The Wrap Up | Carlton 2021
Written by Ari Stamatakos
Season Synopsis
There it is. Another season is done and another September watching from the couch wondering what could've been. With high hopes for season 2021, the expectations were finals or bust. And should the bust occur, David Teague's job would be under major threat. At the time of writing, David Teague still has a job, that decision being just as popular as unpopular. Whilst injuries and bad luck played a major role in the disappointment of this season, you can't deny inconsistency and naivety played a similar if not bigger role in it as well. An 8-14 finish to the season saw the Blues slip to 13th place on the ladder with a percentage of a measly 88.5. The positives were very few to come by, despite being very promising. Whereas the negatives were there in abundance and as bleak as ever. A clear step backwards from the year before as Carlton didn’t live up to the hype and are now spiralling out of control.
Best Performance - Vs Fremantle (H)
Whilst the last quarter vs the Pies in round 18 needs a special mention, as does the thrilling game vs The Dons in round 7 - which was the closest thing we got to finals like atmosphere. The two best overall performances from the Blues were the round 3 games vs the Dockers and the Round 20 game vs the Saints. While both performances were excellent, the constant domination and foot-on-throat style of performance that was shown against the Dockers just edges it for me.
Coming off a very disappointing loss to the Pies, the Blues needed to respond, and they did big time. Under the roof at Marvel, Carlton put on a scintillating performance from start to finish as they beat the Dockers by a convincing 45 points.
One of the key reasons this match was the best of the first half of the season was the total domination throughout. A 6 goal to 1 second term iced the game from there and the stats tell the full story. 281-187 uncontested possessions, 64-43 inside 50’s, 43-29 clearances, 118-78 marks. Total and complete domination as the Blues recorded their first win of the year.
What made it even more special was the sprinkling of individual performances as well. Eddie was back to his magical best. Cripps had 38 and kicked a couple. Fogarty announced himself in Navy Blue colours. Walsh had a then career-high 37 touches and who could forget about Harry McKay. Career-best 7 goals and 10 marks, the making of Carlton’s next big thing.
Worst Performance - Vs Collingwood (H)
Whilst the overall worst performance was undoubtedly the Port Adelaide game in round 21, the most disappointing and foreshadowing performance of how poor the season was going to be, came in round 2 against Collingwood. Primetime footy, round 2, arch-enemy and the Baggers folded…. again. It's become a staple that we can't seem to see out games. 50odd thousand strong at the MCG and the Blues couldn't match it with a team who would go on to win 1 of the next 9 and finish second last on the ladder. The Pies started the better side and stayed it throughout.
However, what's the most disappointing thing is that the execution was there, but the effort was so far off. Carlton won the clearances 40-35, level in the uncontested possession with 217 apiece, only lost the contested possession by 19. Yet the tackles, Collingwood won 65-41.
A damning indictment of where the game was won and lost. Walsh, Fogarty, and Docherty starred yet again as the Blues went down by 21 points
Best Player(s)
At the time of writing, the All-Australian 40-man squad has been announced and unsurprisingly, Walsh, McKay and Weitering all featured, and they would all be stiff not to make the 22. You can’t split between them, they were all equally our best players and even without 1 of them, we could have seen an even more disappointing season than we already had. Walsh had a breakout year, establishing himself as one of the league’s best players. He ranked elite in Disposals (29.8), Effective disposals (22.2), Ground ball gets (8.8), Pressure acts (22.9) and Shot involvements (6.5). These are the hallmarks of a midfielder who can do it all, he is class on the outside but has the grit and tenacity on the inside. And for someone who doesn’t bring any scoreboard impact, 0.5 goals a game and a “F**k Yeah” to match isn’t bad at all.
The Coleman medallist. What more can you say? Carlton’s third-ever leading goalkicker and he won it pretty comfortably in the end, considering he didn’t play the last two games of the season. 58 goals, 3.6 marks inside 50 and 2.6 contested marks all rank elite in the competition and the improvement from last season is staggering. Whether you are a fan of the constant snap's or not, they seem to be working and if they continue to win us games, then I don't want to see anyone complaining.
Lastly, Jacob Weitering. The name speaks for itself really but to delve deeper into this, he was immense from start to finish. Very really beaten and when he did, he responded and destroyed his next opponent. He ranked above average in Intercept Marks (3.2), Contested Marks (1.7) and ranked elite in Marks (7.6). In a defensive structure that is as solid as butter, he has held his own and performed exceptionally well and backed up a brilliant 2020 season with an even better year this time around.
Most Improved player
Jack Silvagni is the most scrutinised pick number 53 to ever play the game. JSOS has surprisingly come on leaps and bounds from last season where he didn’t get alot of senior football due to injury. Pinching in everywhere he is needed, he plays the game with his heart on his sleeve and is arguably the most consistent performer in the Carlton squad. With stints forward and in the ruck, he is the definition of hard work and the drive to improve yourself every single time you go out on the field. He found more of the pill than seasons past but still managed to hit the scoreboard multiple times. His marking game improved drastically and is now the closest thing this side has to a utility. Just needs to have a spell down back and show what the old man taught him. He showed that he is capable to perform when the pressure is on and his sense of occasion is second to none, he did it for Nonno. At the time of writing, he is yet to re-sign, with reports saying that he is unhappy with the current deal that he is being offered, so time will tell if the Blues let one of their favourite sons leave for nothing.
Surprise Package
While Josh Honey, Corey Durdin or Brody Kemp could’ve occupied this place, and with all due respect, none of them surprised us as much as Matt Owies. Firstly, Owies came into the side early on in the year and pretty much played brilliantly throughout the rest of it. He was able to play taller than he is and provided another forward option to Eddie Betts and Harry McKay. He kicked 15 goals from 13 games and ranked above average for Score Involvements with 4.7 per game. His tackle pressure was also a highlight as he also ranked above average for Tackles inside 50 with 1.2 per game and the same for pressure acts with 15.2. His best game of the year came against in his debut for the season against the Bombers. He kicked 3 goals, 2 tackles inside 50 and 18 pressure acts. Endearing himself to the Carlton faithful as he struck fear in the Dons defence.
The Glaring Problem - Areas of Improvement in 2022
The glaring problem with the side, which was evident as early as the first game of pre-season, was the transition on defence. How many times this season did the other team just walk into our forward 50 when we just had a prolonged period of possession. The corridor was open time after time and the opposition exploited this every chance they got. This left Weitering and Jones exposed in one-on-ones more than nearly anyone else in the competition, and whilst they held their own, the season would’ve gone a match different way should that had been addressed much earlier than it was. The other major problem which The Blues failed to address was the constant consecutive goal swings against. Which ultimately culminated in a 19-goal in a row swing against Port Adelaide. This has cost the Blues time and time again and must be addressed for The Blues to make a sustained bid for finals football.
Strengths
They were few to come by, but the fact that we finally have some players who can’t take the game by the scruff of the neck and win the game when it’s there to be won. Sam Walsh and Harry McKay are the two main examples of that. Whether it was Harry's 4 goals in the last quarter against the Pies or Walsh's goals against the Dockers and Collingwood. At last, we finally have the individual brilliance who can consistently win the games of their own boot. Systematically wise, the only positive was when we were on, we were on big time. We do have the ability to score quickly and in an abundance. We just need to find a way to find that form consistently.
Season Rating
D
