with 16 wins for the season and a potential top 4 position. This considers Carlton winning 2 from St. Kilda, Richmond and Fremantle, 1 from Melbourne and Brisbane and beating the Cats, Giants, Pies, Crows, Eagles and Bombers. If Carlton plays at its best, the injury curse can be slightly lifted off and they develop some consistency, then this couldn't be that far off what actually happens.
Worst Case Scenario
Once again looking at wins/losses, the worst case scenario would be if the Blues have a form slump and fall out of contention for the Top 4, and scratch and claw their way into top 8 contention. This would include winning only once from St. Kilda, Richmond, Fremantle, Melbourne, and Brisbane. And losing twice to the Cats, Eagles, Bombers, Pies, Giants and Crows. This would leave the Blues with 5 more wins from the rest of the season, leaving them with 13 wins for the season. This should give them the top 8 spot, however with the stacked nature of the competition, this wouldn't be a guarantee.
Pass Mark
To develop a pass mark, you need to look at a couple of factors. Firstly, injuries. These injuries will have a massive impact on this season, there is no doubt about that. Secondly, fatigue. This game style that Voss is using is heavily taxing on the player's body, so if the energy levels slightly decrease, that is a major factor into looking at the pass mark for the rest of the season. Overall, the pass mark for the Carlton Football Club for the remainder of 2022 will be to win at least 6 wins for the remaining part of the season. This would leave them on 14 wins and guarantee a top 8 place.
Prediction
Wins: 14
Losses: 8
Ladder position: 6th.
