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After watching the NAB Cup grand final on the weekend and witnessing arguably the least probing performance from Chris Judd in the last five years, I found myself asking if age was finally catching up with the champ and what can he possibly do about it?
Unfortunately, I found no answer as to how he can forestall that tap on the shoulder that every sports player dreads.
Now before this article continues I would just like to say that Chris Judd has been an excellent footballer and is one of the best players of this millenium.
He has been one of the most dominant midfielders in the competition since he began but age seems to finally be catching up with him and it is showing. As he becomes more tape than man he is struggling to influence football games regularly.
This lack of penetration was clearly visible on Friday night. He was quiet all evening to the point that Malthouse felt the need to sub him off during the final quarter when the game was still there for the taking.
I know it is only pre-season but Mick Malthouse does not just give away games and would have wanted his best side on the park with the trophy still there for the taking.
Judd has conceded the captaincy this year to free himself up to focus purely on football but the signs were not good on Friday.
Has taking the burden of leading by example off his already heavily strapped shoulders caused Judd to become lax? You would hope not but reports of Judd’s pre-season have been very silent out of Visy Park and if Friday is anything to go by, that silence is deafening.
Some may argue that it was Judd’s first game of the season and so he can be excused for being rusty but this is folly, and surely he should be able to win and effectively use ball against a young Brisbane midfield, especially with Kreuzer winning so many taps throughout the evening.
This was not the case though and does not bode well for the upcoming season, a season where Carlton need to play finals football after the debacle of last year.
If Judd has lost his inability to influence the contest, how can Carlton still pick him? With experienced midfield options including Murphy, Gibbs, McLean, Robinson, Simpson and Carrazzo, and with Kane Lucas and Nick Graham pressing for a spot in the middle of the ground, how can you pick Judd there if he is not going to provide the juice at the contest that Carlton need?
And if you cannot pick him in the centre, where else can you pick him? The unfortunate answer appears to be nowhere. Aging players like Goodes and Bartel will play in the forward line for years to come.
Ablett is being moved that way as we speak, with McKenna saying today that Ablett will spend a lot more time being fed the ball this season than feeding it. These blokes have the ability to play dual position football.
Judd, however, lacks the extra strings on his footballing bow to extend his playing days. He is too slow to get stuck out on the wing or be a crumbing forward, he does not slot in down back and he averages less than a goal a game across his whole career — not exactly the makings for a forward.
Carlton have nowhere to hide Judd and soon they may have to have an awkward conversation with their club champion.
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