It’s safe to say that Carlton’s victory over Geelong will be the focal point of many footy forums during the week.
It’s easy to harp on the positive results of the victory, like the fact that the win signified the Blues’ first win over the Cats’ at Etihad in fifteen attempts or the fact that Carlton have the fourth-easiest run home in the league.
All optimistic views aside, it’s important to acknowledge that this win wasn’t a lucky one.
It wasn’t a case of the Cats having an off day, or them simply playing bad footy – it was the case of a unified, inspired and rejuvenated young Blues outfit, under the guidance of their beloved coach, ‘Bolts’.
Brendon Bolton may be a pint-sized ball of optimism, but underneath, lies his admirable ability to instil core values and effective structures into his young group.
The players are certainly reaping the rewards of this, as they sit 11th on the ladder, a distant seven spaces from where they ended up in the dreary season of 2015.
Bolton’s exquisite coaching has not only inspired the players, but also the supporters.
They’ve rallied around him and immersed him with passionate pats on the back and cheers of rejoice when he races down the stands to reaffirm his boys of their good work, whether it’s resulted in a win or a loss.
Despite the result, it is obvious that the Blues are playing for their coach and not just implementing his structures or playing their role within the team, but actually playing for him.
The young players, the leaders, the ones that float in and out of the side week by week- they’re all doing their bit to ensure that the supporters remain faithful, enabling them to sniff that breath of fresh hope as they enter the latter half of the 2016 season.
Brendon Bolton has created undeniable unity among the players and the coaches in only his first season leading the troops.
Although Bolton’s coaching has been a unique sort of revelation, his intelligent techniques and exciting optimism would go unnoticed if it weren’t for the players implementing his structures.
The 2015 Carlton looked deflated and lifeless – they were a team of individuals who desperately wanted to be the shining light in a glum season.
The 2016 Carlton? Not fazed by the hot form of the premiership favourites, not disheartened by the hefty losses, not willing to give up on their journey.
The spirit instilled in these young players is quite remarkable, considering the deep hole that Malthouse left them in last year.
The Blues are a club on the rise and should be taken seriously, as they showed immense poise and composure over the weekend, despite a rampaging Cats outfit who were determined to snatch the victory- and reclaim their dignity from the tight grasp of navy blue warriors.
The next month sees the Blues play Brisbane, St Kilda, Collingwood and Adelaide.
With their captain, Marc Murphy, set for a stint on the sidelines, the pressure on the Blues mounts as they face the exciting prospect of having eight or nine wins by the end of June.
Their leaders – both young and old – will be required to step up to the plate and follow in Murph’s footsteps in order to make this possibility an exciting reality.
Murphy has battled the immense speculation – and the risk of not being able to captain Carlton in 2016 – to take the captaincy by the reigns and lead his side through his gutsy determination, his brilliant decision making and also his ability to create opportunities for his teammates.
It wasn’t just Carlton’s skill or poise that got them over the line on Sunday – it was their strong sense of belief that helped them defy the odds and reclaim the respect of the competition.
Macca
Guest
Brinnx - wasn't disagreeing with anything you said, just saying that even if the worst case eventuates it is still going to be pretty good. On McKay - I would like to see him get a couple of games this year (the last month is a pretty friendly draw for the blues which would present an opportunity) just for his education - I think it really helps kids realise how much they have to work in the off season to actually play a game of AFL and experience the standard.
Brinnx
Guest
Macca - for this exercise I was just looking at the season from a pure win/loss perspective, which we all said did not concern us at the beginning of the season so long as we saw progress and those little green sprouts From a "train up the kids perspective" our early form has given us some breathing space . Its not "we are losing anyways so we might as well just play the kids and gut the list at the end of the year". With the team being competitive the kids can learn what it takes to be in the AFL whilst not getting flogged in the process. I do expect to see a fair few of those you mentioned get games before the end of the season, now they are not all injured/sick .I especially want to see Curnow play more games. I also hope Cunningham and Jack Silvangi at least get a debut game, but I think McKay is more likely to spend the year in the magoo's before a full pre-season gets him ready for next year. Will watch what Graham and Jaksch dish up with interest if they get picked. We will soon see how hungry they are and if they can transfer their form to the big stage. Regardless its already been a better year than we expected.
Macca
Guest
Brinnx - even if we took the pessimistic view and got just the 7 wins (or even just 6) there will still be plenty to give the supporters hope in the second half of the year - Curnow and McKay are on track to return to the 2's after the Bye and I expect we would see both in the 1' for at least a game in the second half of the year, Silvagni has been impressive in the 2's and should get a run, we might see Cuningham Glass-McCasker or Foster. I expect Graham should get a few weeks now to replace Murphy - Buckely could come in for Sumner and Jaksch should get a run at some point.
Brinnx
Guest
Now that my expectations for the Blues this season have been already met by rd10 I don't know what to do. Optimistic version. Will start favourite's and expect to win against Brisbane in Melb and the Bombers at the G. Other games I except them to be very competitive. Pies Lion's at Gabba Demons Saints Eagles at MCG Win them all or lose one but pull off another big upset ala the Cats - that's 13 wins for the year and the F word is a distinct possibility. Remember the EPL. Once in the finals then anything can happen. Pessimistic version. Lose to the Lions and Saints next two games and all momentum goes down the tube. Get smacked by several top 8 sides in June/July and limp into last quarter of the year , maybe beat the bombers and grab one more to finish on 7 wins and finish 13-14th Conclusion? Offer most Blues supporters 7 wins for this year and we would have grabbed it with glee. They have already far exceeded expectations and give much joy this season. I'll predict a 9 win season which is an unexpected result, but the foundation blocks being built this year by Bolton and his crew are far more important for the future success of the Mighty Blues.
Macca
Guest
I agree on the young kids John, I liked what I saw of C Curnow before he got crook, can't wait to get a bit of a look at McKay in the 2's after the Bye Jack Silvagni and David Cunningham have both missed a fair bit of footy this year with minor injuries but both seem to have shown a bit - Silvagni has managed 5 goals in 3 games which is very handy. Glass- McCasker and Jayden Foster have apparently been super impressive as key defenders while Jaksch has kicked 12 goals in 7 games despite being used quite a bit in defence.
John
Guest
As a long time suffering Blues supporter I am loving what Bolton has brought to the table. Carlton have a never give up attitude which is great to see and even though there is still a long way too go it's all looking promising so far. What really has me excited is that apart from Weitering we haven't really seen the other draft recruits from last year. Can't wait for these kids to develop and see what Bolton can get out McKay, Curnow, Cunningham & Silvagni.