Patrick Cripps, captain of the Carlton Football Club, expressed the full joy and rage of the moment. His team, meanwhile, has put together a pretty dismal start to the 2025 season. The fan club in 16th place has a win so far. This is in sharp conflict with their stellar performance from last year. In 2023, Carlton’s hot start turned tepid, winning just four of their first 14 rounds and sitting 14th on the ladder midway through the season. They pulled off a miraculous victory, sweeping their last nine matches to qualify for the finals.
Carlton’s most recent low point came in the form of a loss to Collingwood at the MCG. It was a rainy Friday night and they lost by 17 points. The scoreline of 8.15 (63) to 6.10 (46) was perhaps misleading, as it concealed the team’s struggles in the second half, a recurring theme throughout the season.
Cripps admitted that the pressure that Collingwood brought while the game was on created a real impact in the way they were affected. He stressed that there’s a lot of room for improvement. To that he said, “I think it’s just that fight and that contest stuff, and [about] still being courageous in moments.”
Even with the grim prediction, Cripps urged his teammates not to despair. He pointed out that although the team appears to be in a rough patch, they were in an even worse position in 2023 before finding their stride. “Like I said, [2023] is a perfect example — there’s a lot of belief in this group and I feel like I have a lot of footy left in me as well,” he remarked.
The captain emphasized the necessity of tough conversations among teammates. “You’ve got to be really honest with where you’re at, too — you’ve got to have those conversations you can’t sugar-coat it, the facts are the facts.” His remarks strike the perfect tone of transparency in that they admit the failures and missed opportunity.
Cripps defended head coach Michael Voss, highlighting his successful leadership during past seasons that led the team to finals. He noted that Voss has maintained a remarkably consistent core roster of players. This consistency fosters calm amidst the chaos and turmoil in today’s landscape.
As Cripps articulated the need for focus, he stated, “You can’t look that far ahead, to be honest. You do that, you can waste years and I’ve never been about that.” His words rang with urgency when he asked everyone to focus on short-term gains, not get hung up on long-term losses.
Turning his gaze to the team’s defensive prowess, Cripps was upbeat. “I feel the thing at the moment that’s holding it up [is] the defence is sound — if we were sitting here and conceding 120 points [a game] that would be a worry but we’re holding some good teams to low scores,” he said. He continued to say that fine-tuning other parts of their game and increasing the players’ confidence level are still key objectives in this season’s home stretch.
Frustration still hangs heavy in the air as Carlton looks to shift the weight of its early season failures. With steadfast leadership from Cripps and a belief in their potential for improvement, there is hope that the team can navigate this challenging phase.
