Ex-Adelaide player, now Perth Demons coach, Andrew Jarman, recently announced on Perth radio station 6PR that he heard a rumour that Chris Judd was unhappy at Carlton and he was possibly looking to move on elsewhere.
Jarman speculated that Judd was unimpressed with the Blues lack of progress and couldn’t see the current list winning a premiership.
Is there any validity to this rumour? Who knows.
Can one be safe to assume that Judd is a frustrated figure at the Carlton Football Club? Quite possibly.
It’s easy to see why Judd is getting fed up. Week in week out, he’s stepping up and carrying an under-performing side that’s on a slide.
When Judd announced at the end of the 2007 season he was leaving the West Coast Eagles, he cited his main reason for departing was to go back home to Melbourne.
His Mum even came out and said she was penning a song to celebrate her son’s homecoming, and Judd mentioned he’ll be adding a ‘rap’ to it.
Oh, brother.
Cringe-worthy songs aside, he’s settled back in Melbourne and now he wants a flag. And that’s fair enough.
All players do.
There’s no doubting the calibre of the Blues midfield, it ranks as one of the best in the AFL, so he can’t be upset playing alongside Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy.
The forward line was functioning surprisingly well without Brendon Fevola until recently. Setanta O’hAilpin, Eddie Betts and Chris Yarran were looking the goods.
Although in saying this, their forward line would look so much better with Fevola in it.
The massive media commotion associated Fevola’s departure and the effect it would have on the Blues forward line took the emphasis away from their real problem – their defence.
The Blues defensive structure is far from solid but most importantly, they don’t have any decent key position defenders.
Top-four and premiership sides have brilliant fullbacks – an obvious example is Matthew Scarlett of Geelong who has been a key part of their success.
Moving onto an individual level, it’s easy to see how Judd would get annoyed at the constant attention he receives from opposition sides and the protection he is afforded from his team mates, or lack thereof.
At the Eagles, Judd had another star player in Ben Cousins to shoulder the load and, most pointedly, he was a major beneficiary of decent protection and blocking from the lesser lights of the side.
When asked who would be the first player he’d pick from the 2006 West Coast premiership team, his answer wasn’t Ben Cousins, and it wasn’t Daniel Kerr or Dean Cox – surprisingly, to most, it was Rowan Jones.
The much maligned former Eagle was far from a popular figure among the Eagles faithful. As frustrating as he was to watch when he had the footy in his hands, he dutifully performed his role, and that was to protect his star midfield and to block his backside off for them.
Thanks to the likes of Jones putting his body on the line, Judd’s pathway for his blistering runs were clear.
Who puts their body on the line for him at Carlton? Those blistering runs still occur but he has to work much harder for them.
It’s hard to see Judd move to another club so quickly, surely he can’t be that impatient? After all, Carlton is still a decent side, they’re just not a top-four side.
Their ordinary displays against the Bulldogs and the Swans in recent weeks is clear evidence of this.
The Blues have six weeks to prove to their many detractors that they are a side capable of not only making the final 8, but also giving the finals a shake like many predicted them to do.
It’s going to be a tough six weeks ahead. Based on current form, their matches against Collingwood and Geelong you could write down as losses.
They also have Essendon in Round 19 who they always struggle to beat regardless of the state the Bombers are in, and they must beat the team formerly regarded as the jokers of the competition but now darlings of the AFL in the Richmond Tigers.
Even their encounter with Judd’s old side in Perth this week could be a difficult task. A month ago you would’ve backed Carlton by a massive score. Now you wouldn’t be so sure.
It’s a game they have to win – plain and simple. If they lose there’s a very good chance they won’t be playing finals football.
Then Chris Judd’s mum might write him another song: ‘I Got The Carlton Blues’.
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