Yesterday Brisbane was picked as slight improvers but not kicking enough goals to seal a finals spot. On to Carlton, now are still waiting for the Mick Malthouse revolution to launch.
Last season
The Blues came in with great expectation looking to build on their 2013 final appearance. Malthouse’s golden child Dale Thomas joined from Collingwood and improvement was expected from a host of players.
The Blues again were awful early, and then from Round 8 to Round 23 were the pillar of consistency hovering from 12th to 14th, finally sealing 13th spot.
Josh Bootsma exposed himself, immediately getting the axe, with Jeff Garlett and Mitch Robinson partaking in late-night antics which saw their exit.
The highlights were the improvement of Sam Rowe and Levi Casboult, who provided options at either end.
Next season
The off-season saw the previous season’s leading goal kicker Jarrad Waite departing, with Liam Jones and Kristian Jaksch leading the arrivals. The Blues have lost experience but have also managed to remove some of the negative influences around the club.
The issues for Carlton this year look to be midfield pace and a player who can kick a bag of goals. Don’t be surprised if Casboult has spent the pre-season straightening his boot, while great hope will be instilled into the new recruits to have a boom season.
Having said all this, I am expecting the Blues to continue their consistency of last season and manage to be out of finals contention by around Round 18, grabbing a spot around 12th to 14th.
Who to look out for
Daniel Menzel is one of those rare players who can take a grab overhead and has an uncanny sense for goal. A draft risk coming off a knee reconstruction, he was always going to take extra time to develop and gain confidence. He showed glimpses of brilliance last season, expect him to build on that this season, pushing higher up the ground and gathering more ball.
Dylan Buckley was a revelation early last season, showing the desperation the rest of his teammates lacked. Coming back from injury expect him to hold a place in the starting 18 if he displays the same intensity.
Needs a big year
Dale Thomas looked sluggish last year, losing his burst of speed following his ankle injury. Towards the end of the year he showed improvement but was a shadow of a player on his pay rate. It’s hard to define his best position, losing his kicking ability ruling him out of the floating half back position. Expect him to line up at half forward with Mick giving him a free reign to push into the midfield or to the goal square as he pleases.
Robbie Warnock needs a big year. The Blues invested a lot to get him to Carlton and he is yet to come close to showing signs of repayment.
Cam Wood is knocking down the door to support Matthew Kreuzer, or even lead the ruck department, so Warnock will need to grab early chances.
Best 22
FB: Rowe, Jamison, Tuohy
HB: Simpson, Henderson, Yarran
C: Gibbs, Murphy, Carrazzo
HF: Thomas, Jaksch, Judd
FF: Menzel, Casboult, Walker
R: Kreuzer, Murphy, Curnow
I: Warnock, Everitt, Cripps, Buckley
H.E. Pennypacker
Guest
Blues are back in town, very impressive recruiting.
H.E. Pennypacker
Guest
Flags in the bag!
Macca
Guest
Warnock would definitely be 3rd banana and Touhy will have his work cut out for him with Walker, Docherty, Yarran, Buckley, Everitt, Simpson and even Thomas and Sheehan able to play that rebounding defender role and possibly even Clem Smith getting the odd game - but competition for spots will be a real positive. I would say Kreuzer will be given first crack at the number 1 ruck spot with casboult playing th ruck forward, Henderson will play the other key forward wtih Watson Jones & Jaksch battling for the third tall spot.
Chris
Guest
I think Tuohy and Warnock won't be in favour next year, Henderson will play forward while Jacksch will have to prove himself
Dominic
Guest
Just think with 3 number 1 draft picks plus Judd, carlton should be doing better. Understood that Kruezer and Judd hardy played this year and Murphy missed a lot of games too. Hopefully Carlton escape injuries to key players next season.
Dominic
Guest
Agreed. Warnock, Casboult and Kruezer will not be in same side. When Carlton tried to play Kruezer, Warnock and Shaun Hampson in the same side, results were not good at all.
Don Freo
Guest
And if Colin Sylvia learns to play really, really well, he'd be up there with Gary Ablett.
