Carlton coach Mick Malthouse is at odds with his club president and chief executive over their publicly-stated desire to rebuild the Blues’ playing list.
Two rounds into the AFL season, president Mark LoGiudice said that the club needed to rebuild the depth of its playing list, an opinion backed by CEO Steve Trigg in late April when he told members in an open letter that “a significant list rebuild” was required.
Malthouse believes use of the term has deeply affected his players as they struggled to a 1-6 win-loss record that leaves them bottom of the ladder heading into Round 8.
“We are devoid of confidence,” Malthouse said on Thursday.
“Inadvertently, whether it be the club or the press (that) have said that we’re rebuilding, well that’s a big hurdle to overcome mentally when you’ve got players who’ve signed for four or five years.
“You bring players into the football club and they feel as if, ‘what did you bring me in here for if I’m not going to be considered (to be) in a side that’s going to go forward instead of rebuilding?’
“There’s a big mental burden that we’ve had to overcome.”
Malthouse wouldn’t be drawn on whether he believes he’s the right person to oversee an overhaul of the club’s playing stocks beyond this season, saying the topic of his future was irrelevant and had been “done to death”.
He maintained that his focus remains solely on restoring the shattered confidence of his players, whom he said had been uncompetitive for periods in matches.
“I don’t care who you are … there’s a little man in the back of your brain that says,’if this is a rebuild and I’ve put pen to paper for five years, four years … it’s very difficult then to disassociate yourself with what’s in front of you or what has been said,” he said.
“It’s a massive job by all our staff to get the confidence up and win games of footy.
“We’re not unique. It’s simply that is the perception and players are not immune to seeing that, hearing that or feeling that and as a consequence you’ve got to restore confidence.
“The only way you restore confidence is a good victory.”
LoGiudice has said repeatedly that Malthouse will coach out the season.
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