After taking a mid-season break, the Blues are primed to dominate once more.
Enraged by last year’s events, Sam Walsh believes Carlton is in a good position to succeed after taking a mid-season break.
When the Blues returned from their previous season’s break with five victories and a draw from 14 games, their standing seemed questionable.
They took off and went on a nine-game winning streak that sent them to the championship round.
With a narrow 13-point loss to Brisbane in the preliminary final, Carlton raised expectations that it would advance further in the season.
The Blues are in a far stronger position now at 9-4, having won their past three games, despite at times having an incredibly lengthy injury list.
They will play again on Friday night at the MCG against Geelong. Because they have put in a block of training work throughout the season, this is where the strong teams really start to fire,”
Walsh stated on Tuesday. Our exercise intensity has, in my opinion, been a reliable indicator. We’ve had a chance to start over because we recognise the significance of this time frame for us as it was for us last year.
“This year has been enjoyable for me since after every game, we’ve reviewed and worked on our desired identities. You sense that we’re improving every week in a variety of areas.
“I feel that … we’re mature enough now to know that you have to be consistent each week to be a respected team in the comp.”
Walsh’s season began later than expected due to a back injury, but since returning in round five, the top onballer has not missed a beat.
In Carlton’s pre-bye victory over Essendon, Alex Cincotta’s superb tag was one of the team’s main midfield highlights, despite Walsh’s lacklustre performance.
Cincotta has been a revelation for Carlton this season in his new midfield role, limiting Bombers captain Zach Merrett to only 21 disposals.
“Alex is beyond amazing. It’s obvious from the way he trains why he does well on game day, said Walsh.
Many players in the competition have the ability to really blow games up; it’s crucial if you can counter that and go the other way.
“All of us mids want to be two-way strong runners, but Alex adds that extra edge to really go opposition hunting.”
Cincotta might be put in for Cats captain Patrick Dangerfield, who is expected to make a comeback from hamstring issues.
In order to raise awareness of the Carlton Respects community programme, which works to prevent domestic abuse, Walsh and colleague Mitch McGovern visited Coburg Primary School.
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