Matthew Lloyd is bullish about where Carlton captain Patrick Cripps sits ahead of the new season, saying the likes of Matthew Kennedy and new recruit Adam Cerra will release some of the pressure that’s recently been placed on him.
Cripps has failed deliver on his lofty expectations in recent years, working through several injury and form issues while the Blues struggled on the field more broadly in 2021.
But after strong pre-season form and a seemingly refreshed club under new coach Michael Voss, hopes are high that the gun on-baller will return to his best this year.
Lloyd said Cerra’s arrival will be good for Cripps and should alleviate some of the pressure on the Blues skipper.
“I’ll never forget three or four years ago I was calling a game where Cripps dominated against Brisbane and you walked away thinking whether he was the best player in the game,” he said on Sportsday.
“He’s tried putting on weight to get bigger and strong and then tried to lose weight to become quicker… he was trying to be too much and I think Adam Cerra coming in is good for him.
“Can Matthew Kennedy be a consistent ally to him until Sam Walsh comes back? It was great to see (Cripps’) explosiveness back and the pressure was much better.”
Tim Watson agreed with Lloyd’s assessment of Carlton’s, saying they would be “hard to stop” if their ruck stocks gave them first use out of a stoppage more often than now.
“It was glaringly obvious (during pre-season) that their big-bodied midfielders are powerful,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“You have (George) Hewett who is a very good player, (Patrick) Cripps looks back to his best and Kennedy was really good and looks like a confident midfielder…then you add (Adam) Cerra in there.
“If you add a ruckman that gives them half a chance to give them first access to the ball, they’ll be hard to stop around the clearances.”
Carlton will open their season against Richmond next Thursday, who will be looking to beat the Tigers in Round 1 for the first time since 2012.