AFL: Carlton Off-season Review 2012

So the major player transactions of the AFL off-season have been completed, being the numerous drafts and free agency periods.  Now begins the long wait to the season proper.

As the title suggests, this will mainly be a waffle on the actions of the Carlton Football Club in readjusting after a disappointing season where real improvement was not just expected, but demanded, and unfortunately, not delivered. Even disregarding ladder position, claims could be made of a regression in game style and an inability to put away games that should have been won. 

The Coach Swap

The Brett Ratten sacking brought up mixed emotions from me. On the one hand he had brought the club up from the bottom of the ladder to playing in finals. On the other, he had some of the best draft picks to rebuild the team with and probably under-delivered given the talent on hand. None-the-less, I felt it promising from a club attitude and culture perspective, that club president, Stephen Kernahan, acted on falling short on stated goals. Ratten himself acted fantastically in his farewell press conference and I was truly sad to see him go.

The only thing that I can really complain about in this situation is the cost to the club financially. For some reason Ratten was signed on for a long term contract and handed most of it when he was moved on early. Kernahan has come under scrutiny because of this move, and rightly so, because this was simply not a case of Carlton being a victim of circumstances out of their control. 

It was almost a fait accompli that Malthouse would end up in the coaches chair and his availability certainly added to the pressure brought onto Ratten during the season. Malthouse's separation from Collingwood didn't seem to be totally at ease with the man himself and I'm glad he comes in still hungry for success and seemingly refreshed. Him bringing in his own coaching staff is totally understandable and I'm keen to see if the change of personnel at the club brings any players to the fore that might have not had their chance to flourish under the Ratten regime.

Player comments have been that Malthouse spends less time explaining the academia of football to the players in the classroom and more out on the ground 'going through the motions'. It has been said that the training sessions are shorter and sharper and more demanding. What this translates to on game-day is something I'm very keen to find out.

Overview of Player Transactions

via Football Nation

Player Losses:

Retired: None

Delisted: Blake Bray, Paul Bower, Matthew Lodge, Rohan Kerr, Nick Heyne, Mitch Carter, Andrew Collins, Bret Thornton

Traded:  Jordan Russell (to Collingwood)

Free Agency: None

Player Additions:

Traded:  None

National Draft: Troy Menzel (11), Tom Temay (35), Nicholas Graham (54) Levi Casboult (89, promoted rookie), Zach Touhy (102, promoted rookie)

Rookie Draft: Jaryd Cachia (9, Norwood),  Andrew Collins (24, Carlton)

Pre-season Draft: None

Free Agency: None

Free Agency and Trades

If there was one word I could use to describe Carlton's foray into the first ever Free Agency period of the AFL, it would be 'unadventurous'. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Firstly, there was no real glaring need the Blues needed to fill that could be addressed through Free Agency. Secondly, it allows a risk free evaluation of what 'worth' is applied to various players. Goddard was the biggest name to change clubs but it was also interesting to see how players like Brian Lake were evaluated. 

Jordan Russell was traded to Collingwood for pick infinity in the trade period. Russell might not find the opportunities he was denied in the near future but he might be more important to Collingwood's depth than he currently is for Carlton's, good luck to him. A lot of noise is usually made about players who are traded, but I didn't see any trades this period that really do anything but strengthen depth.

The Drafts

I'm sure the fact Menzel dropped to pick 11 is solely due to clubs staying away from such a young player who has already had a knee reconstruction. I doubt that it has anything to do with his character or ability, let alone club need.

Temay seems a likely winger type, definitely needs to pack some muscle on but might help become a good outside midfielder, Graham seems like a good rebounding back, reminds me of Gibbs. These evaluations are all based on about 30 seconds of footage and I look forward to seeing them in the preseason.

Judd and Captaincy

Most recently, Chris Judd has given up the Carlton captaincy. I don't particularly disagree with the decision but it does add to my suspicion that Judd has always been a somewhat reluctant leader ever since it was thrust upon him coming from West Coast. Even though Judd leads from the front and by giving strong examples, he has always been somewhat of a grudging media performer and preferred to hold his cards to his chest.

These aren't negative attributes, but added to my picture of him as not being particularly charismatic. His manner around the club and during training are not aspects I have a  strong knowledge of, so it is hard to say how he acted in these scenarios and others such as team selection meetings, or in reviewing footage post-game. Everything his team-mates say of him is positive, but external impressions of the club Captain cannot be discarded without thought, especially given that now the club list has matured, it should be expected they take up some of the responsibilities he has shouldered over the past half-decade.

I think being able to simply lead by example without any extra burden will allow Chris to be a better footballer and not have to worry about carrying the team on his back and help his, and the club's image in terms of leadership.

In response, a new leadership group was announced with a club Captain to be selected right before the season proper. The members of the leadership group were announced as Andrew Carrazzo, Kade Simpson, Jarrad Waite, Marc Murphy and Nick Duigan. 

Carrazzo, Simpson and Waite are all club veterans who all have earned the mantle of leadership. Murphy, while young, has been one of the best players in the competition and is a real 'poster boy' of the club. All these selections are not especially provocative or surprising. What was a surprise was the selection of Nick Duigan. I think it is of great credit to himself, though while not especially young, that to only be in his third year at the club Nick has been selected for the leadership group.

I think that one of the traits of Nick's that stands out to me is the work he does outside of the club. He displays a fantastic character that should be happily promoted and endorsed by the club, from giving his free day to counselling at-risk youth as a mental health professional to leading clinics for immigrant communities Nick has shown a fantastic balance between life and football.

I personally hope that Andrew Carrazzo be given the nod to be the Captain as he goes about his football in a modest but courageous way. He is a fierce competitor who demands the best from his team and himself.

Membership Options

As an aside, I have to complain about the Carlton membership options available this year.

Not so much the seating or pricing, both have been fair and right, $545 for the best reserved seating available and priority access to finals tickets are fantastic value when compared to many other clubs and indeed sports on offer. The main grievance I have is that a part of the digital portion of the membership, emails, videos and so on, have a pricing gateway of $50. This is under the banner of "Carlton Access". 

Trying to monetize various aspects of operations is an understandable thing. I will be very interested to see the numbers of people who will pay $50 to get exclusive videos (which will end up on youtube minutes after being released).

It is to me, putting a price on communicating with your club, which is a no-go. The club should be putting as much effort as possible on engaging with fans and members. Putting a gateway on that engagement is a sure fire way to make them not even want to look to begin with.