Jack Newnes | 2020 Season Review
Written by Joseph Addamo
Throughout the 2020 off-season, Blue Abroad will be providing content to cover everything you need to know about the Carlton Football Club.
After a largely improved season, we will be reviewing every player that pulled on the famous Navy Blue guernsey in 2020.
This is the Blue Abroad Player Review for Carlton’s #32 – Jack Newnes.
SEASON SYNOPSIS
Undoubtedly, the 2020 surprise packet for Carlton was the arrival, emergence and importance of Jack Newnes as a delisted free agent from the Saints. Newnes showed why at one point in his career he was touted as a future St. Kilda captain, with his penchant for a big moment and putting the team on his shoulders on full display across all 17 games.
Among midfielders, Newnes was ranked elite for tackles inside 50 per game (0.9), goals (13 total), goal accuracy (72.2%) and clutch kicks from the boundary (1). He was also ranked above average for kick efficiency (64%), marks (3.1) and shots at goal (1.1).
No one expected Newnes to have the impact he did in 2020, let alone establish himself as a best 22 mainstay for the club. Blues fans won’t forget Newnes’ first year in Navy Blue any time soon.
BEST PERFORMANCE
To be fair to ‘Newnesy’, his consistency and impact across a plethora of games has largely gone unnoticed, overshadow by that game and that moment vs. Fremantle. He kicked goals in 11 of his 17 games and played a vital role on the wing contributing to the Blues’ fortunes.
However, no performance will be remembered as fondly as that Round 12 thriller. Carlton trailed at every break against the Dockers on a wet and tightly contested night at Optus Stadium. Coming off disappointing back-to-back losses to Hawthorn and West Coast in the rounds prior, the Blues’ finals hopes were hanging by a knife’s edge. The frantic final 30 seconds and Newnes’ miracle kick from the boundary sent fans into a frenzy, and cemented a special spot in Carlton supporters’ hearts for Newnes that will last a lifetime.
Newnes finished with 12 disposals, a game-high 8 tackles, 16 pressure acts, 1 almighty match-winning goal and 1 Brownlow vote for this performance. What a man, what a moment!
OFF-SEASON & 2021 OUTLOOK
Even with the additions of Zac Williams and Adam Saad, as well as the returns of the likes of Charlie Curnow, Nic Newman and Caleb Marchbank to the best 22, it is difficult not to have Newnes in the Senior squad week-in-week-out in 2021.
Now having played 172 games at 27 years of age, Newnes is one of Carlton’s more experienced campaigners in the age bracket that the Blues have sorely missed in recent years. While not a prolific ball-winner for the Blues in 2020, Newnes proved his footballing ability as a goal-kicking winger and the desire to influence games each week when the moment asked for him to stand up and be accountable.
We set some targets of what we wanted to get out of the isolation period… one of mine was to keep building relationships… it’s when the games and the nitty-gritty starts that you’re really trying to earn respect and build those relationships. – Jack Newnes
Arguably Carlton’s best first-year player, it would not come as a surprise to see Newnes elevated to a Leadership Group position in 2021.
2020 REPORT CARD RATING
B+
STATUS HEADING INTO 2021
Consistent Senior Player
