Carlton defender Nic Newman is coming off a career-best year ahead of the 2024 campaign.
While it makes sense for a player to capture their best footy once they pass 100 games, it doesn’t happen very often for players in their early 30s like Newman is now.
The 31-year-old averaged career-highs in disposals and marks in 2023 and he puts his significant improvement down to a number of factors including getting on top of his injury woes, playing consistent footy, understanding his role and increasing his professional standards.
“I've been asked this a few times since the end of last season because I felt like it was a career-best year. Which for me at my age, often doesn't happen,” Newman said on SEN The Run Home.
“But I don't know exactly what the answer is. I think it's probably a combination of things.
“I ruptured my patella tendon (in 2020), which is a pretty tricky injury often to come back from so that probably took me a little bit of time to really find my groove. Even though I got back to playing, it probably took a little bit of time to get right on top of that and get the consistency back of playing.
“In 2022 I played pretty much most games and felt like I was going well, but I think having that year and then into a full pre-season, it gave me a lot of confidence and I had a lot of work under my belt, and I got a bit more professional in certain ways.
“I think at my age I've probably got a really good understanding of the game and see the game as well as I have done.
“So, I think the combination of probably getting some work out of my belt, getting my body right, (understanding) the mental side of the game and knowledge has me in a good spot.”
Also on the rise ahead of 2024 is Carlton as a whole, with the side playing in a Prelim for the first time since 2000 last campaign.
Entering this season with the highest expectations seen at Ikon Park in two decades, Newman says the club’s leaders are doing a good job at finding a balance between acknowledging the hype and getting to work.
“I think you'd be crazy not to understand that there's a high level of expectation for playing for Carlton,” Newman said.
“I think it's been there since I've been here and obviously coming off a Prelim, it (expectation) is well and truly at the forefront for a lot of fans.
“I think part of it is welcoming it and part of it is also being able to acknowledge it but put it to the side.
“I think that's where Vossy and the leaders of the footy club do a great job. We don't sort of dismiss it and pretend it's not there and try and completely avoid it, because that often does more harm than good.
“I think we do a good job of acknowledging it. But then we really put our energy into the things that we value and control. The leaders do a fantastic job of that.”
Newman and the Blues kick off their 2024 campaign with an Opening Round clash against Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday, March 8.