The Time Is Now: Stop Being Negative, Carlton Is 11-5
Let’s cast our minds back. Sunday 19th of May 2019, Carlton travels to Sydney to play the roaring GWS Giants in the graveyard shift. The Blues, having only won one match for the whole year up to that point, stepped foot onto Giants Stadium in the hopes they can put in a respectable performance and make their fanbase proud. Two hours later, they stepped off that pitch, having fallen by 93 points, only kicking 2 goals up until half time.
Lachie Whitfield had 40 touches, 18 marks and kicked 3 goals. Carlton’s spiritual leader Patrick Cripps was destroyed, only having 12 disposals for the match. And the veteran, Marc Murphy, was clobbered by Shane Mumford, suffering a broken rib, which proved to be a microcosm of not only that horrible night, but the season.
This was the beginning of the end for Brenton Bolton, as a fortnight later, he was sacked. This was perhaps one of the darkest periods in recent history of the Carlton Football Club. After 4 years of a rebuild that started off the back of the horrendous tenue of Mick Malthouse, the club was seemingly, regressing. Winning only 2 games the year before, the playing list was in a position where they was no obvious growth and a coaching panel that were specialists in failure.
While this would play a perfect prequel to set up the resurgence of the Carlton Football Club under new coach David Teague, this, in typical Carlton fashion, wasn't meant to be. Despite a positive end to 2019, Carlton continued to be the laughingstock of the competition. 2020, going up to the hub and missing finals in the flakiest and most cowardly way possible. Before 2021, where they added Adam Saad and Zac Williams which gave their list a chance for finals, they, once again, choked. A horrendous first half of the season culminated in the club issuing an external, mid-season review of the entire football department.
This left fans embarrassed, appalled and shocked as to what this once great club had turned to become. As mentioned, that night in Sydney was a dark period for the club, however, this isn’t far off. The club effectively threw in the towel for the rest of the season. The Navy Blues waved the white flag and conceded the position they were in, Carlton was a mess and needed fixing urgently. Carlton has gone 27 without a flag, the second longest drought in the AFL, and the longest drought in the clubs history. This rebuild has been the most torturous time in football clubs history. Here are some stats that display how appalling Carlton were during that period.
They conceded the 10th and 14th highest score in the clubs entire history during these 6 years, as well as kicking over 100 points only twice between the years of 2015-2021.
The Blues were either the wooden spooners or lost to the wooden spooners every single year from 2015 to 2021.
From 2014 to 2020, not one Carlton player kicked over 40 goals in a single season.
Carlton sat in the top 8 at the end of only 2 rounds between the years 2014 and 2021.
The stat that perhaps shows just how bad Carlton was, is that from the club's twenty biggest losses in their history, 5 of them have come in the last 6 years.
This is just putting into perspective just how awful Carlton was between the years 2014-2021. They are by far the worst team (barring Gold Coast and maybe Melbourne) of the 2010s and this systemic issue that plagued the club through its attempted re-build needed urgent fixing.
Up-step Luke Sayers, Brian Cook and Michael Voss. Within a month of the end of the 2021 AFL season, Carlton had changed their senior coach, CEO and President, sparking a new era for the Carlton football club.
This new era has gotten off the near perfect start. Carlton sit inside of the top 8 with 10 wins and 5 losses, it has snapped their streak against the Tigers in round one and went 3-0 for the first time since 2012. This is a new era for the Carlton Football Club. This new regime has completely transformed the fabric of the Carlton Football Club. To put it into perspective, here as some familiar stats that show this.
Carlton has not conceded over 100 points at all this season, whilst kicking over 100 points 7 times themselves (including a period where they kicked it in 4 consecutive weeks.)
Carlton has beaten every single team they have versed that is placed 12th position or lower.
Charlie Curnow has already kicked 50 goals this season and we are only at round 17.
The Blues have not dropped outside of the top 8 at all this season.
And finally, Carlton has not lost a game by over 6 goals at all this season.
Compare these stats from the ones aforementioned, this shows the transformation clear as day. The Navy Blue transformation is just getting started, the injury list has taken a massive toll on Voss’ ability to get the best out of his squad and yet he is still finding a way to ensure this team maintains its top 8 position. However, despite all of this, there is still a lingering feeling of pessimism around the Carlton Football Club, coming from some supporters.
Take the over-reaction to loss against St. Kilda for instance. Carlton kicked 10 goals 18 behinds and lost by 15 points. While this isn’t exactly the most scientific method to analyse a match, if the Blues kick straight, they *most likely* win the game.
Take the over-hating of players such as Lachie Plowman, Lochie O’Brien and Jack Newnes. All putting up career-best numbers and playing extremely valuable roles in the teams success, yet still, their heads are being called for after every slightly below-par performance. While criticism is fair and most definitely warranted at times, these two reactions all stem from the PTSD that Carltons fans have developed from years of watching abhorrent football.
Let’s take some regular statistics from the season to explore just how good Carlton has been this season. Carlton has the highest average effective disposal differential with +35.7. The Blues have the second highest average clearance differential with +4.2. They have the fourth highest disposal efficiency with 75%, whilst having the third most contested possessions with 144.6 and the eighth-highest metres gained average with 5956.9. This shows that the Blues are very capable of winning the ball from the contest but then have the ability to spread and use the ball well on the outside to create multiple scoring avenues.
These stats are something we couldn't have said about Carlton for the best part of nearly two decades. Yet today, Carlton has a system that stacks up with the best in the competition, and a system that other teams are trying to emulate.
The mystical transformation, the ‘imagine when the Blues turn it around’ moment, the ‘imagine when the Blues are good again’ feeling, is happening as we speak. The Carlton football club are turning the ship around, after years and decades of below-par performances and being the laughingstock of the competition, the Blues are once again a team that strikes fear into the opposition. They are once again a team that you can be proud of, they are once again a team that will be in, not only finals contention, but flag contention, very soon.
