Curnow’s Coleman era is officially over

[PP34]

The game doesn’t mean much to Charlie.
His contract enables his lifestyle.
And that’s about it …

Yep.

just wanted to go somewhere when it’s all about Charlie.

Never been more convinced that he does not want to be a winner and just wants to **** around on the footy field.

His on field efforts have been deplorable for well over a year now

 

[LordLucifer]

Different jumper, same lazy-arsed player with zero second efforts.

 

[Elixuh]

Have Carlton fans always been this salty or am I only just noticing now? Been carrying on all summer like Curnow left you at the altar.

This thread is good news for you. OP is the king of backfires. He made a Carlton finals thread when all they had to do was win 1 more game with like half the season to go to make finals and they missed.

 

[OhhhhhCyril]

Chol > Curnow

 

[Daka]

Ofc a salty Carlton supporter writes this...

 

[CarnTheScray]

Big key forward gets cheap frees for a Vic club and doesn’t get the same when someone breathes on them elsewhere. What a shock.

Aaron Naughton must play for Peel Thunder. He’s an exception not the rule I know.

 

[Osho]

Curnow's Coleman era is officially over.
Is it just me, or is the "Charlie Curnow to Sydney" hype train about to hit a massive brick wall?

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a decent athlete, but let’s be real about why he was bagging 70+ a year at Carlton. It wasn't just the delivery from Cripps; it was the "Blue Baggers Bonus" from the blokes in green.

The "Carlton Whistle" vs. The Sydney Reality

For years, Charlie has been the beneficiary of the most generous whistle in the league. Look at the 2025 stats: Carlton finished the home-and-away season with a +47 free kick differential (2nd in the AFL) and lead the league for total frees for (338).
Meanwhile, Sydney is historically where forwards go to get mauled without a peep from the umps. Remember how many years Buddy had defenders literally wearing him like a backpack while the umps looked the other way?

The Stats Don't Lie

Check out the dip when the whistle isn't going his way:

* 2023/24 Peak: When Carlton was the AFL’s darlings, Charlie was averaging nearly 3 goals a game and getting looked after in almost every marking contest.
* 2025 Slump: Last year at Carlton, even before the trade, the frees started to dry up a bit. He managed only 18 games for 32 goals. That is a massive drop-off for a bloke supposedly in his prime.
* The Sydney Start: He’s already played a couple of games in the red and white this year (2026). The early signs? He's getting half the looks he used to. Without those 2-3 "easy" frees inside 50 every fortnight to get his tail up, he looks like a standard high-leap forward who can be spoiled by any disciplined key back.

The Verdict

Sydney gave up three first-rounders and Will Hayward for a 29-year-old whose best footy was clearly tied to a specific umpiring "interpretation" at Ikon Park.

The Swans have bought a Ferrari but forgot that the NSW petrol doesn't have the same "additive" he was getting in Melbourne.

Plus, his undersized jersey is stopping blood flow to his head, hands and feet.

 

[PrancingPony]

Have Carlton fans always been this salty or am I only just noticing now? Been carrying on all summer like Curnow left you at the altar.

Carlton's future isn't exactly bright right now so I'm not surprised their fans aren't happy.

 

[72 years a slave]

Do the Carlton supporters bagging Charlie realise how pathetic they sound?
They were into him in the game day thread too, death riding the guy at any opportunity. Perhaps he’s past his best, has injury concerns and I personally had and have reservations about his recruitment, but the trolling of a guy who gave you ten years quality service is very poor form.

 

[Blackhawk42]

I said at the time of the trade that Sydney had nuked their depth in order to get him to the club.

Last night it was put to the test without Heeney and Gulden and despite the close scoreboard, realistically we should have won by 6 goals minimum.

Then that depth was tested again today in the VFL, but Box Hill smashed them.

Will be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

 

[btdg]

Do the Carlton supporters bagging Charlie realise how pathetic they sound?
They were into him in the game day thread too, death riding the guy at any opportunity. Perhaps he’s past his best, has injury concerns and I personally had and have reservations about his recruitment, but the trolling of a guy who gave you ten years quality service is very poor form.

He didn't give 10 years 'quality service'.

We took a chance on him after he screwed up his draft chances with an off-field incident. He played 2.5 developing seasons, had a single breakout game and then hurt himself. He then re-injured his knee in the offseason playing basketball and missed two complete years, including the entire tough COVID/bubble period. We supported him and his rehab through that entire time.

