Culture Blues

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the culture of the playing group at Carlton remains heavily influenced by the Fevola years. The former Blues spearhead demonstrated his inability to consume alcohol responsibly on one of footy’s biggest stages, but that was merely the latest in a series of alcohol-related incidents over his career. As the Blues’ best player over a good part of that time, it seems his indiscretions were treated in a manner designed to minimise fallout for both player and club.

News today that 19-year-old Carlton rookie, Levi Casboult, was coerced into joining a drinking game on a so-called ‘booze cruise’, pitting himself against a senior Carlton player, aren’t a good look for the club. There will be many 19-year-olds in the community who would have given the senior player a run for his money, but that’s not the point.

Let’s get past the notion of responsible consumption of alcohol. The fact is that these men are paid as elite athletes; their clubs and their clubs’ fans expect them to perform at their elite best.

For an elite athlete, alcohol consumption to the point of being detained by police, or alcohol consumption sufficient to break down inhibitions and resulting in actions that attract the attention of the police should be an absolute no-no.

Players aren’t recruited for their raw brainpower. It’s physical capabilities and associated ‘footy smarts’ that recruiters look for. As a work colleague noted to aussierulesblog today at a Xmas luncheon, clubs must look at a player with a brain as an unexpected bonus.

Aussierulesblog has defended players in the past, arguing that some can’t handle the mantle of role model that the community is so keen to crown them with. Notwithstanding that Carlton is not our favourite club, there’s something about these latest incidents that yells a message that these men don’t consider themselves as elite athletes. That’s not good enough.

Let’s also recall that players have their ‘mad Mondays’ where much is forgiven. It’s an opportunity to let their hair down and the community — certainly the footy community — are likely to allow them a little more leeway in that context.

We have to ask what these players thought was going on. This is not the end of the year for them — that’s mad Monday! We’re six or seven weeks from the first (semi-)serious hitout of the season and the Carlton boys are playing drinking games on a booze cruise! Discipline? Leadership? Fevola?

Most readers will, we are sure, recognise the metaphor of a fish rotting from the head — that is, poor or missing leadership is eventually reflected in the rest of the entity. Carlton’s tacit acceptance of on-field scoring opportunities over leadership and team orientation continues to reap its just desserts.