The Carlton Football Club embarked on the second stage of its journey under senior coach Brendon Bolton in 2017.
After registering six wins, the Blues finished the season in 16th place on the ladder.
Despite falling four points short of its 2016 output, Carlton won more quarters in 2017, demonstrating the growth of the playing group in its second year with Bolton at the helm.
With the team now on a break, we’re analysing each player’s year in statistics. Here’s the review for Carlton defender Alex Silvagni.
GAMES
Season 2017: 7
Career: 60
GOALS
Season 2017: 0
Career: 10
KEY AFL STATISTICS (averages in brackets)
Disposals: 73 (10.4) Disposal efficiency: (84.9%) Intercepts: 45 (6.4) One-percenters: 32 (4.6) Contested marks: 12 (1.7) Tackles: 33 (4.7)
OVERVIEW
Alex Silvagni proved Carlton’s most shrewd off-season signing.
Delisted by Fremantle, the boyhood Bluebagger arrived at Ikon Park via pick 23 in the 2016 rookie draft.
After three games for the Northern Blues, the ferocious defender earned a call-up in the Round 6 win over Sydney, producing one of the best Carlton debuts ever seen.
Opposed to Lance Franklin, Silvagni kept the Sydney superstar to just one goal.
All of his eight disposals found a teammate, while his desperate goal-saving tackle on Brandon Jack was a match-defining moment.
Silvagni backed up his brilliant debut in the victory over Collingwood the week after, setting new career-highs for intercepts (11) and contested marks (three).
He played another four consecutive senior games before separate knee injuries restricted him to just one match after Round 12.
Silvagni was a reliable performer in his seven games, rarely conceding a one-on-one contest and ranking 16th in the league for average disposal efficiency.
He was rewarded at season’s end with a one-year contract extension, keeping him at Carlton until at least the end of 2018.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Franklin had booted a total of 21 goals in his four Carlton-Sydney contests heading into Round 6, but he wasn’t going to have it easy this time.
A determined Silvagni signalled his intentions before the footy had even been bounced, getting stuck into ‘Buddy’.
From there he refused to surrender an inch, with Franklin having to produce something special from the boundary for his only major.
Some of Silvagni’s one-percenters drew raucous applause from the Carlton faithful, with his efforts setting the tone for a spirited victory.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT
You’re unlikely to see a better piece of one-on-one defending than what Silvagni produced early in the second half against Sydney.
Franklin licked his lips as he prepared to take a mark on the run and stroll inside an unmarked 50.
But Silvagni, the Blues’ last man in defence, had other ideas. Despite being almost two metres behind Buddy, he showed huge closing speed to spoil, knock the footy to his advantage and handpass to a teammate.
He wasn’t done there, however, spoiling Franklin out of nowhere just 40 seconds later.
