‘It’s time to deliver on-field’: Blues great questions Teague’s future

Carlton legend Robert Walls says the Blues may have no other choice than to move on coach David Teague should he not end the club’s seven-year absence from the finals.

Walls, the 218-game great and 1987 premiership coach, said the Blues had their “act together” off the field but had failed to meet expectations on it in recent seasons after a major rebuild.

“If they made finals, they have got to continue with David Teague no doubt. But if they didn’t, they will probably have to cast the net and look at what’s about,” Walls said.

David Teague.Credit:Getty Images

“This will be his third year. The team promises a lot but hasn’t delivered a lot the last few seasons. So it’s time.“

Heading into their Community Series clash against St Kilda on Thursday, the Blues have made no secret of their desire to return to September action for the first time since 2013, their latest blueprint, The Carlton Way, calling for a flag, the club’s 17th and first since 1995, within the next three years.

Teague, 39, replaced Brendon Bolton as caretaker coach midway through 2019 and had the side in finals contention amid the COVID-19 tumult of 2020 before a stinging loss to Collingwood in round 14 sparked a run of four defeats in five matches, which cruelled their hopes.

He is contracted through until the end of 2022 but the spectre of Alastair Clarkson looms large across the league, for the four-time premiership coach is also off-contract next year, but he and the Hawks will almost certainly seek clarity on his future this year.

The Blues had made a strong bid for Clarkson and sounded out other contracted AFL coaches after Bolton was moved on. Walls had been brought back to the club in late 2018 as a mentor to Bolton and his coaching crew.

“I think they need to play finals, that’s where they are at. It’s been a very slow, gradual build but the time has come,” Walls said.

“I would like to see them play more attacking football. I think they started off doing that under David but it wasn’t to be seen a lot last year. Play with a boldness, and I think [Zac] Williams and [Adam] Saad will help them do that. They are pretty attacking players.

“And [they need to] kick a score. They need blokes like [Mitch] McGovern to step up and show something. [Harry] McKay is going to be a good player. He has showed that. Eddie [Betts], is he just about done? Looked like it last season. Hopefully, he can show a bit. They need to kick a decent score. That’s been their problem.”

The Blues were 10th for goals scored last season, averaging 8.6 goals per game, but forward Michael Gibbons said on Tuesday the Blues now had a good variety of talls and a “fleet of mosquitoes“, with an off-season focus on “separation” and “isolation” to give the marking forwards the best chance to operate.

Walls believes the backline is strong but said co-captain Patrick Cripps, a free agent at the end of the season, needed more support, although he added emerging star Sam Walsh, second behind Jacob Weitering in last year’s best and fairest, was “terrific” and veteran Ed Curnow “probably doesn’t get the pats on the back that he should get”.

“They have been doing a lot right off field. They have got their act together off field with their president, their CEO, their footy manager in Brad Lloyd. I am confident they have good people in place but it’s time to deliver on-field,” he said.

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