Under-fire Carlton veteran Dale Thomas has worn the brunt of harsh and unfair criticism according to former mentor Mick Malthouse.
Thomas collected 17 possessions in the Blues opening round defeat to Richmond on Thursday night, but struggled to impact the contest, leading Herald Sun chief football writer, Mark Robinson, to question Thomas’ four-year deal with the club.
Malthouse however told SEN’s The Run Home that injuries have meant that the former No.2 draft pick hasn’t been able to put his best foot forward for the Blues, and to judge him on one game this season, is terribly unfair.
“Everyone’s just judged him on one game, have they?” he said.
“There’s been nine games on the weekend, I’ve seen some very, very miserable performances by some very talented players and the heat goes on to Daisy Thomas because one bloke from the Herald Sun wants to put him under the spotlight.
“Daniel Hannebery had a stinker for Sydney on the weekend but we’re not going to make a big fuss over Dan Hannebery, but for one reason or another he (Thomas) has been targeted, which is a real shame.
“It’s easy for me to say how good he was but when you get another coach like Ross Lyon, who knows his football, rates him as the best player in the competition (in 2011) there must be something good about the bloke.”
Malthouse, who played a large role in luring the talented midfielder across from Collingwood, spoke of the ankle injury which Thomas suffered from when joining Carlton and how it hampered him in his first season.
“The club had done a lot of homework to make sure that it was OK, we were assured by his management and the medical staff that he’d get through,” he said.
“His form in the practice matches (in 2015) was outstanding. In fact, he was probably one of our best players if not the best, then he pops his shoulder in the first tackle in the first minute of the first game. That effectively writes him out of half a year.
“He just got dealt a bad hand, and that happens in football. He was in very, very good nick coming into that season that he did his shoulder.”
Although Thomas had a somewhat clearer run last year – he managed 18 matches – he still struggled to cover the ground as well as he did during his final few seasons at Collingwood, where he averaged over 20 disposals, three inside-50s and four tackles per game.
Malthouse pointed to Thomas’ experience and ability to help guide and nurture the Blues batch of up and coming midfielders as examples of how he can have an impact into the future, on top of what he delivers on a weekend.
“He’s so good with young players and if Carlton are going down the road of young players he can only be an advantage for them," he said.
“Any player and any person on this planet needs to know that they’re wanted, that’s the first thing.”