THEY’RE some of the most exciting games in football.
The games where supporters sit up, take notice and go ‘yep, we’ve got a good one here’.
Over the last few seasons, Carlton has welcomed in an abundance of young talent to own the future in Navy Blue.
As they play more games together, performances like the ones below are bound to become more frequent.
Presented by CUB, this is the latest edition of Tuesday Tops, looking at the top five breakthrough performances from Carlton’s youngsters.
Will Setterfield: Round 19, 2019
It may not have been enough for a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination, but it did warrant Will Setterfield’s first ever Brownlow vote. It also brought about a game-winning goal, so it’s definitely not a bad combination. After arriving at Carlton less than a year prior, Setterfield - who had his previous season wiped out with an ACL injury - enjoyed the best performance of his career at the home of football. Showing exactly why he was so highly touted by a number of clubs, Setterfield capped off his showing with an instinctive snap which sealed a win over Adelaide.
Jacob Weitering: Round 11, 2016
It was billed as the No.1 draft pick against the No.2 draft pick, but it turned out to be a no contest. While Weitering picked up his Rising Star nomination two months prior, his showing against Brisbane against Josh Schache couldn’t have been more impressive. With 24 disposals, 14 marks and 10 intercepts, Weitering was a star as Carlton sealed its sixth win from seven games. While he chopped and changed between positions, it was a sign of Weitering’s potential in the back half: something he emphatically showed against Tom Lynch in the 2020 season opener.
Sam Walsh: Round 12, 2019
We were spoilt for choice here: after all, Walsh was just the second Carlton player to have over 20 disposals in his first six games. Like his housemate Setterfield, we’re going with Sam Walsh’s first Brownlow vote-polling game. It was the game which Walsh said a fortnight ago he would never forget, while it was the performance where Walsh was labelled the Robin to Patrick Cripps’ Batman. Coming up against the team he supported as a kid, Walsh cracked the 30-disposal barrier and had six clearances in a famous come-from-behind win against a team which finished the season in second position.
Harry McKay: Round 5, 2019
Stats don’t always tell the story, especially for key forwards. However, this was one of those times where they do the job: 20 disposals, 11 marks (five contested), four goals. Harry McKay ripped the game away from the Western Bulldogs on Easter Sunday in 2019, with the opposition simply having no match for the key forward’s dominance in the air. His fourth major gave Carlton an unassailable 35-point lead early in the last quarter, while inaccuracy in front of goal was the only thing stopping him from an even more impressive showing: his effort in the second quarter against Easton Wood was labelled ‘the point of the year’ by some. We think that’s a compliment.
Sam Petrevski-Seton: Round 7, 2017
Three Brownlow votes. Rising Star nomination. A best-on-ground performance against the old enemy. When it comes to trifecta, it doesn’t get much better than that in our opinion. The Halls Creek Cowboy provided the perfect entertainment in Collingwood’s 125-year anniversary — the only thing was it was at the expense of the hosts. The 19-year-old was the star of the show in front of over 70,000 fans in just his seventh career game after being drafted by the Blues with pick No.6. With 21 disposals, seven score involvements and two goals, Petrevski-Seton made every possession count and oozed around the MCG like he belonged.
