Five-time All-Australian Garry Lyon has urged Carlton to take the shackles off star forward Charlie Curnow and unleash the “explosive beast” in a different role, which would help the Blues address three major issues.
The Blues have won just one of their past four games – they lost to fellow finals contenders Adelaide, St Kilda and Brisbane – and now sit just inside the top eight.
But amid his side’s recent struggles, reigning Coleman Medallist Curnow has had a stellar start to his 2023 campaign, booting 31 goals from eight games. He sits second behind Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron on the AFL’s goalkicking table.
Watch every match of every round of the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Speaking on Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night, Lyon said Carlton must use Curnow in a similar role to the one Cameron has been given by Geelong.
While Cameron has been one of the AFL’s best goalkickers over the past few years, he hasn’t played deep inside 50 exclusively, with the Cats granting Cameron – who’s blessed with an accurate kick and outstanding aerobic capacity – a licence to roam up the ground.
It’s led to Cameron having a positive impact on games outside the forward arc as an efficient kicker inside 50, a pinch-hit midfielder or even a loose defender occasionally. It’s also allowed veteran forward Tom Hawkins to thrive as the Cats’ deepest forward.
Curnow, like Cameron, has an efficient kick and strong running capacity. But Lyon said Carlton was missing a trick by playing Curnow predominantly as the deepest forward while using Harry McKay in the roaming role.
Fellow Fox Footy panellist Nathan Buckley suggested McKay wasn’t playing closer to goal as he’s not as good a set-shot kick as Curnow. But Lyon said the time had come to unleash Curnow to his full potential.
“There aren’t many superstars in footy. If you’ve got them on your list, you’ve got to maximise their talent – and no one’s done this better than Geelong,” Lyon told Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
“They’ve gone: ‘(Tom) Hawkins, Cameron, what have we got here? We’ve got two superstar forwards.’ They came up with a conclusion: ‘We’ve got one superstar forward and we’ve got one superstar athlete that can be more than that.’ So they weaponised Jeremy Cameron last year, they sent him on his way and sent him up the ground and let him run.
NEW FOX FOOTY PODCAST – Booing Bud, big Tribunal week and faders in trouble
Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify
“He’s now become, if not the best player in the competition, close enough to, because he’s a forward, he’s a midfielder, by his own admission he wanders into a centre square and causes chaos – and right now he’s almost unstoppable.
“We think that Carlton have got their Cameron and Hawkins in the wrong spots. So they’ve got Harry McKay playing the Jeremy Cameron role and they’ve got their uber athlete, their Jeremy Cameron clone in Charlie Curnow, playing the Tom Hawkins role.
“If they can weaponise Charlie Curnow in the manner that they (the Cats) have weaponised Jeremy Cameron, it starts to address some of their needs.
“Their midfield, which is one-paced and sluggish – this is an explosive beast that can add something around the middle. We’re not saying he’s going to be a midfielder, we’re talking the Jeremy Cameron role. We’re talking about his ability to deliver the footy … and it brings an element of unpredictability and excitement to a group that’s become bland.”
How can Carlton fix their form? | 02:40
Lyon pointed out that Curnow, according to Champion Data’s kick rating system, was the second-highest ranked player in the competition for impact through ball use. Cameron sits on top, while Collingwood’s Nick Daicos is third.
“He (Curnow) has got depth, he’s got touch, he’s got unpredictability, he’s got explosive (power) … I’ve listened to all the Carlton fans and our mates, he’s got everything they’re screaming out for – and he’s sitting there and he’s deployed in the wrong role,” Lyon said.
Buckley added: “Curnow just keeps hitting targets and he gets it there quickly – as the best kicks do – and he’s got a bit of angle on it. Remember Matt Suckling could go straight or 90 degrees that way, Chris Johnson used to do that from kick-outs.”
“What percentage of Charlie Curnow’s tank has been optimised in his role at the moment? I reckon he’s at 60 per cent, maybe half. He’s just a brumby waiting to be released.”
Lyon said it was particularly “frustrating” watching McKay and Curnow against Brisbane on Friday night.
Young gun Lion Jack Payne received AFLCA coaches’ votes for his job on Curnow, finishing with 13 disposals, eight spoils, eight rebound 50s and five intercept marks while keeping Curnow to 1.2 from 10 touches playing predominantly in the defensive 50. Meanwhile, Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews – who’s been exposed close to his defensive goalline in recent years – played higher up the ground on McKay, finishing with 13 disposals, 13 spoils and four intercept marks while McKay kicked 1.0 from six disposals.
Triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said a change in role for Curnow would also benefit 2021 Coleman Medallist McKay, who’s kicked just 12.9 from eight games so far this season.
“I’ve loved it when I’ve seen McKay deep inside 50. He’s such a big man, he’s quick, he’s hard to play against, the defenders worry and start to chop his arms,” he told On The Couch.
