Record: 7 wins, 15 losses, 79.2%
In 25 Words: Brendan Bolton started the turnaround of Carlton’s fortunes, achieving some great wins and showing there’s a solid base still at the Blues.
The Player: Patrick Cripps continued his rise in the midfield stakes, and by season’s end has a genuine claim to being the best clearance midfielder in the competition.
The Roughie: Of the legion of players recruited from GWS, it was Andrew Phillips who stood out for Carlton, seizing the mantle of backup ruckman. With Matthew Kreuzer’s injury-prone nature, the backup role is critical to the Blues, and Phillips performed well in the position.
The Win: Carlton’s shock win over Geelong in Round 10 saw the Blues dominate off half-back, with both Sam Docherty and Kade Simpson racking up over 25 touches. It was the ultimate proof that Carlton could shock sides if they controlled the football off half back and won the midfield battle.
The Loss: Round 23 was a surrender from the Blues, who could not even get near Essendon, handing the Bombers their biggest win of 2016. Inaccuracy was the killer for Carlton, having more scoring shots than Essendon but kicking 10.19.
What now?: Stephen Silvagni, Carlton’s list manager, has already signaled further large-scale changes over the 2016-17 offseason. In particular, Carlton needs to address a lack of forward firepower and continue to improve their defensive stocks to work alongside 2015 #1 pick Jacob Weitering.
2017?: Carlton’s improvement in 2016 was stunning, but it’s tough to see a further jump happening immediately in 2017. Although Carlton may win another couple of games, they are still reliant on controlling the midfield and their back half rather than being able to outscore opponents. 14th
