Saturday night’s pre-season premiership was a great feeling and it has certainly added to the excitement around the Club but there is no way we are getting carried away with it. We all realise this was a pre-season competition and while we have achieved something it will mean very little when the real season commences. In that sense we all agreed after the game that yes we were happy but we are not satisfied and there is plenty more work to be done.
After wins in Launceston (against Hawthorn) and the Gold Coast (Kangaroos) it was good to be back in Melbourne and having such a huge pro-Carlton crowd made it even better. The Dome seemed to be full of Carlton supporters with over 46,000 people at the Grand Final really adding to the atmosphere. I just hope that all the supporters who are not yet members for 2007 have now joined up as we need to reach our target of 32,000 members this year. It was a sensational experience for all the team, in particular the young players and I am sure it is something they will benefit from. Even running onto the ground was different with players being introduced individually in guernsey number order so as usual I was the second last player to be introduced on Saturday night. Thanks Andrew Carrazzo for having a higher number than I do (number 44).
Carlton supporters will have seen the game or read plenty of articles about the exciting victory and all I want to add is that Nick Stevens continued his outstanding pre-season form, winning the Michael Tuck Medal, and many of our young players showing the form that promises an exciting future for Carlton.
There was a different feeling after the game than two years ago when we won the pre-season premiership. This year we are more focused on preparing for the season ahead and the success was one step toward a successful future. Having so many young players also makes a difference as we know we are starting out as a team and have much more to achieve together. Having said that it was a great feeling on the ground with all the players and coaching staff and there was certainly no lack of excitement among the group. What I did like was seeing Carlos (Setanta O’hAilpin) walking around the ground with the Irish flag, it seemed so appropriate as it was St Patrick’s Day and Sunday was his birthday.
In the rooms there was plenty of excitement and I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people in the rooms. The President joined us for the singing of the Club Song and then there were plenty of media interviews for everyone before we had a team meeting with the coaches. A real sign that things were different was following the meeting with the coaches when the players asked the coaching staff to leave so we could have our own players’ meeting. This was important as we discussed the importance of keeping the victory in perspective and maintaining our focus on the season ahead, in particular round one.
It was a quiet celebration for all the players, firstly with the supporters in the Kernahan Room at The Dome and then in a private function next door. The private function actually ran out of water as that was the preferred drink for most of the team. Sunday morning we were back at the Club for a 10.00am session, a very light session consisting mainly of stretching and bike riding indoors. This was very different to 2005 when we were still on a high on Sunday morning after the victory the night before.
Training this week had also been very good confirming that the NAB Cup victory was a part of our preparation for the season and the fact that while we are happy, we are not satisfied.
Anthony Koutoufides
