Ladder position: 5th; 14W, 7L, 1D
Leading goalkicker: Andrew Walker (56)
Leading possession winner: Marc Murphy (699)
Played every game: Marc Murphy, Chris Judd, Heath Scotland, Kade Simpson, Andrew Walker, Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett
Debutants: Nick Duigan (22), Zach Tuohy (11), Ed Curnow (12), Matthew Watson (3), Wayde Twomey (2), Rhys O'Keeffe (1).
Stats leaders
Toyota AFL Dream Team: Marc Murphy (2,452)
Kicks: Marc Murphy (391)
Handballs: Chris Judd (332)
Marks: Bryce Gibbs (174)
Hit-outs: Robbie Warnock (591)
Clearances: Chris Judd (159)
Contested possessions: Chris Judd (333)
Uncontested possessions: Heath Scotland (416)
NAB AFL Rising Star nominees
None
List manager
Analysis of Carlton's playing stocks doesn't reveal any gaping holes that need to be addressed. The Blues have a couple of key defensive prospects coming along nicely at VFL level, but with Lachie Henderson's transformation from forward to defender looking like it might be permanent, it could be time to get another key forward into the club via the draft or trade table.
Games that shaped a season
Rd 3: Collingwood 15.12 (102) d Carlton 11.8 (74) at the MCG
The Blues failed their first big test of the season, but the 28-point loss to Collingwood gave Brett Ratten plenty to work with. The match was basically lost in a second-quarter lapse in concentration, but the coach liked a lot of what he saw and was upbeat after the game.
Rd 6: Sydney Swans 10.11 (71) def by Carlton 12.15 (87) at the SCG
The Sydney Swans at the SCG represented a stern test of Carlton's interstate credentials (Gold Coast doesn't count) and the Blues came out on top. Ratten tweaked the way the club goes about its road trips this year and they won on the Gold Coast, in Adelaide twice and in Sydney as a result.
Rd 18: Essendon 12.7 (79) def by Carlton 24.9 (153) at the MCG
After three losses in a month, some thought the cracks were starting to appear in the Blues' premiership campaign. It was tight at half-time in the battle against arch-rivals Essendon, but Carlton found its mojo in the second half to launch its push to the finals in emphatic fashion.
Elimination final: Carlton 21.23 (149) d Essendon 13.9 (87) at the MCG
Would the psychological demons of the past two elimination final losses come back to haunt the Blues against the upstart Bombers? No way. After a shaky start in front of goal, Carlton answered its critics with an elimination final statement that was important for both the players and the coach.
Semi-final: West Coast 15.11 (101) d Carlton 15.8 (98) at Patersons Stadium
The Blues gave themselves every chance to succeed in the cauldron of Patersons Stadium and very nearly came away with a win. They quietened the hostile crowd early before falling behind late. With the crowd at fever pitch, they dug deep and mounted a rally that almost got them over the line. They can go into the off-season with their heads held high.
What went right
Plenty. Nick Duigan and Jeremy Laidler were instant hits at their new club and their addition to a backline that also included successfully transplanted forwards Chris Yarran and Lachie Henderson proved a masterstroke. Going in the other direction Bret Thornton and Andrew Walker found new leases on life up forward. In the middle, Chris Judd had another Brownlow-worthy season and was aided by the development of Marc Murphy, Mitch Robinson and Robbie Warnock. Heath Scotland turned back the clock to put in one of the best seasons of his career. Brett Ratten's revamped coaching panel, that included Alan Richardson and Gavin Brown, worked a treat and allowed him to grow as a coach and implement a game plan that made the Blues harder to score against.
What went wrong
If they had their time again club president Stephen Kernahan and chief executive Greg Swann probably wouldn't have set the public goal of winning a final. It sounds good in theory and of course that's what you strive for internally, but it became tied to Ratten's chances of winning a new contract and was a talking point all year. Jarrad Waite's hip problem proved a major disruption to the forward line, Michael Jamison's extended absence with a knee injury didn't help either and Shaun Hampson's knee injury was ill-timed for the in-form big man. Andy Collins brought his shoulder problems with him from Punt Rd, Brock McLean couldn't win a regular berth, Jordan Russell fell out of favour and Kane Lucas suffered a case of second-year blues. Matthew Kreuzer's mystery foot issue and Bryce Gibbs' shoulder injury cruelled the team's semi-final chances.
Critical moment
The elimination final was one of those 'Sliding Doors' moments where a win or a loss had vastly different consequences. A loss would have seen Brett Ratten under intense pressure to stay in the top job and would have caused untold damage to the psyche of the players going into next season. As it stands they threw the elimination final monkey off their backs and Ratten looks set to guide them to bigger and better things.
Most valuable player
Chris Judd is the easy answer here, but the improvement in Marc Murphy's game this season has been just as important. Murphy's ability to step up into the elite category of midfielder has taken some of the pressure off Judd and made the Blues' midfield a force to be reckoned with.
Coach's pet
Mitch Robinson won't have been considered the teacher's pet too often in his life, but he's definitely one of his coach's favourites. His kamikaze approach to tackling or laying a bump is infectious and has been a big factor in Carlton's improvement this year.
Next big thing
Ratten surprised many outside the club when he handed Irishman Zach Tuohy his AFL debut in round 11, but he showed in 11 games that he deserved his spot. The amount of progress made from the time he bounced the ball straight back over his head with his first touch at AAMI Stadium to when he marked the ball from a West Coast kick in and banged it straight back over the defender's head for a goal in the semi-final loss was impressive.
Needs a big pre-season
Paul Bower has drifted out of the Blues' best 22 on the back of the persistent quad injuries that keep interrupting his momentum with Brock McLean in the same boat. They'd love to get a good summer into Andrew Collins as well, while Mark Austin's future will be a line-ball decision after he again failed to get through a season without injury niggles.
Trading places
It's hard to see the Blues wanting to move on too many of their players, but Ratten has said he would like to test the water to see what sort of talent he can bring into the club, which means parting with draft picks. There have been whispers around the futures of Shaun Hampson and Brock McLean, but they'd hate to lose Hampson and McLean's trade value has plummeted on the back of two years of injury and indifferent form.
What they said
"We'll be fairly active [in the recruiting market]. A blue-chip forward would be really good. We don't want to make a lot of changes but strategically we've already talked a fair bit on what we need. That will be a bit about balance, about adding to our midfield as well as getting some height into the team that plays consistently.
"Our players have grown enormously this year and I'm really proud. But that playing group probably won't play together ever again because we need change to go forward and succeed.
"We've made some real inroads around that top four area but we're still just a little bit short and as a football club we need to get there so we have a real chance of continuing in the finals series going forward."
- Coach Brett Ratten
In a nutshell
Carlton took positive steps forward on and off the field in 2011. The Blues successfully added some experience to their playing group, saw improvement from several players and played a brand of football that looks to have them poised for bigger and better things in 2012.
Overall grade: B+
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
