Carlton
Coach: Brendon Bolton
2018 –
Points For – 17th
Points Against – 18th
Top 5 Best and Fairest
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Patrick Cripps
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Kade Simpson
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Ed Curnow
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Charlie Curnow
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Dale Thomas
2018 Rising Star Noms
Paddy Dow (Round 14)
Ins – Alex Fasolo, Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman, Will Setterfield, Sam Walsh, Liam Stocker, Finbar O’Dwyer, Ben Silvagni, Hugh Goddard, Thomas Bugg
Outs – Ciaran Byrne, Jesse Glass-McCasker, Nick Graham, Sam Kerridge, Jed Lamb, Cillian McDaid, Aaron Mullett, Cameron O’Shea, Sam Rowe, Matt Shaw, Alex Silvagni, Matthew Wright
My Prediction
Dale Thomas came fifth in their best and fairest. Think about that. Fifth in their best and fairest. They delisted a massive list of players and there isn’t a single player that you would want to give a second go to. Every time I get sucked into thinking that their lists is improving and it seems to find a way to get worse.
They looked to have traded pretty well this year at a surface level, but then it could end up being the same old Carlton that we have gotten used to. McGovern has often looked like he is going to come on in leaps and bounds but then seems to get in his own way. Setterfield could be a beast but his body has pretty serious question marks over it. If he gets going though alongside Cripps, it is a very formidable clearance machine they have on the inside.
The backline went terribly last year. They had looked to be developing the year before with Liam Jones playing surprisingly well and Weitering looking like they had a great future full back on their hands but then Jones got found out and Weitering lost all form and confidence as they moved him forward. They have a good intercept marker in Marchbank but serious questions on his disposal. Simpson is quality but has to stop at some stage and Docherty’s knee is a disaster for them. There is natural improvement in their backline but not enough.
The midfield is a one man clearance machine right now. Cripps is a beast and gets the job done but he needs support. Murphy has dropped his output, Fisher and O’Brien are just ok. Dow looks a quality player but still a year or two away from holding his own. Petrevski-Seton needs to get to the stage where he is able to move through the middle more to give them class but he dropped his output dropped last year as well. Setterfield could make a difference and give Cripps a chop out but they still are feeding it out to substandard players. Walsh should play a lot of minutes in his first season.
The forward line is an area I think you can see the future. McKay and Curnow are good as your marking forwards and gives the little guys something to work around. Fasolo will make an impact this year (and kick 8 against the Bombers). They have a gap around the small crumbing forward position and not sure who will fill that.
Kreuzer is a great ruck when he can get on the field and get his body right but that isn’t nearly as often as they would want it to be. Lobbe looked ok when he got a run and we know his best is good enough.
I think the pressure comes on Bolton this year. He has had a pretty comfortable run so far and has taken the team backwards which very few of us actually thought was possible. Another year at the bottom of the ladder will bring the pressure. I don’t see how they can get out of the bottom 4. I don’t think they are the worst team in the comp but for mine they are pretty close. I think 17th is about the mark for me.