Culture

[Lods]

Short memory.

Remember Rattens Objectives?

That was about turning this club around and making Carlton more 'Carlton'. We had a poor culture and we went some way to changing that, but never quite got there.

Culture extends past the coaching and playing group. Its not just about wins, its about respect. Our club has not had it in a long time, quite the opposite.

We're often told we need to stop living in the past...that the premiership glory of bygone years is something we need to put behind us and start embracing the future game and it's challenges.

But you wonder whether we've gone too far in that respect.

What normally happens in a football team is there is a gradual transition within the playing group.
Senior players retire or move on at different times...but usually only one or two at a time so as they leave new leaders step in and there is a continuity, because these guys have been mentored by the departing ones.
A young player coming into the Hawks at the moment would have a great feel for success because it recent...but as he grows into the side the memory of that success will stay with him and he can pass it on to the next generation.

We lost a bit of a connect with past success when Pagan took over.
We lost our way.
Older players were forced out...a foreign legion of recruits came on board (sound familiar).
The links with the past were lost.
It's a danger with turning over a list so thoroughly... so quickly.

So where to from here.
Rather than distancing ourselves from the past we should embrace it.
"We are Carlton"... and that's the message we should be instilling in the young group.
We need to make it mean something to be part of the Carlton side....because if this season is any indication to some players it doesn't mean very much other than a pay cheque
Get some of the ex-players involved, visiting and talking about their experiences as part of a successful Carlton side. I'm sure that happens to some extent already but build on it.
Get rid of any player with half-hearted commitment, even if it costs us at the trade table in the short term.
Holding on to these blokes on principle is counter productive.

Challenge the remaining players with task of restoring some real meaning to slogans like "I am Carlton", "We are Carlton"