Mike & Dan
In any smashing it is inevitable that Carlton fans will look to the performances of our young players. Sure, Murphy, Simpson, Gibbs, Carrazzo and Walker perform under extreme pressure every game, but it was the goals of two newcomers with very different histories that were hard to separate for this week’s Play of the Week. In the end, Ross Young’s toe-poke of a goal won over Hartlett’s bustle-and-goal, and not just because it allowed us to come up with the above terrible headline (one of our objectives each & every week for carltonfc.com.au).
Ross, you win Play of the Week for your ability to get that leg through the tackle and to get the goal through the big sticks. Nice goal – was that your favourite of the 2?
I suppose so – but really, it was a bit lucky. The first one I got from a handball from Kouta, and then just snapped it through, and then the second came from a great handball from Lappin, which just fell on to my foot. That one was probably my favourite as it put us back in the game big time.
First rookied, then promoted, now Play of the Week - how good is your life going this year?
Not too bad I guess, I’m going OK, but I have to keep improving and getting better.
Two opportunist forward pocket goals - is that a role you are used to playing? At the 'Ants we generally see you in half forward / wing roles?
I’m usually at half forward for the Bullants – that’s where I feel comfortable in playing, so I’m happy with the role I had on the weekend…at half-forward, with stints in the middle, which was good.
In the first ¼, we were on top of Freo and pressured them into mistakes. How did they turn it around so comprehensively? What was happening amongst the Carlton players?
Like any team, if you get a run-on of goals you can get your confidence up. The Dockers got on a roll and we dropped our heads a bit.
We’re very disappointed with that – we talked about re-gaining respect all week but we didn’t deliver.
Tell us about the Dockers’ goals in the second half. They all looked the same – we would get the clearance, get it to half back, but they would have numbers there, find an option, and get it upfield. Watching on TV we couldn’t see what was happening – where were the Blues?
They work very well as a team – they slid into the match-ups and covered for each other very well. If we turned it over, they were able to get the ball at half back, we weren’t quick enough to pick up our man as they moved forward which is a fundamental part of the game.
A tough gig for Waitey to Captain over there in a 1-off match – how did he cope with it? Is he a vocal player out there and at the breaks?
Yeah, he’s pretty good out there. He is now one of the senior players and he is very good in the 1 on 1 discussions. He’s pretty positive and when he was able to get that run of goals at the end, he tried hard to lift us all after.
Did the loss against Hawthorn change the club's plans over the break? Was there anything done differently to the original schedule after the big loss?
No – it was always supposed to be a mid-season break. Some of the senior guys had a few days off, but I was in the Bullants so I had to play on the weekend. We all were back at the Club on the Wednesday and had a number of sessions about the Hawthorn game; about how we had to get the respect back from Friday night and how we couldn’t allow ourselves to get ahead of where we are at.
Yourself and Adam Hartlett were really having a go in and around the forward line. What can you tell us about Adam’s skills and his progress this year?
He’s a big kid, Adam, he has a good leap, some good pace and some good endurance. He is in his third year now and developing nicely. Some of the bigger kids take a while to develop.
On the TV he seemed to be limping at the end of the game?
I wouldn’t worry – its normal during a game to get a corky or a knock. He may have had a slight corky but he’s fine.
It’s a rare story to be drafted at 23. If you had to give advice to a 19-20 year old who has missed out, what would you say?
Look – it’s all about keeping up the effort and working on it. You have to be disciplined and you have to work on your deficiencies. If you do all of that, another door will open up.
The Carrazzo story is relevant here – twice rookied, worked his way through the Bullants and now clearly one of our best players. Don’t you just love stories like that?
Exactly…all the Rookies, they do well for themselves.
When we spoke to you earlier this year, your goals were to try and make the most of your opportunity if you got a spot on the list. Now that you are on the list, how have your goals changed? What are your goals between now and the end of the season?
Not really – it’s all about working hard and making the most of it.
Did you find that the gap between yourself and AFL players got wider each year because of your lack of access to AFL facilities?
There’s always a gap, you can see it at the different levels, but whilst at the Bullants we would train at Princes Park a lot and we would get to use the Carlton gym.
What has the early focus been on this week in preparation for the game against Melbourne? Defence is obviously a key concern, which other areas has there been emphasis on?
Working as a team and learning to slide for each other on the match-ups. We have to make sure all the danger men are looked after.
Training watchers are saying that some of the youngsters trained in the senior group during the week, including a rookie runner and ruckman. Any news you can tell us?
Were they? I didn’t notice it…I’m not sure. I’m sure there’s a few in the Bullants though who are about to come through.
We like to finish up with a Carlton history question from the Blueseum, and it’s not just shameless cross-promotion because we also volunteer on that site… There isn’t a bloke who has played 100 games in #41 yet, but can you name our one & only #41 premiership player?
My Carlton history isn’t great, but… but wasn’t there was a guy who played 40 games or so in the 1970’s?
Yes, there was – Peter Brown wore the #41 and played in the 1979 Premiership. All of the wearers of the #41 can be found here…. http://www.blueseum.org/cfc/tiki-index.php?page=Guernsey+41]
Young’s 2 goals, and indeed our opening quarter, raised the expectations of a grand away performance missing from the Carlton repertoire over recent years. We wish the boys well in the search for those missing ingredients in a tough week for the Club.