Macca
Guest
SO thats the bar Ian - Carlton don't have a player who is going to be the next Gary Ablett so it's a failed rebuild and we should start again - get real. Given the blues haven't had a top 10 draft pick since Yarran it isn't surprising that their young players aren't being touted as the best player in the league but most neutrals would agree the Blues got a bargain with Menzel and Cripps is very highly rated and you should really give him more than a year before you predict just how far he will go. As I said to call it a failed rebuild when a significant portion of the players in the "rebuild" have played less than a season of football for the blues is ridiculous.
Darren
Guest
If cas boult learns to kick he is up there with Hawkins.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Macca, None of the players you have listed make any neutral go 'They could be the best player in the league in a couple of years'.
Macca
Guest
No but I am seriously worried about you, if you actually spend all this time honing your "craft" and this is the standard you are serving up then walk away, its just not time well spent.
Don Freo
Guest
Oh...you're not going to go all Dorey Funk Jr on me are you?
Macca
Guest
You mean you actually do a full pre-season and still end up with such poor quality, inane and gormless posts? Good god man stringing an intelligent and relevant sentence together shouldn't be as hard as you are making it - perhaps you should take up finger knitting instead (the needles might make actual knitting a bit dangerous for you by the sounds).
Don Freo
Guest
It's ok Macca...I'm just in pre-season training.
Macca
Guest
Ian – You are talking about long term yet dismissing Menzel (who kicked 26 goals from 19 games this year) and Jaksch who are just 20, Buckley who is 21 and Cripps who is 19 because they aren’t dominating? Or worse you dismiss Cripps because he has played just 3 games after being on the list for just 1 season in which he broke his leg? At the very least pretty much every good judge of football talent rate Menzel Cripps and Buckley (who also missed a large chunk of 2013 with hand and hamstring injuries) as high quality players of the future to talk about the long term and not give these players more than 2 years in the system to establish themselves makes a mockery of your argument. On the “rebuild” the blues currently have just 3 players over 29 and 16 under 24 (before this weeks draft) including 4 players recruited since the end of the season (Jaksch, Whiley, D i ck & Jones) and Docherty
Macca
Guest
Ian - You are talking about long term yet dismissing Menzel (who kicked 26 goals from 19 games this year) and Jaksch who are just 20, Buckley who is 21 and Cripps who is 19 because they aren't dominating? Or worse you dismiss Cripps because he has played just 3 games after being on the list for just 1 season in which he broke his leg? At the very least pretty much every good judge of football talent rate Menzel Cripps and Buckley (who also missed a large chunk of 2013 with hand and hamstring injuries) as high quality players of the future to talk about the long term and not give these players more than 2 years in the system to establish themselves makes a mockery of your argument. On the "rebuild" the blues currently have just 3 players over 29 and 16 under 24 (before this weeks draft) including 4 players recruited since the end of the season (Jaksch, Whiley, Dick & Jones) and Docherty recruited last year - it is an incredibly early call to say the rebuild has failed.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Macca, Not even close. Casboult is a poor man's Jonathon Giles, for a start. Jaksch couldnt carve a spot in GWS' firsts. Troy '9.4 disposals' Menzel ? Cripps has played 3 games. Dylan Buckley is 75 kilos, and averaged 13.6 disposals this year. The rebuild failed. Try again.
Macca
Guest
Putting aside the fact that Menzel and Casboult would walk into most teams starting 22's the point being discussed is good young talent for the long term - Cripps has just 1 season and 3 games under his belt, Buckley has 9 games, Jaksch 7 Graham 10 and Bell 29, they may be outside the best 22 right now but all have shown they are players of the future - Cripps (who came 2nd in the Blues reserves B&F despite playing just 10 games for the year) and Buckley in particular look to be quality players. It would be nice if once you just tried to have an intelligent discussion.
Don Freo
Guest
They are all just in the 30-40 rank squad players in other clubs' lists.
Macca
Guest
Cripps, Buckley, Menzel, Casboult and Jaksch aren't enough for you Ian? I would also think Bell and Graham could have break out years this year.