In Mini! Now Charlie Curnow has pretty clearly killed any Gold Coast Suns speculation. He gave his all to the Carlton Football Club. Despite his team’s struggles, currently positioned 12th with a 7-12 record, Curnow reassured fans that he will remain with the club for the foreseeable future.
The two-time Coleman Medal winner was having a difficult year. Even after having knee and ankle surgeries through the pre-season, will still bring a day-lighting 32 goals from 18 games. To be sure, his performance has been admirable. His consistent form has been overshadowed by persistent trade rumors linking him to almost every club, including Gold Coast, Sydney and Geelong.
Curnow, who recently announced that he would be staying with the club long-term. He continued, “I’m just putting all of my efforts into playing footy at this club for the next year and coming years.” He reiterated that there is “absolutely no truth” to suggestions that he requested a move out of Ikon Park. Curnow has quickly RSVP’d to the invitation, making clear his continued wish to remain a Blue as he “obviously wants to be at Carlton.”
This is how Mitch Cleary, one of Australia’s leading sports commentators, described the situation. He pointed out that the trade talks develop sometimes on very short notice and frequently go from zero to a hundred very fast.
“It starts with little chatters, maybe more informal — ‘it’s been a tough year, wouldn’t mind seeing what else is out there,’ and then things snowball from there,” – Mitch Cleary
Reflecting on all the adversity this season has thrown their way, Curnow welcomed the Carlton fans’ anguish. He asked them to continue to be patient through this trying time.
“Simply expand with us, enjoy yourself with us – we just need you to be here. We’re trying hard out there. We genuinely do wish to have a shot for them. If you just stay with us, great things are going to happen,” Curnow said.
Cleary stressed the need to keep Curnow to ensure success long-term for Carlton. He stated, “There’s no world (Carlton) lose De Koning and Curnow in the same trade period. You trade Curnow, you’ve got to go and find another one — and there’s not one out there.”
Curnow’s resolve is a welcome reprieve as Carlton nears the conclusion of an abysmal season. And while the team and its supporters have faced years of heartache, Curnow is cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead. He admitted it had been a tough year, but did not shy away from pledging his future to the club.
“It’s a tough one to swallow for them, I understand,” he said.
