The Roar
The Roar

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The once mighty Blue Boys need a rebuild in management

Roar Rookie
23rd May, 2015
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Carlton have sacked coach Mick Malthouse, but he can retire with his head held high. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Roar Rookie
23rd May, 2015
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1127 Reads

Marc Murphy is awarded a free kick for hands in the back in the centre square. He kicks it long into the Blues’ forward fifty.

Troy Menzel, promising all night, is pushed as he leads for a mark. The ball filters to the back of the pack where Patrick Cripps runs onto it, steaming towards the goal. He decides to handball to Dale Thomas who is surrounded and loses the ball.

Geelong counter attacks with Joel Selwood kicking a goal two minutes later, directly in front, following not one but two 50-metre penalties.

Carlton’s season has been a reflection of poor decision making. Not only by the players on the pitch but by years of mistakes from the Carlton board. The lacklustre performances we have seen so far this season cannot be blamed on injuries, a tough draw or any other excuses. All involved with the Carlton Football Club have some serious thinking to do.

The facts do not lie. Carlton sacked Brett Ratten and brought in three-time premiership coach Mick Malthouse with the intention of winning a grand final in the near future. Things have not gone to plan. After coming close to a preliminary final berth two seasons ago, Carlton are now 1-7 and battling to stay off the bottom of the ladder.

Looking at Carlton’s leading goalscorer from 2010 reveals where the club has made some disastrous mistakes: 2010 Eddie Betts (42), 2011 Andrew Walker (56), 2012 Eddie Betts (48), 2013 Jeff Garlett (43) and 2014 Jarrad Waite (29).

Only Andrew Walker still remains at the club, now playing in defence when he is not on the sidelines nursing an injury. Carlton’s willingness to allow Betts, Garlett and Waite to leave the playing group have ultimately left the side with almost no reliable upfront targets. Carlton should have offered Betts the extra cash. Carlton should have replaced Garlett with another exciting, quick small forward. Carlton should have given Waite a two-year contract.

Last week hurt Carlton fans. Betts kicked six goals for the Crows, Garlett bagged three for Melbourne, Waite grabbed a handy two for North Melbourne and to top it off Mitch Robinson kicked three goals for the Lions.

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The issue for Carlton is that they have not replaced these goal kickers with an unstoppable tall forward. Liam Jones is still young and needs time to develop while Levi Casboult’s goal kicking ability is laughable.

In the 2005 AFL Draft Carlton picked Marc Murphy with their first pick. Bryce Gibbs went number one in 2006. Matthew Kreuzer followed the same path in 2007. These players were seen as Carlton’s future on which the club would deliver their faithful fans their first premiership since the 1995 win over Geelong.

Now, Murphy (27) is still in the prime of his career but with a side around him that cannot find the hunger to win a game of footy, let alone push for a grand final. Gibbs, after a few disappointing seasons, looked good last year and was awarded with his first John Nicholls Medal, but needs to have a serious look at where his motivations lie after struggling to find form this year.

Carlton’s next seasons rely on Gibbs and Murphy’s leadership. Matthew Kreuzer needs to get back on the pitch before his future at the club can be properly reassessed after having an unfortunate run with injuries.

The Carlton board must be rebuilt before the playing squad is. The CEO Steven Trigg, president Mark LoGiudice and list manager Stephen Silvagni need to be on the same page as the Carlton coach, whoever that is next season. At the moment they clearly are not and this is being reflected by the players on the pitch.

Carlton need leadership. They need a clear path for the future, one that the players will trust in and find motivation in. One that the fans can believe in and start singing again at Carlton matches.

Until then, it is going to be much of the same for this once dominant club.

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