Carlton is
still in the rebuilding process but the Blues should be convinced that they are
going down the right path after Charlie
Curnow became the club’s fifth NAB Rising Star nominee for the 2017 season.
The
20-year-old was announced as the Round 16 nominee for this season on Monday,
joining teammates Caleb Marchbank, Sam Petrevski-Seton, David Cuningham, and Jack
Silvagni as contenders for the award.
Since the Rising
Star initially presented in 1993, Carlton has not had more than three nominations
in a season but it has beaten that tally this time, equalling Essendon in 1993
and Fremantle in 1996, and only Greater Western Sydney has had more with eight
in 2012.
Curnow has
been compared to Blues great Anthony Koutoufides because of his frame and
athleticism but he has the ability to show that he can be a fine player in his
own right. Something to take into consideration is that ‘Kouta’ only played 14
games in his first two seasons as a senior footballer whereas Curnow has
already played 20.
In the
eight-point defeat to Melbourne on Sunday, he had 19 disposals, took 10 marks,
had 10 score involvements and kicked two goals to earn his nomination.
Marchbank
was one of the players recruited from Greater Western Sydney and arranging a
trade with the Giants has already looked beneficial for the Blues because the
20-year-old has looked assured in the backline. He was nominated after Round 6
and he averages 16.4 disposals per game and seven marks a match.
Petrevski-Seton
was nominated in Round 7, and despite not being a prolific goalkicker, he does
things that are required of small forwards and midfielders in modern footy by
chasing hard and making plenty of tackles. The 19-year-old has made 61 tackles
in 13 games, including 10 tackles against Fremantle in Round 9.
Despite
playing six matches this season, Cuningham has also earned a nomination and he
received his in Round 12, which was his third game of the year. In the shock
victory against the Giants, he collected 19 disposals and kicked two goals. He
also has a marginally higher tackle average than Petrevski-Seton, averaging 4.8
a match to 4.7.
Perhaps the
most famous of the nominees is Jack Silvagni, largely due to his family history
at the club, but he has so far shown that can have a great career of his own. There
are key forwards that are taller and have a more solid build but the 19-year-old
has footy smarts and agility which allows him to move into the right areas.
He has
scored just 22 AFL goals in as many games but he kicked two final-quarter goals
in the victory against Gold Coast in Round 13, which earned him the nomination,
and he kicked three goals against Melbourne and probably should have scored
more.
Carlton
still has some experienced players like Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs,
and Matthew Kreuzer to support the emerging youngsters but most of the youth
have been able to show their own individual talents as well.
In the last
15 years, there have been numerous false dawns in the reigns of Denis Pagan,
Brett Ratten, and then Mick Malthouse as coaches but there is a clear sense of
direction under current coach Brendon Bolton and list manager Stephen Silvagni.
Since Bolton
became the coach at the end of 2015, he has created a game plan that his
players have been able to follow. It involves moving the ball slowly and
chipping and handballing short, which makes it hard for the opposition to play
against. The Blues are well-organised defensively and it is hard to kick big
scores against them.
Silvagni has
been criticised for focusing too much on his former club GWS but he has
identified young players from the Giants that were eager to find more playing
opportunities and could also make a contribution for the Blues.
Previous
recruiters focused on the high drafts picks and then clogged the list with an
abundance of midfielders, but Silvagni has drafted shrewdly in the last two AFL
drafts, selecting promising footballers who can play in certain positions and
roles under Bolton.
This
generation of Carlton footballers leading the club to its 17th
premiership would be clear proof that this current rebuild is a success.
There is
some time to go but the emergence of these promising youngsters is a sign that
Bolton and his Blues side are progressing.
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