Why the Blues’ viral pre-season training footage is no joke for long-suffering fans

Here’s a brief summary.

Last week, images of Blues fan and popular YouTuber Heath Buck attending an open training session went viral on social media. The video showed nearly 90 seconds of Carlton players trying to complete a pressure-free kicking drill. Visibility was not good. Scratch that. The sight was terrifying. There were missed targets, chest marks being dropped and balls literally going over fences. On Tuesday, Cripps was on Triple M to interview Billy Brownless and his old friend Dale “Daisy” Thomas.

“I have a funny story about this viral clip. There was a guy who turned to his left and put it three rows back… that could have been me,” Cripps chuckled.

Raucous laughter.

“Luckily, there was no more vision because I did the same thing a second time.”

More laughter.

“We held a ‘player culture day’ the other day and we found the humor in it. When I watched it, it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Our Carlton fans wouldn’t have been excited to see it. It wasn’t a great sight but we saw the humor in it. I laughed so hard watching that video.”

A few things need to be taken into consideration.

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Firstly, Cripps was an outstanding player for Carlton. The player, who often carries the burden of an entire club on his shoulders, demonstrated an unquestionable performance with his leadership and individual performance on the field. Whatever happens during the rest of his career, he will be remembered as one of the navy blue Guernsey’s best players.

Second, his response must be considered within the space created by Carlton. This is a club that has been one of the most criticized organizations in Australian sport since the turn of the millennium.

Except perhaps for Essendon (who won the flag in 2000) and the fading profile of the A-League, Carlton’s troubles have been the main source of grim comedy from sports fans across the country.

The outside noise surrounding the club can sometimes be overwhelming. So it is plausible that if Cripps had publicly condemned his teammates for their poor training standards, it would have done more harm than good.

Still, Carlton fans who listened to Cripps’ interview in the car or watched it on YouTube were eager to laugh along with their inspirational captain.

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They have gone 25 seasons without reaching a grand final and the only metrics in which they have led the competition in that period have been coaches fired and No. 1 draft picks.

Worse still, the strongest criticism of Carlton under Voss is their lack of a concrete game plan and their appalling skill level; both were showcased in the short training clip.

Seeing their captain laugh about it doesn’t inspire confidence in fans that these issues have been resolved.

This imprint spoke to five former captains, three of whom are premiership captains, to ask what they thought of Cripps’ vision and response.

All five said Cripps’ internal response to his teammates would be very different from how he would handle the situation publicly.

This may be true. Cripps developed a reputation as a strong leader and a great football player.

The thing is, optics matter. Can you imagine Luke Hodge, Scott Pendlebury, Joel Selwood and even Voss laughing at such poor vision during his playing days?

When you look at it through the unique prism of Carlton and the last 25 years, Cripps’ reaction is understandable. After all, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry, right?

But fans can’t see what goes on behind closed doors. They only see what happens on the training track and on the field. And lately; this is not good.

Sometimes laughter isn’t the best medicine.

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