Carlton coach Mick Malthouse. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun
ON THE eve of Round 1, Carlton coach Mick Malthouse already has an excuse if he loses.
It's the wretched game plan, or lack of adherence to it by his players.
On the flip side, if the Blues win, it's suddenly a glorious game plan, the missing piece of the defensive pie that transports Carlton from mid-table lethargy to top-four contender.
The problem is, it's a case of suck and see it for Carlton and its army of fans, for no one knows if the players have successfully adopted Malthouse's game plan or not.
One week they have, when they savaged Fremantle in the pre-season, and the next they have no idea, when they were embarrassed by Brisbane in the NAB Cup final.
Malthouse certainly has had a bit each way, although he didn't blame the game plan for the Lions loss. That was simply a pathetic attitude, he said.
He has said the Blues have the ingredients to win the premiership (after a pre-season intra--club game), and also acknowledged an astute Matthew Lloyd (on 3AW) for leaving them out of the eight because they might adapt the game plan in time to make September.
"It's a work in progress,'' Blues chief executive Greg Swann told the Herald Sun this week.
Malthouse's famed game plan has has received more publicity than anything, or anyone, at Carlton this off-season.
We've had have heat maps, corridor and boundary line percentages, contested-ball numbers, short kicks evaluated, long kicks investigated - and here we are 24 hours from the first game and the confidence in Carlton is immeasurable.
Lloyd, Cameron Mooney, Daniel Harford, Dermott Brereton and Robert Walls are among the commentariat who are not necessarily concerned for the Blues, but believe time is an opponent in learning Malthouse's way. Mooney said it might takes six months.
After Round 1 of the NAB, Malthouse said: "The intent was there, but we're getting a bit confused between the two game structures from last year and this year.'' After the NAB Cup final, he had to be even more confused.
That and the fact the boundary-line deployment requires big key forwards who can mark the ball.
At Collingwood, Malthouse had Travis Cloke, a bit of Chris Dawes and Leigh Brown was prominent before he retired.
At Carlton, he has Levi Casboult, Sam Rowe and resting ruckmen Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson and Robert Warnock.
There's Jarrad Waite, too, as the lead-up forward, but who knows if his body will stand up.
Of concern was that after Round 1 of the NAB, against Sydney and GWS, Malthouse said: "The intent was there, but we're getting a bit confused between the two game structures from last year and this year.''
After the NAB Cup final, he had to be even more confused.
Still, midfield Kade Simpson said on Monday the players were ready to implement the game plan: "We've had two weeks to fix some of the things that happened.''
The test will come tomorrow night and certainly in the four games after that. They play the Tigers, then Collingwood, Geelong, West Coast and Adelaide.
"It's a fair test,'' Swan said. "The fact is you can practice all you like, but it has to stand up under pressure.''
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