Blues face ‘million-dollar question’: Cripps

Patrick Cripps says he hopes “sales pitches” made by Carlton players on Brownlow night could help lure rival players as the Blues pursue a flag in 2025.

The freshly minted dual Brownlow medallist said he would trade both his individual accolades for a premiership in a heartbeat as he called for improvement from every Carlton player and coach over the off-season.

Cripps, 29, said he was determined to find ways to improve himself despite shattering records with his 45-vote season after relentlessly leading the Blues’ on-ball brigade through 2024.

The sprint training that he credited during the season for his stoppage dominance would again be a key focus in his off-season preparation, he said.

“I still feel like no matter how good you get, you can always get better,” he said on Tuesday.

“I feel like as you get older, you might lose something from a body point of view, but as you get older, you might get wiser, more experienced … I’ll keep trying to evolve and also keep bringing guys along for the ride.”

Cripps was adamant he would hand back both of his Brownlow Medals for a premiership.

“I would trade both for a flag. It’s just what everyone dreams of. Last night was amazing and I loved it – it was great to share with my teammates, and my family and friends, but there’s just something about the last day in September,” he said.

“But you watch it, and the buzz that everyone gets when they win one, it just looks like the most fun, and talk to anyone who’s won one, they say the same thing.

“That’s what you play footy for, you see their faces when they win a grand final, it looks like the best thing they’ve done in their life. That’s what drives me, I know it drives a lot of boys at the club as well … that’s what motivates us going forward.”

With contract offers on hold to senior players including Matt Owies (who kicked 33 goals in 23 games this year), speculation had mounted that the Blues were pursuing an elite recruit to strengthen their side, with Port Adelaide defender Dan Houston among the players linked to the club.

Cripps said he was hopeful himself and teammates had sold their vision to potential recruits during the festivities on Monday night.

“I hope so, I don’t know where we would have landed, but we’re always trying to improve our list, so anyone who wants to come, if it’s a good player we’ll hopefully have them,” he said.

“That’s the million-dollar question (how to improve next year). Once we got eliminated, that week was pretty important for us … we just gave everyone honest feedback on how we need to grow and get better.

“We need more guys on the park consistently, that was probably our biggest achilles heel this year, but as you see, the best teams have cohesion, they have the same team week after week, so that’s what we need to get do.”

Cripps said it had been special to receive the medal from coach Michael Voss, with previous winner Lachie Neale away in Queensland with the grand final-bound Lions.

Cripps said he had reflected more on the shock of polling 45 votes and felt “everything went right” for him in the count.

“One of my goals at the start of the year was to play every game … I felt like across the year, it was my most consistent year, so that was pleasing,” Cripps said.

“Charlie (Curnow) tried to call it home with about 10 rounds to go, and I said, ‘Mate, I’m not doing the early crow here’, but they were getting around it.

“You always know when you might be a chance to poll, and those games where I thought I might’ve got one or two … things went my way.”