There’s no escaping the fact pressure is building at Carlton after a decade without making the finals.
But that’s a challenge and not a burden according to midfielder Adam Cerra, who dismissed any suggestion 2023 would be a failure if the Blues didn’t advance to the post-season.
Fans left early and in droves as Carlton went down to the Brisbane Lions last Friday night, a third loss in four games. with the only victory in that stretch coming against lowly West Coast.
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It’s raised debate about whether the Blues have the capacity to finally make the finals, having missed by percentage in 2022 after losing the final four games of the season.
Cerra said the players were as frustrated as supporters but was adamant “growth can come”, although he said while making finals this year was the goal, not making them would not mean the season was a failure.
“I think every club feels pressure to make the finals, that’s what the players want to play in and that’s what the fans want to watch,” he said on Monday.
“I’d be lying if I said no one felt pressure but it’s something that we embrace. We’re grateful for a big supporter base but we have a responsibility that comes with that.
“Every day we’re just trying to get better and progress. If we’re improving from last year as a team, not just ladder position but that connection within the group and what we’re building towards, I don’t see it as a failure.
“It might be this year, it might be next year, but we want to get there as soon as possible.”
Cerra said second-year coach Michael Voss had an im improvement mindset rather than looking long term, and while they knew outside pressure would come week-to-week, the “big picture” wasn’t their focus.
“Every week, ‘Vossy’ is big on not just looking at the big picture but looking at the little things week by week trying to get better. We’re going to get there as soon as possible,” Cerra said.
“There’s a frustration within the group that we’re not playing at the level that we think we should be playing at. At the same time, we’re excited where the growth can come … everyone‘s eager to get back into training and get back into the work. We know we can play much better footy and we’re excited to explore that.
“We expect to be playing much better footy at the moment, we believe we will.”
Carlton will tackle the red-hot Western Bulldogs on Saturday looking for a fifth win of the season.
