I know it was an away game for Carlton but it certainly felt like a home game as far as crowd support went on Saturday night at Gold Coast Stadium. It seems that wherever we play we have great support and it was the same on Saturday night and it was just a pity we were not able to reward the Carlton supporters with a victory as we did in the NAB Cup when we played at the same venue. It was also disappointing for Jason Saddington who played his 150th AFL game and while we chaired him off it just wasn’t the same as it would have been after a victory.

It is great to see Jason back in the team as he has really gone through some tough times as a result of injury. It would be hard enough joining a new club as he did last year but to then have to miss the last half of the season with an injury really made it hard on him. To his credit he has been outstanding around the club, always positive and a great role model for everyone. His experience and maturity is very important around the club, especially with such a young playing group and while the emphasis is on youth (as it should be) it is too easy to forget just how important it is to have quality senior players around the place. We all hope the ankle injury he suffered on Saturday night is not too bad and he is right to play this week as we look forward to Jason enjoying his next 50 games with Carlton injury free.

The Gold Coast experience (aside from the loss) was a good one for everyone and certainly the weather made the trip as pleasant as it could have been. We flew to Brisbane on Friday afternoon following a training session at MC Labour Park on Friday morning with Jordan Bannister flying up as the emergency player. It was decided to fly to Brisbane as it fitted our schedule better and while further to Surfers Paradise than from Coolangatta the bus trip was not too bad. Aside from the warmer weather it was the usual preparation the night before a game with team dinner and meeting before a very quiet night. On Saturday morning we really knew we had flown north as it was sunny, not a cloud in the very blue sky and the temperature was shorts and t-shirt weather. After breakfast the team went for a walk and it was great to walk on the path next to the beach in what was ideal weather for a game of football later that evening. The rest of the day was preparation time for the game before boarding the team bus to the ground.

There will be plenty of reports on the match and as I said the loss was very disappointing as we really played some good football and importantly controlled many of the aspects of the game we set out to do. Thankfully the supporters, while disappointed were still there to cheer us on after the game and it was great to see a number of our celebrity members after the game. Lee Kernaghan and his wife Robyn, who are sensational Carlton supporters (and members), were quick to pass on words of encouragement to all the players and it was great to catch up with them again.

Coming home after a loss is never as much fun as after a win but win or lose the game is over and we are now focusing on our next match on Saturday against Adelaide, the first of four home games. We know we are playing some good football and if we continue to attack the contests as we did on Saturday night the tide will turn in our favour. Hopefully off the field these next four home games will ensure our membership passes the 33,534 and Carlton supporters create a record for Carlton, an all-time Membership record.