Carlton captain Patrick Cripps declares out-of-favour Jack Silvagni as key to 2024 premiership tilt
Carlton captain Patrick Cripps has declared teammate Jack Silvagni the Blues' most important player as the club gears up to contest for the 2024 premiership.
Silvagni faced doubts over his ability during the Blues' 2023 campaign, which saw them reach a preliminary final, with coach Michael Voss opting to go with ruckmen Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning over the 26-year-old.
Despite playing just four games of Carlton's 11-match win streak at the end of the season, Silvagni has become an X-factor in the off-season.
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"I think his (Silvagni) role's really important," Cripps said on Monday.
"He plays that hybrid forward. He can play tall and play small with his pressure. His biggest one-wood is the competitive energy he has."
Jack Silvagni. Getty
With Voss still content with his ruckmen Pittonet and De Koning, Cripps remains confident that Silvagni will become even more crucial in the air than the tall duo.
"(There's) that second ruck role that he can play as well as an undersized player with a bit more mobility around the ground.
"It's all up to the coaching staff in terms of if we play two rucks or go the hybrid role, but you know what you're going to get when SOS (Silvagni) plays.
"The boys love playing with him."
Patrick Cripps believes Jack Silvagni could be the missing puzzle piece to go all the way. Getty
As for what lies ahead in 2024, Cripps says the club is hungrier than ever, after getting a "taste" of September football for the first time since 2013.
"The whole energy around the club is definitely going forward together," he said.
"When you do get a taste of it (finals), it really drives you to keep going.
"To get so close last year just drives that motivation but we still feel like we've got a lot of natural development left."
Despite the positive finish to their 2023 campaign which saw the Blues beat both Sydney and Melbourne, Cripps isn't buying into predictions for next year.
"I actually hate the word expectation because you're trying to pick something that hasn't happened yet," Cripps said.
"We learnt a really hard lesson last year and I felt like the group lost their confidence through that middle part.
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"Through that adversity we learnt that we know what we can focus on to make us a good side.
Carlton will face Brisbane, their 2023 preliminary final opponents, in the AFL's new Opening Round at the Gabba on Friday, March 8, 2024.
