Entering his third season as coach, Brendon Bolton has a enviable list of exciting young guns at his disposal. But with Sam Docherty set to miss the season and Bryce Gibbs traded to Adelaide, it remains too soon for the next generation at Princes Park to lead the Blues back up the ladder.
The Good
After clearing a rainforest full of dead wood from their playing list over the last few years, Carlton’s five Rising Star nominations in 2017 shows they’ve recruited very well. Charlie Curnow, Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering, Caleb Marchbank, Lachie Plowman, Sam Petrevski-Seton, plus the unexposed Harry McKay, Paddy Dow and Lachie O’Brien are a core of elite talents to build around over the next decade.
Bolton’s defence-first ethos made Carlton a tricky team to play against last season, which resulted in low-scoring wins over finalists Sydney, GWS and Essendon. Their defence ranked 13th in the league for points conceded which was a terrific result for such a young group. Docherty, Weitering, Marchbank, Plowman and yes, Liam Jones, could be a very stingy defence for years to come.
The Bad
Carlton fans will be desperately hoping Bolton releases the handbrake on his side and lets them play a more attacking style of play after finishing last year with the lowest points tally in the AFL. With the aforementioned Curnow and McKay in the forward line, plus the straighter-shooting Levi Casboult, Carlton now have some strong targets who should be able to improve their side’s offensive output.
The scars of the Malthouse era are still visible on Carlton’s list profile too, with a clear gap in talent in the middle age group. Aside from Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson and Matthew Kreuzer – who will all be 29 or older this year – the list is lacking in quality experienced players. Some more older, wiser heads should be a priority for List Manager Stephen Silvagni to help develop this young list.
The Star
The Blues will be desperately hoping to see Patrick Cripps return to his 2016 form after an injury-plagued year. Back issues interrupted the tall midfielder’s pre-season before a fractured leg prematurely ended his year in Round 15, not to mention the broken ribs he played with for many weeks. With a thin midfield, a fit and firing Cripps will be essential to Carlton remaining competitive in 2018.
The Next Big Thing
The Charlie Curnow hype train seems to be picking up more and more passengers every day. While the ‘second coming of Kouta’ calls might be a tad premature, Curnow’s unique mix of height, toughness and athleticism will be an absolute handful for opposition teams to neutralise in years ahead.
The Final Word
There’s just far too much youth that would need to dramatically improve in order to see a large jump up the ladder for Carlton in 2018, especially with the loss of Docherty and Gibbs.
Prediction: 17th
