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Robert Walls once said the thing that made Carlton what it was, was its striving for excellence and the undesirable urge to do whatever it takes to win.
Knowing that as a fan, you couldn’t help but jump aboard the bandwagon, and those born around the late 1950s or early ’60s were rewarded with eight premierships in 27 years.
The cries of “Go get em Blues” after another goal, the “Woof” when Ang Christou kicked the ball, and the famous song starting with “Dada dada dadaaaaaa” ringing around Princes Park in a come-from-behind win still haunts opposition clubs’ memories.
Unfortunately, in recent years, all the things that made Carlton what it was for 100 years have been abandoned.
The club announced a rebuild back 2015, after another wooden spoon, aiming to shed the arrogance that made them mighty for so long, and the losing of the ‘boys club’ image.
In doing so they brought about short-term pain, drafting in future stars instead of trading aggressively for top talent.
I have no problem with what is happening inside the club as long as the goal is to win games. Unfortunately again, that is clearly not the case.
One of coach Brendon Bolton’s favourite catchphrases this preseason, after consistent ten-goal losses, has been, “We’re not going to be judged on wins and losses.”
This message has gone right around the club like a bad smell.
When you have a struggling list, competitive footy is a must. Even if your players are lacking in talent as much as the Blues, you can still tackle, fight for every kick and every goal, and chase every win possible. When you don’t care about winning, you will lose.
Carlton will lose a lot of games badly this year, not due to a lack of talent. They have a bad list, but players such as Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, Bryce Gibbs, Sam Docherty, Matthew Kreuzer and Dennis Armfield are not terrible, and if all the weak players played with a strong mindset like the old Carlton teams, you would see more wins.
The reason journos, former players and fans from all clubs think the Blues will finish bottom four is because of their attitude. The fans know it too, with only 41,000 members signed up – there are a lot more out there, but so many are no longer interested.
It’s understandable the club would rebuild, as it is a chance to finally get things right. The upside is a shot at a premiership one day with these young draftees and new recruits, but how do we know these aren’t just wasted years? What if Carlton just keeps going around between 13th and 18th? What if all these so-called stars are just no good? There is no guarantee.
At least if the Blues made winning the priority all the time, then fans would warm to them and the years wouldn’t be wasted.
Going from one of the most feared, powerful and successful clubs on and off the field, to the least successful is pretty heartbreaking for Blues fans. I hope the rebuild works, but the current list and direction suggests many painful years ahead.
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