Carlton’s best player is injured, the first-year skipper is under attack and the new coach’s AFL finals hopes are looking as shaky as Kevin Rudd’s grip on The Lodge.
But for triple-premiership coach Mick Malthouse, whose first season at Carlton has yielded nine wins from 19 games, all is not lost just yet.
Malthouse’s ninth-placed Blues face a massive challenge on Saturday at the MCG against Richmond (13-6 win-loss), whose place in the finals is assured for the first time since 2001.
Carlton’s last two games of the home-and-away season are against top-eight sides Essendon and Port Adelaide and three upset wins in a row would appear to be a tall order, given last week’s loss to the 15th-placed Western Bulldogs.
Dual Brownlow Medallist Chris Judd is out for at least two or three weeks with a knee injury while captain Marc Murphy is struggling with the twin roles of on-field leader and heavily-tagged midfielder.
“Marc Murphy is made for captaincy but it will take some time because it’s a learning process,” Malthouse told his media conference on Friday.
Malthouse said this week was no time to be yelling and screaming at his players.
“We don’t whack people in here,” he said.
“Contrary to what the media or public would like.
“Yes we don’t like certain things that take place but you’ve got to keep teaching, otherwise you’ll never learn.”
The Blues have made five changes at selection including promoting debutant midfielder Nick Graham, 19.
Matthew Watson, Judd and Jeff Garlett are injured while Sam Rowe and Jaryd Cachia have been dropped.
Richmond’s ex-skipper Chris Newman, who hasn’t played a final in his 232-game career, is out of the side with an ankle injury while Robin Nahas has been omitted.
While the Tigers pursue a possible top-four spot, the Blues are coming off two successive losses but could sneak into the finals even at ninth, if Essendon are stripped of premiership points over their use of supplements in 2012.
“I’m not worrying about anything to do with Essendon,” Malthouse said.
Malthouse was also dismissive of criticism of the club’s playing list and coaching staff from Carlton’s 1987 premiership coach Robert Walls in a Fairfax Media column.
“I’m so used to Robbie Walls being a critic. Fair dinkum,” Malthouse said.
“Robert is a very negative person so I take absolutely nothing in what Robert says.
“He lives in his own misery and so be it.”
