On a week when Carlton captain Chris Judd came under scrutiny, and later blamed a lack of sleep for his bizarre explanation to the media on Sunday for his clash with Brisbane player Michael Rischitelli, his coach should have some explaining to do as well.
Let me be the first to say that Brett Ratten deserves praise this year for steering Carlton into its first finals campaign since 2001.
The Blues’ season ended on Saturday night when they coughed-up a 30-point lead in the final quarter to lose to the Lions.
When Ratten fronted the media after the game, he made some comments that would have left many footy fans scratching their heads.
Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola has had a great season, but there was no way he was best-afield against Brisbane. Ratten thought differently, rating Fevola’s effort his best of the season.
For the record, Fevola had nine possessions, five marks, three tackles and kicked 3.1. Solid numbers, yes. But are they worthy of best-on-ground honours? Unlikely.
Statistics don’t tell the full story, but the likes of Simon Black, Luke Power, Jonathon Brown (four goals), Daniel Bradshaw (five) and Chris Judd were all more influential than the full-forward on the night.
“I thought his game tonight, his chasing effort, was the best I have ever seen of any power forward. He was probably best-on-ground for what he tried to do for his team. It was unbelievable,” Ratten said.
Surely Ratten was telling porky pies?
The best effort, in terms of work-rate, of any power forward is a big call, given the standard that has been set by St.Kilda captain Nick Reiwoldt who, week-in, week-out, runs himself to near-exhaustion.
And why should the Carlton hierarchy – and the club’s fans – laud Fevola’s ability to chase and tackle when, at the top level, this is a basic requirement?
Fevola is paid well-above the AFL average income of $230,000 per season and, when he is not kicking goals, he should be expected to undertake team-orientated acts.
His goal-kicking is super. The same cannot be said of his willingness to work hard over his career. If he is improving that aspect of his game, that will help the Blues, but Ratten shouldn’t get too excited.
Some treat the spearhead harshly, but surely, as an experience player, the club must simply demand he chase and tackle to the best of his ability.
In the world of former coach Robert Walls, Carlton should stop “peeing in Fevola’s pocket”.
He is a class player, and like the rest of his team-mates, he should be expected to act with a team-first mentality.
But imagine if you were Chris Judd, Marc Murphy or Bryce Gibbs. That trio bust their guts every week, yet their work-rate is not treated with fanfare because it is expected.
It is time Ratten applied the same rules to Fevola. He should be made to apply to the standards set by the Carlton Football Club.
If the standard is to simply chase when it suits, then the Blues may be down for a while yet.
Let’s hope that is not the case.
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