On Friday morning the players had even more incentive to be on their best behaviour – their dads were at the Club!
The Blues hosted its first ‘Dads and Dudes Day’, in what was an opportunity for players’ loved ones to see exactly what their boys get up to during a working day.
Arriving at 8:30 in the morning, the dads and dudes (father-in-laws, uncles, mentors) attended the players' pre-training meeting, before being kitted out in their son’s training gear. Once they were ready to go – boots and all – it was time to hit the track and start training.
Jacob Weitering's father and Dennis Armfield's father-in-law get kitted up. (Photo: Carlton Media)
With the likes of Jim Buckley, John Murphy, Ross Gibbs and Peter Foster on the field, it was fair to say they were more than capable of hitting a moving target.
Carlton’s player development manager Craig Millar says it’s important to share experiences with families and mentors to create a strong sense of belonging within the Club.
“That whole-of-club approach we continue to implement creates a sense of belonging for families, partners and children of all of the players,” Millar said.
“From a players perspective it gives them a chance for their dads or loved ones to see what they do in their workplace…it’s a good insight for the dads to see how meetings run and to actively be involved in training.”
In a show of love and dedication, some relatives even travelled from interstate and regional parts of Australia to take part in the morning.
“It’s been overwhelming really, I think there’s close to 30 dads and dudes here.
“Cripps’ dad Brad and his brother Josh came over from WA, then Ross Gibbs, Mark Gorringe and Steve Wright travelled over from SA and Sam Kerridge’s dad drove six hours from Mildura,” Millar said.
“We did say to American recruit Matty Korcheck, next year we’ll make sure we get your dad is over here!”
Carlton greats Jim Buckley and Stephen Silvagni watch their sons on the track. (Photo: Carlton Media)
While a few of the dads looked like they could take the field on Sunday, some were already complaining of soreness.
“A few of the dads are taking it quite seriously out there, but then there’s been a couple saying their hammys and backs are no good!” Millar joked.
The day concluded with everyone enjoying a BBQ lunch after training.
