Carlton
Coach: David Teague
2020 –
Points For – 9th
Points Against – 13th
Top 5 Best and Fairest
- Patrick Cripps
- Daylight
Actually Carlton haven’t held their BnF yet but above seems about right
2020 Rising Star Noms
Nil
Ins – Adam Saad, Zac Williams, Lachie Fogarty, Corey Durdin, Jack Carroll, Luke Parks
Outs – Hugh Goddard, Matthew Kreuzer, Darcy Lang, Harrison Macreadie, Callum Moore, Finbar O’Dwyer, Fraser Phillips, Cameron Polson, Ben Silvagni, Kade Simpson
My Prediction
Carlton looked a shot at finals football last year and it was a thing of immense beauty to see them trip over their own feet again and let down their fans. They have gone full Carlton in the off season and thrown big money at recruits to try and get them where they want to go even quicker. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
The backline looks stacked. Someone in the brains trust decided to try Weitering in the position he was drafted to play and he looked pretty good back there. Jones is being found out more regularly but still playing pretty good football and Marchbank is a handy third tall, he would be a much better one if he could kick. They have more rebounding defenders than anyone should need with Saad joining Docherty and probably Williams after his stint as a midfielder is realised to be misguided.
The midfield will be competitive as long as Cripps knees will carry him, Setterfield started to find his feet last year and at least gave Cripps some sort of chop out. Murphy is a shadow of his previous self and his replacement in Walsh looks pretty good. SPS provides some solid outside run and they will be hoping Williams can take his game into the middle and give them more support, it’s a million dollar gamble and one they need to pay off.
The forward line lives on potential and the repeated knee issues of Curnow are a concern as they would love to have him and McKay running around and the thought would terrify a lot of backlines. Betts who may be the worlds oldest rookie is still dangerous and I think Fisher looked pretty good last year. Martin also played some good games last year and if he can stay fit should be a good foil for the talls this season.
Their best ruck retired last year and the rucks in waiting do not inspire confidence. Pittonet and De Koning are going to benefit from having a quality midfield but they aren’t going to grab any game and drag their team over the line. The Coach looks ok but we didn’t see as much growth as I would have expected last year, he will start to feel some pressure if they don’t make the eight this year.
Carlton have probably improved their list with their purchases over the off season. I don’t know if they have improved it enough to make the finals though. We know Saad is a good player but I think he is just a solid replacement for Simpson and I am not sure where Williams will fit in. Their young talent has enough upside to think they could lift them towards the eight but also an injury to Cripps and all bets are off. I think in all likelihood they finish between 10-12.