If names are made in September, Charlie Curnow would be champing at the bit for the finals to roll around in 2025.
After repeated ankle injuries forced an end to his 2024 campaign, the Blues were subsequently bundled out of the finals in the first week (or the first half of the game in the first week, to be more precise), Curnow sat in the stands and watched his team turn in one of their worst first halves of the season.
Brisbane smashed them.
It was a humbling display – a dismantling of a team that was considered a contender, and reduced them to the role of pretender for the footy world to see.
And whilst there can be some solace taken in the fact that the Lions were the form team, and would go onto win the flag, the comprehensive beat down was a stark reminder that the Blues have a fair way to go before they’re ready to end their premiership drought.
And the key to making that happen may still rest on the shoulders of King Charles.
Curnow’s only three September appearances during his career have been disappointing, to say the least. During the Blues’ 2023 run into the Preliminary Final, their spearhead, coming off a second successive Coleman Medal, managed just three goals over those three games. His home and away average sat at almost 3.39 goals per game in 2023. It was at 2.71in 2024 (taking into account two games where he left the field, injured) To see that production fall to a goal per game when the stakes were at their highest was a painful lesson for both him and the club.
As we head into the 2025 season, Charlie is one more poor finals outing away from being a player that will have an asterisk next to those Coleman Medals, articularly if he fails, and the club does the same.
The phrase “He was a great home and away player, but…” might just start to be used if a fourth poor finals outing dots his CV.
Many have speculated as to what went awry in 2023. Was he carrying an injury? Was the calibre of defenders just head and shoulders better in September? Were the lights of finals just a little too bright for him?
That last one’s a bit harsh, particularly when you acknowledge that he didn’t really get a chance to defend himself in 2024. He was again right in the mix for the Coleman, until his ankle injury, and the recurrence a few weeks later, derailed his chance to three-peat, and his chance to redeem himself in September evaporated with it.
Curnow is coming off an ankle reconstruction, and is already under an injury cloud heading into 2025, after leaving the track with a knee issue. Though scans have since cleared him of any structural damage, you get the feeling that this Carlton team, as gifted as they are at the to end, will only go as far as Charlie Curnow can carry them in 2025. And if he is limping into the year, Carlton may just do the same.
Some may ask whether Charlie Curnow owes the Blues one in 2025, but Charlie would be entirely justified in asking whether the Blues owe him one, as well. He was clearly not right in Round 24 when he hobbled around against the Hawks. Lo and behold, his ankle gave way and his season abruptly ended. Should the Blues have nursed him through that final game to get him right for the finals? Should they have been a little more careful with the man who could have, and maybe still can, carry them to a flag, and allowed him to sit out and heal up properly before making an assault on September?
It’s easy to point the finger at Curnow and say he didn’t show up in the 2023 finals series. At face value, I can understand the sentiment. It is a simple argument made by simple people, and it gives them a chance to lay blame at the feet of an individual, rather than looking at the bigger picture. There were many at fault when the Blues finally saw their run come to an end. Curnow was just the highest profile of the culprits. And in 2024, he wasn’t even a culprit, at all!
Another year on, and another year wiser, Carlton should be able to learn from the errors that cost them in 2023 and 2024. We have all looked at their list and have been impressed with the elite talent they possess at the top end of their list. Really, the Blues’ top five is equal to, or better than, any other top five in the game.
But it is no use having all that talent if you cannot capitalise on it.
Does Charlie owe Carlton?
Yes, in the minds of many, I am sure he does.
But do the Blues also owe Charlie?
Yeah, they do.
If he let them down in 2023, they let him down just as badly in 2024. And if the club and the player can ensure they’re on the same page in around eight months’ time, a packed MCG on the last Saturday in September might just offer Charlie Curnow the redemption he now seeks.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and right now, King Charles – as is the way with royalty – has done bugger all to earn that throne.
It can be earned in September, however. And that is when the Blues are going to need their full forward playing his best footy. And I reckon Charlie needs it, for himself, as well.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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