Inside Blues’ brutal ‘honesty’ sesh after Rd 1 flop — and the Cripps complaint they ‘don’t understand’

There was a moment at Carlton training on Wednesday when those watching held their collective breath for what seemed an eternity.

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About 20 minutes after Carlton coach Michael Voss declared champion forward Charlie Curnow would play Hawthorn on Thursday night, the powerful Blue appeared on the track.

But having spent barely a minute on a ground that was dewy despite the blue sky brilliance of the Autumn morning, Curnow turned and disappeared back up the players’ race. Had the Carlton curse arisen again?

Voss had been clear the dual-Coleman Medallist, while clearly a prized commodity, could not be expected to turn the Blues form around by himself after their shocking loss to Richmond. But having him present would go a long way to helping at the MCG.

That was a job for the collective and while stern words and honest conversations have occurred at Princes Park since the Tigers stunner, the impact cannot be judged till Thursday night.

The edict from Voss about the importance of the Blues banding together and not relying too heavily on Curnow follows a blunt assessment from Fox Footy’s AFL 360 host Garry Lyon this week.

The Melbourne great said it would be a mistake by Carlton to think Curnow will cure all ills.

“That’s a trap, the saviour mentality and hero mentality that has existed at that football club for a long period of time, that ‘Someone will come in and fix us. Charlie will come and fix us’,” Lyon said.

But clearly Curnow helps on several fronts and it is certain that his presence will straighten Carlton up and assist in eradicating the forward line inefficiency evident last Thursday.

The 28-year-old struggled with an ankle injury in the latter stages of last season and had surgery on the joint and also his knee in the off-season, hence the spotlight on him.

He hurt his ankle in the warm-up against the Giants in Rd 17 and while he managed to kick 10 goals in the next three matches, the rot effectively set in for the Blues from that moment.

As reported in the Herald Sun on Tuesday, the Blues slipped from second to eighth after that mishap, managing to beat only North Melbourne and West Coast in a dispiriting finish that had promised so much.

A Champion Data breakdown demonstrates his importance, noting the Blues slipped from 2nd for points scored prior to the ankle mishap to 13th, while sliding from second in terms of points difference in turnovers to 11th. And they were burnt on the rebound by the Tigers.

Where it all went wrong for Carlton | 11:54

Thankfully for Carlton fans, Curnow’s absence from the Captain’s Run was only temporary, with the No.30 flicking a handball to a club staff member as he jogged back onto the ground wearing a bucket hat to shield his eyes from the blazing sun.

As the Blues continued their warm-up, not long after he launched into a right- foot snap from the 50-metre mark that bounced in the square and through the big sticks. Clearly Curnow is not lacking for any power in the leg given the distance of the snap.

Despite the shock loss last Thursday that has sharpened the spotlight on Carlton, Voss is adamant the Blues made the right call in waiting another week to ensure the star was “ready to go”.

“It does help that he’s got an extra week under his belt,” Voss said.

“He possibly could have done that last week, but I think it definitely would have been pulling the trigger too early. He’s well and truly ready.

“Speaking to him yesterday, he’s just really clear and excited about being able to get back out there, and he’s a performer … again, we’re not in this sort of conversation around that one person is going to make a difference here.

“Clearly what makes a difference is that when we stay connected as an 18-man team, and we’ve spoken a lot about sport mentality and essentially that’s what gets the job done.

“As we sort of look for the best version of ourselves, it has to include everyone, and we’ll let the really good players try and bring their talent, but our role players need to be able to get their job done. Ultimately, (we have) all got to buy into the same thing.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Charlie Curnow of the Blues runs with the ball during Carlton Blues AFL training session at Ikon Park on March 19, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Curnow to boost the Blues with return? | 02:23

WILL THE BLUES BOUNCE BACK?

Carlton fans were cursing and the commentators were critiquing after the Blues coughed up a 41-point lead against Richmond in Rd 1 to be beaten in one of the biggest upsets in years.

Although the vehemence of the reaction was over the top in some instances, the criticism is understandable given the Blues were considered premiership contenders. A flag is the goal.

Perspective is important as well. The astonishing loss to Richmond has put the Blues firmly on the backfoot and heightened the spotlight on perceived flaws.