Following that he came back from injury, but could only play out of the goalsquare in the first couple of years, couldn't get up the ground or chase or tackle. He had THREE good seasons and won a couple of Coleman medals by racking up goals against bad teams, but disappeared badly in big games. Here are his outputs in finals and in H+A games with finals 'on the line':

• 2022 round 22 vs Melbourne (Carlton need to win to make first finals in 10 years): kicked 1.4 - Carlton lose by 2 pts
• 2022 round 23 vs Collingwood (Carlton again need to win to make finals): kicked 2.5, and critically, rushed a set shot that would have iced the game in the last quarter... Carlton lose by 1pt
• 2023 elimination final: 1.0 and barely sighted (although it was defensibly very, very wet)
• 2023 semi-final: 1.2. Zero impact
• 2023 preliminary final: 1.1, and his only goal was the 6th in a row in the first quarter... then disappeared
• 2024 round 22 (Carlton need to win to make finals): 0.2 - Carlton lose by 2pts
• 2024 round 23 (Carlton need to win to make finals): 1.0 - no impact, then injured. Carlton ended up 'Bradbury-ing' into finals anyway, he missed the elminatino final and was done.

7.14 and one complete no-show in 8 big games across 4 years says it all, really.

Then 2025, he missed the start of what was a disappointing year, but not THAT bad. At mid-season we were 6-6 after starting 0-3, so you know, at least there is a glimmer of hope. So how does Charlie go in a pretty critical next month? 0.1, 0.3, 0.3, 0.2, in four consecutive losses (including against North and Port). He then played two more games, waited until Harry McKay returned, and packed it in for the season and quit on the club.

This is a bloke who was supported by the club at EVERY opportunity. We put him on the memberships (the junior memberships were called 'Charlie's Club'). We backed him up when he was injured, when he was out of form.

In return, he gave 3 decent seasons, and went missing in every single important moment. Was carried by harder working team mates, then when things started to get tough (and remember, Charlie's hadn't played in a team that was outside the top 8 in 6 years), he turned in a set of utterly awful efforts, quit the season early, then asked to be traded to a top 2 team despite having four years left on his contract.

So seriously, yes we are salty, and F*%$ that guy. He's a squib of the highest order. Can't wait for him to play at the MCG in front of 70,000 Carlton supporters, but we know that won't happen for a few years because the AFL darlings Sydney will avoid that return match for as long as they can.

 

[Hoops]

I still think he has a lot to offer the game.

 

[CarmenSandiego]

Do the Carlton supporters bagging Charlie realise how pathetic they sound?
They were into him in the game day thread too, death riding the guy at any opportunity. Perhaps he’s past his best, has injury concerns and I personally had and have reservations about his recruitment, but the trolling of a guy who gave you ten years quality service is very poor form.

Huh?

He was out injured for most of his time with us, but was paid huge money for it. Then his final 2 years he basically stopped trying.

 

[SA HAWK]

3 games into a multi year deal clearly he is finished.

 

[kreuze_missile]

Do the Carlton supporters bagging Charlie realise how pathetic they sound?
They were into him in the game day thread too, death riding the guy at any opportunity. Perhaps he’s past his best, has injury concerns and I personally had and have reservations about his recruitment, but the trolling of a guy who gave you ten years quality service is very poor form.

We have every one of your draft picks for the next decade.

We’re not just death riding Charlie, we’re death riding your entire club.

 

[Tall poppy Syndrome]

Curnow's Coleman era is officially over.
Is it just me, or is the "Charlie Curnow to Sydney" hype train about to hit a massive brick wall?

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a decent athlete, but let’s be real about why he was bagging 70+ a year at Carlton. It wasn't just the delivery from Cripps; it was the "Blue Baggers Bonus" from the blokes in green.

The "Carlton Whistle" vs. The Sydney Reality

For years, Charlie has been the beneficiary of the most generous whistle in the league. Look at the 2025 stats: Carlton finished the home-and-away season with a +47 free kick differential (2nd in the AFL) and lead the league for total frees for (338).
Meanwhile, Sydney is historically where forwards go to get mauled without a peep from the umps. Remember how many years Buddy had defenders literally wearing him like a backpack while the umps looked the other way?

The Stats Don't Lie

Check out the dip when the whistle isn't going his way:

* 2023/24 Peak: When Carlton was the AFL’s darlings, Charlie was averaging nearly 3 goals a game and getting looked after in almost every marking contest.
* 2025 Slump: Last year at Carlton, even before the trade, the frees started to dry up a bit. He managed only 18 games for 32 goals. That is a massive drop-off for a bloke supposedly in his prime.
* The Sydney Start: He’s already played a couple of games in the red and white this year (2026). The early signs? He's getting half the looks he used to. Without those 2-3 "easy" frees inside 50 every fortnight to get his tail up, he looks like a standard high-leap forward who can be spoiled by any disciplined key back.

