At this stage of last season, Charlie Curnow was five clear atop the goalkicking list and on track for a third straight All-Australian blazer.
Just 12 months on, the man who became the face of Carlton’s rise out of the doldrums to premiership contention remains emblematic of the club, but for the wrong reasons.
Carlton star Charlie Curnow.Credit: Getty Images. Artwork: Aresna Villanueva
Down on form and goals, the pin-up boy of Princes Park has been unable to make a mark on 2025, to the point that he has even been linked to what would be a blockbuster trade out of the navy blue at season’s end.
Curnow’s campaign, and that of the Blues, plumbed a new low last week when he was held goalless by journeyman defender Toby Pink, and his side embarrassed by the up-and-coming North Melbourne, who recorded just their 19th victory from their past 121 games.
Melbourne great Garry Lyon accused Curnow of having “lost his appetite for being a great player”, while another respected pundit David King has noted the star forward’s tendency to be outmarked by opponents from an unwillingness to “fight the fight”.
The sliding numbers
At a glance, Curnow’s drop-off from his peak in 2022-24 does not appear dramatic, but over the course of the year the difference becomes pronounced.
Averaging 2.9 goals per game in that period, Curnow is now down to 2.1. Through a 23-game home-and-away season, that becomes the difference between a 48-goal year or 67, the latter enough to win the Coleman in any year from 2018 to 2022. His 27 goals places him equal 12th, well behind Jesse Hogan and Jeremy Cameron.
After kicking at least a goal in 66 games in a row from 2022 to 2024, Curnow has gone goalless in three of his past 14. He has not laid a tackle in seven of his past 13 games.
Curnow has had moments of brilliance this year, generally early in games like his team, but not enough to lift his team to victory as he had in the first three seasons under Michael Voss. Not since that night against Geelong 12 months ago has the Baggers’ fan favourite kicked a bag of five or more.
The injury dramas
From 2022 to 2024, Curnow completed a significant majority of the pre-season. He prepared well, and played well. Last summer, Curnow trained for about a week with his teammates.
The ankle injury Curnow sustained before the Blues’ season-changing round 17 game against GWS last year not only ruined the rest of that year for him, but also set him back for this campaign.
What appeared a minor injury at the time worsened to the point where he missed the final three games of the season and needed an ankle reconstruction, one of three operations Curnow underwent during the most recent off-season.
Very few players can overcome interrupted pre-seasons and play anywhere near their best. Curnow has not been one of them.
Fitness is built over summer and gradually diminishes during the season when programs are focused on maintaining conditioning and recovery. Curnow’s history of knee and ankle injuries make it difficult to get extra work in on top of games.
Without a strong fitness base, a footballer cannot sustain the effort required for high performance or is unable to handle the demands of a physically taxing game that requires players to cover more than 12 kilometres per game, on top of the duress that comes from being bumped, tackled and jumped on.
The delivery hasn’t helped
There are few jobs more difficult in the game than being a Carlton forward.
Champion Data have ranked the Blues as second for moving the ball from defensive 50 to the forward 50, but 18th for scoring from their entries inside the arc.
The Blues’ delivery inside 50 to Curnow has done little to help him.Credit: Getty Images
At a time when the game has moved beyond contest, the Blues are still reliant on dominating stoppage and do not have the players with the speed to break into space to set up easier kicks, or the skill to pull the trigger on hitting more difficult targets.
As well as Pink played last week, he received silver service from the Blues’ midfield. In one play, Curnow was on the lead metres in front of his opponent only for the ball to be kicked over his head into the arms of his trailing defender.
What body language tells us
When up and going, no player fires up the crowd more than Curnow, who draws energy from the adulation of the Blues faithful. It is also clear when Curnow, a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, is down.
A source who knows Curnow well, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says the media scrutiny on his performance would be adversely affecting the forward. Though Curnow is not a consumer of football media, there will be enough people asking him about what has been said that he cannot escape it.
There is also the frustration that comes with not being able to do what the mind is telling him to do.
The trade talk won’t die down
As difficult as it would be to imagine Curnow at another club next year, the talk about the Blues trading out their most popular player – and arguably their best match-winner – is not going away. The rumour mill is rife.
His negative body language has not gone unnoticed by a recruiter at a rival club, who said Curnow does not have the look of a player who is enjoying his football. Another industry source who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said it would not shock him to see Curnow want out at the end of the year.
Curnow, who is contracted until the end of 2029, addressed the matter during the bye when the speculation first emerged.
“I’m sure they’re [the media] gonna be throwing up a few names,” he said. “I guess it’s their job to kind of speculate and throw names out there. So let them do it. I’ll come tell you guys, all right, if I’m going anywhere.
