‘Deserving counts for little’: How Cripps has overcome the blues

Patrick Dangerfield knows full well the yearn for a premiership that all greats of the game possess. He had completed all there was to conquer individually before belatedly, in his 15th season, experiencing the ultimate glory in 2022.

Another Patrick, of the Cripps variety, is heading into his 13th season. Like Dangerfield, he has been the best player in the game and has the trophy cabinet to prove it, but he is yet to taste the ultimate success.

The respect these two Brownlow medallists have for each other is immense, and Dangerfield admits Cripps deserves a flag. But in the brutal AFL world, Dangerfield makes a salient point.

“He [Cripps] is a champion of the game… it’s a hard competition. [But] deserving counts for little – you need a lot of luck to go your way, you need so many things to align, and every team gets better,” Dangerfield said when asked by this masthead about Cripps.

“I think that’s the hardest part to predict – you don’t know what the future will hold. Every team wants to start well, but the competition only gets tougher. Everyone wants to get better – so does he, so do I. But to answer your question, yeah, he is a superstar of the game.”

Cripps has had only two finals runs in his time at a club that for too long has been mired in mediocrity since the 1990s closed. There was the charge into a preliminary final in 2023 – the Blues booting the first five goals of that game against the Brisbane Lions only to lose– and a brief September excursion a year later, but that’s been it for Cripps, who prefers not to dwell, but rather push ahead.

“[I’m] not frustrated – you just keep that optimistic lens, keep working. Every year, they are bloody hard to win,” Cripps, who turns 31 later this month, says of the quest to win a flag.

“‘Danger’ probably found that – he got one a couple of years ago. They are hard to win. You just try and create a culture where people love coming to work. You have to keep climbing – [we’ve] been close one year.

“If you build the right habits, [and] get the right people in, you keep that mindset of growth, [and] you never know what’s around the corner.”

Looking to better days ahead

In a bid to get around that proverbial corner, the Blues were given good news when star free agent Sam Walsh inked an eight-year contract extension. Whether the robust midfielder can physically fulfil that deal is another question, but his signature ensures the Blues of a key plank for their future.

Wins over the Lions and Geelong through the pre-season have buoyed spirits, particularly through the more attacking manner in which the ball has moved, and improved delivery inside 50, after the Blues were the worst field-kicking team last year.

Supporters have been given their first serious look at blue-chip 2024 draftee Jagga Smith, having spent a year on the mend from a knee reconstruction, and boom 2025 father-son recruit, defender Harry Dean. The applause the pair drew against the Cats at Ikon Park showed they’re already fan favourites.

“You don’t want to heap too much expectation on them, but they are high-quality players,” Cripps said.

“They work hard, both of them, which is what you love to see when you get high picks in, the work rate that goes behind it. [When it comes to] Jagga, there is going to be a lot of No.7s floating around soon among the Carlton fans.

“Any tough year, you learn lessons. They are wasted years if you don’t implement what you learn.”

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps

“Jagga has, obviously, had a year in the system getting his body built up. He has been really impressive. Big Harry is just a competitor, he loves competing. I am going to love playing footy with those guys over the next couple of years.”

A summer of reflection

The summer theme at Ikon Park was clear, if Cripps and coach Michael Voss are a guide. Voss wanted all parties to take responsibility for last year’s woes, when the Blues lost their opening four games and never recovered, finishing 11th. At last year’s John Nicholls Medal count, Voss fessed up, conceding that he “fell short on what was required”, and urged the Blues to “reignite the spirit of Carlton” in a year when he faces a fight to secure a contract extension.

“Clearly, it didn’t go the way we wanted it to, and there was some ownership that we needed to accept, and some things needed to be said,” Voss said of the 2025 campaign.

Rekindling a more joyful workplace was high on Cripps’ agenda – the bleakness of last year encapsulated by Charlie Curnow’s decision to seek a fresh start. The two-time Coleman medallist and the Blues will face off against each other for the first time on Thursday night.

“[In] any tough year, you learn lessons. They are wasted years if you don’t implement what you learn,” Cripps said.

“For us, I think things probably got bogged down a bit last year. What I have loved this pre-season, [there was] a lot of high energy, [and] enjoyment with what we are doing, [we] worked really hard on the track and, obviously, brought some new guys in. I think I speak for everyone – everyone has loved their pre-season, loving their footy and training.”

It certainly wasn’t a smooth 2025, given the Blues dealt with the lewd-picture scandal of then president Luke Sayers, season-ending knee injuries to Smith and Nic Newman, speculation about Voss’ future, and Curnow’s multiple knee issues.

Cripps said his own form in 2025 had been “subpar” despite finishing fifth in the best and fairest.

So, what now?

While Cripps stressed the “love” is back, that’s all well and good. The question is whether that mentality will hold up if the opening rounds don’t go to plan.

The AFL rarely misses a moment to capitalise on a potential fixturing blockbuster, so it was no surprise that the season begins in Sydney when the Blues and Swans clash. That the Blues will have Will Hayward and Ollie Florent lining up against their former side, too, just adds to the spice.

“All opening games do [have spice]. Charlie versus us, obviously, the [former] Sydney boys back there, but every round zero, every round-one contest is going to be fierce because you spend so much time in the pre-season, [and] everyone gets excited for the first round of the year,” Cripps said.

“It’s going to be a great contest, there is going to be a bit of theatre involved, no doubt. The AFL is not silly, they knew exactly how they were scheduling it.”

Then comes Richmond (MCG), a bye, Melbourne (MCG), North Melbourne (Marvel Stadium), Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and Collingwood (MCG). The Blues will hope the fun, and that love, persists.

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