The Verdict

Sydney gave up three first-rounders and Will Hayward for a 29-year-old whose best footy was clearly tied to a specific umpiring "interpretation" at Ikon Park.

The Swans have bought a Ferrari but forgot that the NSW petrol doesn't have the same "additive" he was getting in Melbourne.

I didn’t realise he had the most generous whistle in the league. A worthy successor to John ‘Horse’ Longmire then.

 

[Atomboy]

Ofc a salty Carlton supporter writes this...

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a brown bagger scorned.”

 

[Thrawn]

His ankle is shot.

 

[Thrawn]

Do the Carlton supporters bagging Charlie realise how pathetic they sound?
They were into him in the game day thread too, death riding the guy at any opportunity. Perhaps he’s past his best, has injury concerns and I personally had and have reservations about his recruitment, but the trolling of a guy who gave you ten years quality service is very poor form.

He told the supporters and his kids fanclub that he was staying, despite shopping himself around in the background, including talks to Geelong.

If he had said he wasn't staying, or even didn't say anything at all, things would be a lot more cordial.

 

[72 years a slave]

He didn't give 10 years 'quality service'.

We took a chance on him after he screwed up his draft chances with an off-field incident. He played 2.5 developing seasons, had a single breakout game and then hurt himself. He then re-injured his knee in the offseason playing basketball and missed two complete years, including the entire tough COVID/bubble period. We supported him and his rehab through that entire time.

Following that he came back from injury, but could only play out of the goalsquare in the first couple of years, couldn't get up the ground or chase or tackle. He had THREE good seasons and won a couple of Coleman medals by racking up goals against bad teams, but disappeared badly in big games. Here are his outputs in finals and in H+A games with finals 'on the line':

• 2022 round 22 vs Melbourne (Carlton need to win to make first finals in 10 years): kicked 1.4 - Carlton lose by 2 pts
• 2022 round 23 vs Collingwood (Carlton again need to win to make finals): kicked 2.5, and critically, rushed a set shot that would have iced the game in the last quarter... Carlton lose by 1pt
• 2023 elimination final: 1.0 and barely sighted (although it was defensibly very, very wet)
• 2023 semi-final: 1.2. Zero impact
• 2023 preliminary final: 1.1, and his only goal was the 6th in a row in the first quarter... then disappeared
• 2024 round 22 (Carlton need to win to make finals): 0.2 - Carlton lose by 2pts
• 2024 round 23 (Carlton need to win to make finals): 1.0 - no impact, then injured. Carlton ended up 'Bradbury-ing' into finals anyway, he missed the elminatino final and was done.

7.14 and one complete no-show in 8 big games across 4 years says it all, really.

Then 2025, he missed the start of what was a disappointing year, but not THAT bad. At mid-season we were 6-6 after starting 0-3, so you know, at least there is a glimmer of hope. So how does Charlie go in a pretty critical next month? 0.1, 0.3, 0.3, 0.2, in four consecutive losses (including against North and Port). He then played two more games, waited until Harry McKay returned, and packed it in for the season and quit on the club.

This is a bloke who was supported by the club at EVERY opportunity. We put him on the memberships (the junior memberships were called 'Charlie's Club'). We backed him up when he was injured, when he was out of form.

In return, he gave 3 decent seasons, and went missing in every single important moment. Was carried by harder working team mates, then when things started to get tough (and remember, Charlie's hadn't played in a team that was outside the top 8 in 6 years), he turned in a set of utterly awful efforts, quit the season early, then asked to be traded to a top 2 team despite having four years left on his contract.

So seriously, yes we are salty, and F*%$ that guy. He's a squib of the highest order. Can't wait for him to play at the MCG in front of 70,000 Carlton supporters, but we know that won't happen for a few years because the AFL darlings Sydney will avoid that return match for as long as they can.

Wow, your visceral hatred is disturbing and a little scary. No wonder he packed himself off to Tamarama.

 

[T2B_]

Wow, your visceral hatred is disturbing and a little scary. No wonder he packed himself off to Tamarama.

He just served you up a bunch of statistical facts and that's all you took from it?

 

[72 years a slave]

He just served you up a bunch of statistical facts and that's all you took from it?

A voluminous, exhaustively compiled list justifying his hatred of an ex player. As I said, scary.