AT THE back end of 2024, Carlton’s leaders were all singing from the hymn sheet about a core group of Blues.
As is tradition, the first-to-four-year players returned to pre-season training a week before the more senior players - but what happened was a sign of Carlton’s next wave taking their future into their own hands.
Lauded for raising the standard from the outset, players like Lachie Cowan, Jesse Motlop and Cooper Lord were all mentioned in a group of players who were putting themselves in a position to take their game to another level.
They weren’t alone - and that continued in Friday’s two-kilometre time trial.
The second such time trial which the Blues have undergone this pre-season, it was on the Blues’ first training day back, and that youthful vibe continued just as it had in the final stages of 2024.
After being pipped by Ollie Hollands last month, there was no denying Jaxon Binns a second time around, who hit the line first. Hollands wasn’t far behind with another top-three finish, while their fellow draft class member in Harry Lemmey continued his impressive uptick with another strong performance as an emerging key-position prospect.
For co-vice captain Jacob Weitering, who’s now in pre-season No.10, the excitement and joy he had for his fellow teammates was clear.
“I was at the back of the group, so I didn’t get to see it live! But ‘Binnsy’ was unbelievable - he got challenged, the title got taken off him pre-Christmas.
“He’s probably been the most impressive with the way he’s come back, he’s built his strength up and his running has stayed pretty much the same to get the win in the 2km.
“Ollie in the top three again, while big Harry Lemmey - for a guy taller than me, to run the way he does is pretty impressive as well.
“We’ve got a very good running group that’s pushing me along, that’s for sure.”
After missing in December, Matthew Cottrell was right back in the swing of things to push Binns right to the line, while Elijah Hollands once again performed well to finish behind his younger brother.
