Teague vows to get Blues back to ‘where they should be’

Carlton coach David Teague insists the Blues have the right personnel in key positions and also maintains faith in his team’s on-field defensive tactics, as the club prepares for a “super review” of its football department.

The Blues have engaged Geoff Walsh, an experienced former club administrator, former Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich, who was involved in the review of the Adelaide Crows in 2019, and former Western Bulldogs football boss Graham Lowe to delve into matters which have contributed to a disappointing 4-8 win-loss record to start the season and almost certainly out of finals contention in a year they had expected to return to September action.

Carlton coach David Teague has welcomed a review into the club’s football department.Credit:Getty Images

“I think the performances will come … the Carlton Football Club will be back where it should be. I think it will be in the near future.”

It’s expected the review will take about six weeks before the recommendations go to the board.

Wayne Campbell, a former player and key football department figure, warned in a column in The Age this week that a “super review” meant the Blues could expect “Change. Big change. You don’t get to this position and then punt the property steward.”

He pointed out that while Nathan Buckley, Damien Hardwick and Geelong’s Mark Thompson had survived super reviews in recent times, they had been “in the chair for more than five years and had coached their clubs to multiple finals series”.

Teague’s tactical nous is set to form one part of the review, in particular the defensive breakdowns which have haunted the side this year. The Blues have lost all seven matches against top-eight sides and, while their heaviest defeat has been by a modest 28 points, they have conceded 100 or more points six times through the overall campaign.

This has exposed problems at half-back, including an inability to find a lockdown defender. Co-captain Sam Docherty has struggled and made errors at key times, while high-priced recruits Adam Saad, who left training early on Friday with a back issue, and Zac Williams prefer to attack. The selfless Ed Curnow was shifted into defence in the loss to West Coast but his best role is as a grinding midfielder.

Teague’s former teammate David King has said the Blues are too man-on-man orientated in defence, and even decried a “fraudulent game plan”.

Teague said his game plan will remain but hoped different training methods will help make execution easier on game day.

“Our system won’t change a great deal, our ability to execute the system, that has probably been our breakdown. We haven’t defended the way we want to defend,” he said.

Teague’s immediate focus is on Saturday’s clash against the Giants in Sydney. Former skipper Marc Murphy has been dropped for the second time this season. He won a reprieve when used as a medical substitute against the Swans in round 11 but this time will line up in the VFL against Port Melbourne on Saturday.

This latest axing leaves him five matches shy of becoming only the sixth Blue to join the 300 club. Teague said there was a chance Murphy may fall short of the milestone.

“He may but I would like to think he will go back [to the VFL], play well and put his hand back up and then force his way back into the side,” he said.

“In terms of Marc, he has been a great player for a long time. He has been a captain and it would be great to get him to 300 but we are not just going to give games away. We are going to make sure we are doing what’s in the best interest of this football club going forward.”

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