BRENDON Bolton has full faith that his playing group can take ownership of Carlton’s future.
Speaking to FOX Footy’s Uncovered, Carlton’s senior coach went in-depth with Brad Johnson about his navy blue outlook for 2019 and beyond.
Bolton was quizzed about the way forward and the players tasked with Carlton’s progression and development, and his answer couldn’t have been any more emphatic.
When asked whether Carlton has the core of players to take the Club forward, Bolton’s response was immediate.
“Yes, and the reason I say yes so quickly is this group is growing up together,” Bolton said.
“They’ve got a responsibility to take the Carlton Football Club forward. Because their friendships are so tight, they’ll want to do it for each other and that’s really important.
It’s part of the strategy. Get a young group to grow together and to be really tight-knit as mates, as well as having the responsibility to take us forward.”
Carlton’s willingness to go to the draft and bring in the best young talent in the country has been well-documented.
Of the Blues’ list, 25 players have been introduced into the AFL in the last four years alone, starting with the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
"They're ready to play at the elite level."@patrickcripps has liked what he's seen from those alongside him in the middle.#BoundByBlue
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) March 12, 2019
Considering the list demographic and the scope for development within the group, Bolton was hopeful of “considerable improvement” in 2019.
“We don’t want to have a ceiling — I think it’d be mad with a young group that can snowball quickly to put a ceiling on it,” he said.
“Another reason we’re not putting a number on that is we don’t want our players looking too far ahead.
“They’ve got to understand that when that guernsey is on, that next game and that next contest is the most important thing.”