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After declaring publicly that the club was going through a rebuild, Carlton have won their last three matches in a row, including their cleanest performance of the season, against Collingwood.
However, are the wins showing that the rebuild is going through smoothly, or is it just a mirage building up fans’ hopes?
At a glance, three wins on the trot for a team expected to come dead last by many experts – and after four games didn’t even look like they would win a game all season – is something to get excited about.
But since the Round 4 loss to Western, Carlton have beaten the winless Fremantle, the drug-scandal-rocked Essendon, and the injury-ravaged Collingwood.
And the first two were not convincing victories at all.
However, it’s the structure of the team that is most important, and certainly the players that will hopefully be a part of the rebuild are getting better.
At the end of last season, Carlton was hemorrhaging players, with Chris Judd and Andrew Carazzo retiring, while Lachie Henderson, Chris Yarran, Troy Menzel and Tom Bell all moved to different clubs. These are natural parts of life in football, but losing players of such talent and experience, coupled with two players that were identified as being potential future talents, hurts a club dedicated to a rebuild.
Coming into the draft, Jacob Weitering was a sure-fire first round, and even with a shoulder injury keeping him out of the win against Collingwood, he is a walk-up starter. His composure and leadership of the defence was seen before the Blues got their first win, and hopefully he will provide more of the same.
The next four picks are yet to be given a chance, but they certainly have talent, especially a player with the pedigree of Jack Silvagni.
Carlton also welcomed in several recruits from Greater Western Sydney and Adelaide, including Andrew Phillips, Jed Lamb, Lachie Plowman, Matthew Wright and Sam Kerridge. Kerridge is the perfect replacement for the hard-bodied Bell, with better disposal efficiency, and Wright has been a great replacement for Menzel, leading the club’s goal kicking so far this season. Plowman has slid into the Carlton defence alongside Michael Jamison, Weitering and co. after an injury-affected start, and has certainly helped sure up a previously leaky defence.
However, the Blues’ biggest issue so far this season has been the same issue that has vexed the club since the exodus of Brendan Fevola, Eddie Betts, and Jeff Gartlet – putting a score on the board. Liam Jones’ return from exile in the VFL has been good, but the former Dog is yet to really deliver on his promise, and as good as Levi Casboult was against Collingwood, he is still unreliable in front of goals.
While Carlton fans, myself included, are extremely proud of back-to-back victories over Collingwood and Essendon, there is still a long way to go.
While we are all hoping that the Blues can make it four in a row, the rebuild has just begun, and it’s important to keep the focus on the long-term goals.
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