But just a year ago the Blues created club history by kicking 11 of the last 14 goals in the season-opener against Brisbane to overcome a 46-point deficit. And the Lions won the flag.

As Lyon noted on Fox Footy’s AFL 360; “It is a long season. Don’t knee jerk it.”

In the days after the Richmond loss, Voss said a lot of “honesty” was exchanged between the coaches and the players about what went wrong in the loss to the Tigers. Anyone who remembers Voss as a player will be aware he is capable of dishing it out when needed.

“I think we had a few days to be able to sit in the disappointment of it,” he said.

“(We) obviously had a couple of days away (given) the timing that we played, and probably gives you a little bit of time to be able to reflect on how the game went. But also (to) focus on what’s real and sort of separate what’s not real. But there was a fair bit of honesty in it. And I think when you sort of address it, then you just move on to accepting it.

“And then (it is about), ‘How do we put into action some of the things that have been really important for us over the course of the pre-season that we weren’t able to execute consistently on the night?’.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Blues coach Michael Voss speaks to the media during Carlton Blues AFL training session at Ikon Park on March 19, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

In the infancy of his time at the Blues, the conversations surrounding structure and what was wanted and what should be shelved were coach-directed, but there are more voices now.

There was an acceptance that Carlton did not defend well enough when challenged by Richmond and enabled the Tigers to seize momentum too easily, Voss said.

“You don’t have to necessarily tell them certain things but … we also have to be able to be big enough to be able to accept that the standards weren’t acceptable,” he said.

“We don’t miss that. And we also don’t miss the reinforcement or the opportunity to be able to look at what actually worked well, because throughout the game, we did put ourselves in a really strong position and we did defend exceptionally well.

“But that was for a half and we didn’t for the other half. So that’s the facts. So we deal with the facts and then we work out how we get better from there and break down that complex in a really simple, understandable form.”

Curnow undergoes minor knee surgery | 01:35

VOSS ON THE FURY OF THE FANS

It was a familiar scene at Carlton given the Blues premiership drought now extends three decades, but a rarity for it to unfold so early in the season.

As the Blues departed the MCG after the debacle against Richmond, a vocal minority made clear their frustration in vehement fashion as the players wandered down the race.

And as for talkback radio? The button to bleep swear words was worked overtime at networks around Melbourne.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Blues fans react after a loss during the 2025 AFL Round 01 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

While accepting the loss provoked an emotional response, the Carlton coach said he hoped the Blues fans would bring “real energy” for their first home game of the year on Thursday and that the group did take the criticism personally.

“Well, understandably so, because as a football club, we’re all in it together. So for us, walking out there every single time we play, we want to make them proud, and we let ourselves down in certain areas,” he said.

“All I know, though, is that what we’ve built this club off over the last three years is (through) being able to stick together (and) be strong together. (We want them to) just come with an intent to make it as loud as loud as you possibly can tomorrow night.

“It’s our first home game of the season and we want to pack it out. And that’s one thing our supporters have always really brought, is just a real energy in the stadium. That’s what we’re hoping we get. We’ve got to give them reason to as well, (to) bring what we need to be able to play our part of the deal.

“At the end of the day, I just want our group to be able to be really connected, really enjoy their moments, embrace the little things and then from there, if you can stay together as a team, then you can execute pretty well.”

THE CRIPPS CONUNDRUM

In the aftermath of the Richmond loss, there was some incredulity that Carlton would deploy record-breaking Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps in the ruck for a period.

The Blues captain spent 17 per cent of his match time in the ruck, for a period against Richmond’s man mountain Toby “the tank” Nankervis, in a tactical move that drew criticism.

The denunciation is not new, for there were harsh judgments issued when the dual-Brownlow Medallist spent time in the ruck last year.

But of all the critiques stemming from the Richmond loss, Voss appeared most surprised by the questioning around this move.

“You would have noticed over the last couple of years he’s played there a fair bit, so it’s not unique, so I would imagine he will play there still, a little bit, from time to time,” he said.

“I’m not really understanding the question, because he’s won a Brownlow Medal doing it, so he goes alright.”

The question is whether the Blues are, so to speak, robbing Peter to pay Paul by deploying Cripps as a reserve ruckman given his renowned ability to win the footy and then free up teammates led by star midfielder Sam Walsh to provide more run from the centre.

