As the Carlton Football Club prepares to embark on its 2013 campaign, the club is faced with the unenviable task of surpassing self-set expectations.
The new golden era that the club heralded in 2008, when the Blues lured Eagles’ star Chris Judd away from West – amplified in 2009 by their infamous “they know we’re coming” campaign – is on the brink of being deemed a failure. Chris Judd’s career is winding down, and as of yet, his stint at Visy Park has failed to deliver the sort of success that was expected upon his arrival.
By imploring Mick Malthouse to come out of the most uncommitted of retirements, the Navy Blues have effectively gone all-in on delivering a premiership to their success starved faithful, not accustomed to going this long between proverbial drinks.
No excuses remain for Carlton; they can boast a list chocked full of stars, a rabid fanbase to spur the Blue Baggers to the most dizzying of heights – and by bringing in Malthouse, a coach considered to be one of the league’s very best. It’s put up or shut up time for arguably the league’s biggest club.
Ousted coach Brett Ratten was doomed after promising much, but failing to deliver. The entire club is facing the same prospect at present. Four long years have past since Carlton boldly declared they were coming, and regardless of how 2013 plays out, this year looms as the final climax.
Key Player: Matthew Kreuzer
Few players are more intriguing in the league than Kreuzer.
After being drafted amidst much hype and fanfare, the 200cm ruckman seemed to be on the path to greatness, prior to tearing his ACL early in 2010. In most cases, especially among the league’s big guys, it takes approximately two years to make a full recovery from such an injury. And, after showing flashes in the closing stages of 2012, this could be the year Kreuzer resumes his ascension towards the top of the AFL ruck ranks.
Yet, as is the case with any player returning from a knee injury, the question of whether he can remains healthy for an entire season lingers.
An injury-free 2013 season from Kreuzer could help catapult the Blues towards the upper reaches of the ladder, but another serious injury would put the season, and his career, in jeopardy.
Circle it on the calendar: Round two, Carlton vs. Collingwood
Carlton fans have been circling clashes with arch-rival Collingwood for generations, but 2013 is a year when arguably the greatest rivalry in Australian sport comes with a little extra kick.
When Mick Malthouse leads his new group of sons onto the hallowed MCG turf against his old batch, a crowd in excess of 90,000 will be out for blood in a manner not seen since the Collesium days.
Not only is this one of the biggest days in the season for the clubs involved, but also a marquee match for the AFL. If the Blues can snare the four points from this one, it’ll put the club on the path to potentially reaching their goals.
2013 Prediction: 7th – 9th
No club in the league has such a gulf between its best and worst case scenarios than Carlton. Best case; Lygon Street will be the place to be on the 28th of September, with the Blues having hoisted the premiership cup only hours before. Worst case; Chris Judd regresses more than anyone could have predicted, Mick Malthouse struggles to recapture the magic in a new polo shirt, Jarrad Waite and Matthew Kreuzer again succumb to injury and their young prospects fail to fill the void left by their absent and sliding stars.
In reality, expect a season somewhere in the middle. Expect Carlton to be in mentioned the premiership discussion at some stage, but whether than can overtake the likes of Sydney, Collingwood and Hawthorn is still highly questionable. There’s a sense that everything would need to go right for the Blues in 2013 for them to win the flag, which relegates them to outsider status.
Liam Quinn is a third-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University, and the editor of upstart. You can follow him on Twitter: @liamquinn23
