2013

All eyes were on Carlton as we entered 2013. The footy public wanted to know if 2012 a blip or a sign that we'd already peaked on our return to football credibility, and whether AFL Legend Mick Malthouse could have an impact on the list. Big questions. All eyes were to the season ahead...

After 3 initial losses to likely finalists and aspirants Richmond, Collingwood and Geelong, the pressure on the Club was immense. No typical Round 1 win over the Tiges! Close losses to the Pies and the Cats but an inability to stop an opposition run. But Malthouse and the boys would turn it around in Round 4 when they defeated the Eagles in the West, and followed it up with consecutive wins over Adelaide and Melbourne to return to the top 8. A horrific loss to St Kilda allowed us to reset our goals, before some easy wins against low opposition saw the Blues at 6 and 4 by Round 10. An enthralling but difficult game lost to the Bombers saw us back on our heels, pondering that very same question - yet again:

Were we any good? Were we just making up the numbers in 2013?

Well, 4 successive losses meant the Blues fell to 6 and 8, with only 8 games to go. The press began the annual ritual of writing obvious articles against the bottom 8 clubs (trashing lists / questioning Coaches) and the masses began to question the Blues. The Blues would need a turnaround in form to make the 8, and a massive one to be competitive should it make it...

But in the background a bigger storm had been brewing. Essendon's 'pharmacological experiment' in pursuing alternative drug therapies for their players brewed away but exploded in August with their termination from the Finals notwithstanding a good year on the field, opening up a spot for the next best Club to take.

Armed with this knowledge, Carlton took on Port in Round 23 to claim 8th place. And did so by just 1 point...

.... Giving some impetus to our 8th/9th spot! A stirring win over the Tigers followed before an away loss to the Swans. The Blues had only made the finals due to some 'pharmacological experimentation' by the Bombers, yet finished 6th. What did this mean? Were we mediocre or would 'Master Coach' Mick Malthouse be building something?

People of 2013

Coach: Mick Malthouse
Assistant / Development Coaches: Robert Wiley, Mathew Capuano, Gavin Brown, John Barker
Captain: Marc Murphy
Leadership Group: Andrew Carrazzo, Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy, Jarrad Waite and Nick Duigan
Leading Goalkicker: Jeffery Garlett - 43 goals

Debuts

Round 21: Nick Graham
Round 8: Troy Menzel
Round 6: Jaryd Cachia
Round 3: Dylan Buckley
Round 2: Sam Rowe
Debut: Sam Rowe, Dylan Buckley, Jaryd Cachia, Troy Menzel, Nick Graham

Milestones

250 Games (AFL): Heath Scotland, Chris Judd
200 Games (Carlton): Heath Scotland, Kade Simpson
150 Games: Marc Murphy, Andrew Walker, Bryce Gibbs
100 Games: Matthew Kreuzer, Dennis Armfield
50 Games (Carlton): Lachlan Henderson
50 Games: Zach Tuohy
50 Goals: Matthew Kreuzer, Chris Yarran

Ladder / Fixture