THERE was a bit more maroon mixed in with the customary Navy Blue at IKON Park earlier this week.
Carlton welcomed some key figures from the Manly Sea Eagles to their home base, with players Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh Schuster and Lachlan Croker joined by staff Shane Flanagan and Steven Hales.
Taking place in the opening few days in the second week back of the Blues' pre-season, it was a chance for both clubs across two different codes to come together and knowledge share.
For Carlton leader Jacob Weitering, the opportunity to mix with the Sea Eagles and share insights was a valuable experience.
“Any time you can mix and match with different codes, leaders and champion players of a different code, it’s really exciting,” Weitering said.
“We had two coaches and three players come in that mixed in amongst the group. They got to witness training, a few different meetings and the way we go about things — vice versa, we got to ask them questions about their operations and how they’re going.
“It’s invaluable. Sometimes, you’re so locked in with your inner sanctum and four walls, that’s all you’re worried about.”
They were sentiments echoed by Cherry-Evans, the gun halfback who was the 2013 Clive Churchill Medallist as the best player in the NRL Grand Final, as well as Queensland’s successful State of Origin captain in 2020 and 2022.
“We were really grateful for the opportunity our coach Anthony Seibold and the Carlton Football Club gave us. We all took something out of it, which is only going to make us better players,” Cherry-Evans said.
“We really cherished the time they gave us down there. From the staff to the playing group, they were so accommodating for us to be in their training facility.
“We are really thankful for the way Carlton treated us. They were so professional: we are really grateful to them.”
To mark their time at IKON Park, each Manly representative received a personalised gift, handed to them by Carlton’s Indigenous Player Development Manager, Dean Duncan.
In Cherry-Evans’ case (pictured below), his gift incorporated wavy lines to mark the coastal areas where he grew up and finds himself now, a symbol representing his family unit and a further symbol representing his club and his central status as captain.