The return of Curnow in attack is likely to have a flow on in regards to the time Cripps spends in the ruck given the impact the key forward has on the Blues structure.

Have the Blues regressed in 2025? | 03:30

But, according to Voss, the Carlton captain “puts his hand up” to square shoulders against the big men.

“He loves it. And it’s actually something that’s a bit different and I think you’ve seen across the competition where it’s not unique to us,” Voss said.

“Maybe the fact that it’s ‘Crippa’ (means) it gets a little bit more attention. But I think you’ll notice a lot of second rucks are having a varying size about them, so we’ll still be able to tap out at different times.

“Obviously it looks a little bit different with Charlie playing … and we might have to change up the strategy based on that, because you’ve got that extra tall that’s ahead of the ball, so it does actually change, maybe, what we need from ‘Crippa’.

“But you’ve seen across the competition, everyone wants to … have intensity around the ball and they want to bring that across the four quarters, and it’s pretty challenging to be able to do.

“We sort of concede that from time to time, there might be five minutes of the game … or five minutes of the quarter where you have to go to something like that.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Patrick Cripps of the Blues kicks the ball during Carlton Blues AFL training session at Ikon Park on March 19, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

BRINGING THE HEAT AGAINST THE ‘HOLLYWOOD HAWKS’

In his damning assessment of their error-riddled Richmond loss, Garry Lyon was adamant Carlton need to bounce back immediately against the unbeaten Hawthorn.

“That lingers over them now until they put together a performance where we can sit back and go, ‘That’s the furnace. That is the hottest of hot footballs and they stood up and executed and didn’t double grab’,” Lyon said on AFL 360.

“Right now they are just a fumbling, nervous footy side. That’s their reputation on the back of giving up a 41-point (lead) to a young Richmond side, and the manner in which they did it.

“That’s your lot to live with until you change it. You can change it against Hawthorn. I don’t reckon Carlton fans have a hell of a lot of faith it will happen, but this is a long, long season.”

Carlton’s “connectivity”, to borrow Voss’s description, disappeared after half-time last week.

While they were able to move the ball forward regularly, they failed to do so in a constructive manner, which enabled Richmond to redound the ball out of their backline 55 times.

This was more than double the amount of the Blues, which demonstrates Carlton’s lack of efficiency, and eight more than the second best team result in Rd 1.

“Sometimes in these instances when things don’t go well, you’ve got to double down on things. You just can’t go, ‘Oh well. That didn’t work. There were a few errors. Let’s go in a different direction,’” Voss said.

“I don’t think that’s strong leadership. I think you are folding to a noise, if you want to call it that, when you’ve been rehearsing something for a long period of time and seen it world and executed. We just need to make sure we transfer it on the weekend.”

Mitchell believes improvements needed | 09:22

But Voss is mindful of the threat Hawthorn, which have wins over Sydney at the SCG and Essendon at the MCG, possesses.

In the match where it became clear it was untenable to progress with Curnow, who managed just two touches for a goal in Rd 22 last year, Hawthorn smashed Carlton by 74 points.

“They are in great form. Their confidence has built over time and it looks like they’ve been a pretty settled side as well and certainly, over the last couple of weeks, their performances have been really strong,” Voss said.

“Clearly, of course, when you’re … turn up here, you expect me to say that I feel like we’re in with a strong chance in the game. And as it didn’t matter last week what people said, whether we’d win or lose the game, it doesn’t matter this week either. We’ve got an assignment to be able to get done and we know the task is ahead of us, so we’ll lock in and get it done.

“Collectively, there’s a response there that is needed. It’s not going to sit on one particular player, because as I’m sure you know, even Sam Mitchell would say they haven’t grown on the back of one person or one moment or one intercept. It’s been about how they get their jobs done and how they stay committed to one goal and what they value.

“We’re yet to be able to display that, and we’ve got a body of work to come that (the) only opportunity we have to be able to get that right is to rock up tomorrow with the right attitude and bring the right intent and try to execute it as best we possibly can.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Patrick Cripps (left) and Jacob Weitering of the Blues look dejected after a loss during the 2025 AFL Round 01 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

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