THERE will be a number of new faces rotating through Carlton’s forward line in 2019, according to assistant coach David Teague.
To go with the acquisitions who arrived at the Club in the off-season, some Blues have been challenged over the summer to embrace a new role and add more strings to their bow.
Included in that group are the likes of David Cuningham and Ed Curnow, who Teague said have taken to their new surroundings with aplomb.
“We’ve got quite a good midfield group and we’re probably looking for some small forwards at the moment,” Teague said.
“Ed [Curnow], Cameron Polson, David Cuningham as well as guys like Paddy Dow, Sam Petrevski-Seton and Zac Fisher have all been rotating through.
Some big preparation ahead of Thursday's practice match against the Hawks.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 18, 2019
See what the boys got up to at this morning's training session. #BoundByBlue
“They’ve got to play a position other than just the midfield. We’ve spent a bit more time than last year — when the midfielders went forward, we probably didn’t give them enough time in learning the craft of playing as a forward.
“Over pre-season, we’ve made sure they’ve learned what’s required of them and the role they’re playing.”
There’s quite a different feel about the forward mix at Ikon Park this summer, with the likes of Mitch McGovern and Alex Fasolo joining the exciting duo of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
Teague said the work being done to make sure everyone complements one another has made for a promising summer.
“We’ve been looking to work together… That’s what I’ve been really impressed by,” he said.
“Adding Mitch as another tall — we’ve got some talls down there. They need to work together instead of jumping and competing against each other: on the flip side, we want pressure when the ball hits the ground.
“We want to maintain that ball in our front half and keep it there. Cameron Polson and David Cuningham are guys that have been really good in that area.”
A lot of commentary surrounding Carlton’s forward line heading into 2019 has been about the combination of Curnow, McGovern and McKay.
Having worked with Carlton’s new recruit in Adelaide two years ago, Teague said he has liked what he’s seen from McGovern and his new teammates over the last few months.
“It’s been really exciting — they work together, they learn off each other, they challenge each other and they’ve got really good relationships,” he said.
“Hopefully that continues to grow and gets stronger. Now it’s about getting games into each other against opposition, playing together and getting that continuity which will allow them to grow most.”
A friendly reminder that you can come and watch the boys take on the Hawks this Thursday!
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 18, 2019
The practice match kicks off at 4pm at Ikon Park. #BoundByBlue
That first chance against opposition comes tomorrow afternoon, when Carlton hosts Hawthorn in a practice match at Ikon Park from 4pm.
Teague said the Blues would be looking to build on the habits they’ve grown and shown throughout pre-season.
“We’re viewing tomorrow as more training. We want to get better, we want to win and we want to compete,” he said.
“When we train, we train to compete hard and that’s what we want to see tomorrow.
“We want to continue growing the areas we’ve been working on — the ability to connect inside 50 and mark the ball or to lock the ball down in our front half."
