As Carlton head into a stretch of winnable games against Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs ahead of the bye, the Blues should use Dale Thomas' recent indiscretion as a circuit breaker.
Because they can win at least two of those games if they set the right tone to shine some light into a bleak era.
Dale Thomas made a mistake – but can the Blues learn from it?Credit:AAP
Thomas clearly let down his senior teammates when he was out drinking less than two days before the Carlton game with everyone accepting it was, at the very least, an error of judgment.
But the incident and subsequent response raised questions about the environment that exists at Carlton.
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The inconsistent performances from rounds seven to 10 show that the message being delivered with such an intense, unrelenting tone is not being heard.
The constant references to what other clubs might do in similar situations has worn thin, too.
The Blues' hierarchy would do well to remember basketball coach John Wooden's famous line that "you haven't taught until they have learned", which means coaches need to accept responsibility for performance rather than constantly demanding in public their players be smarter in certain situations.
Add in a horrible VFL fixture that has left second-year players wanting for games at times, with Angus Schumacher playing just three games up until round nine due to VFL byes and being a carry-over emergency, and you can imagine some wondering whether the elite standards sermons ring true.
Having someone in the club prepared to step outside the tight boundaries that seem to be restricting the natural talent of Charlie Curnow, Jacob Weitering, Sam Petrevski-Seton and Paddy Dow might be a positive.
Unfortunately, Thomas picked the wrong method, but his poor decision is a chance for the club to ask itself whether it is letting players express themselves every time an opportunity presents itself or is it, as the public comments from Brendon Bolton, Chris Judd and others suggest, so intense and serious as to be suffocating?
Let's face it, would you rather pass, or fail, a stupidity test? No wonder some players play confused football.
Carlton's leaders might benefit from listening to Richmond coach Damien Hardwick's response to a question about what he thought about young Sydney Stack being involved in the war cry before Dreamtime at the 'G.
"We embrace who he is," Hardwick said.
"It's one thing our footy club does well under Trent [Cotchin] and the leaders … probably three years ago we'd say, 'nah mate you're not doing that', but it is who we are and what we do, and we want make the guys feel really comfortable and express themselves."
Such an approach, which admittedly is harder for others to accept when a team is losing, might shift the dial towards winning quicker tRead More – Source
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