Sam Walsh new deal with Carlton Blues will stave off a rebuild
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By then, the core of the Blues squad will be built around a next-generation midfield comprising Walsh, Jagga Smith and father-son prospect Cody Walker, key defenders Harry Dean and Harry O’Farrell, and the first-round draft picks acquired by Curnow’s departure.
Leaving Walsh alone won’t keep coach Michael Voss (in the final year of his contract) at the helm, but it doesn’t hurt either. Ultimately, the win-loss column will decide Voss’ fate, but his capacity to modernize the team’s play away from an over-reliance on the clash and bash competition style will also be a key factor.
In the final year of his contract, Voss can at least focus on his job without repeating the “will he stay or will he go” free agency distraction that accompanied De Koning in 2025.
Carlton, managed by Voss this year, is a marked contrast to 12 months ago, when there was a dominance at the club. Drama like Luke Sayers’ salacious photo scandal, Nic Newman and Smith’s season-ending knee injuries, Curnow’s series of surgeries and McKay and Elijah Hollands’ off-field struggles didn’t lighten the mood. Then came disaster in round one against Richmond, from which the Blues could not recover.
Walsh’s decision to stay – and he said the idea of leaving had never occurred to him – is a confirmation of the environment that Wright, new football boss Chris Davies and Voss have created since the darkness of last winter.
Walsh also played a part in what he described as the “no nonsense” mentality adopted by the club late last year.
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Given his injury history, it would have been understandable if he had sat out last year with a foot injury rather than returning to play on two dead rubbers. His approach was quite different from that of Curnow and Silvagni, who finished the year in the stands and at new clubs.
Walsh arrived at Carlton when the club was at the bottom and showed renewed determination as the Blues slumped back to the bottom after a brief period of contention.
“I think we delved into the identity of the team we wanted to be this year and kept it about ourselves, not what other people thought or what other teams were doing,” Walsh said. “So that gave me a strong belief that if we can stick with it, we will eventually be the team we want to be.”
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