Port Adelaide champions Kane Cornes believes Carlton have "no excuses" ahead of the 2021 season, stating the Blues must make finals to receive a passing mark in his eyes.
Carlton haven't made the top eight since 2013, but have seen growing improvement across the past 24 months, finishing 16th then 11th since claiming the wooden spoon in 2018.
Coach David Teague was also able to add star power to his arsenal this off-season, with the additions of Zac Williams and Adam Saad set to offer plenty of pace and press for the Blues this year.
Add in the natural development of former No.1 pick Sam Walsh, 2020 best and fairest Jacob Weitering and key forward Harry McKay and Carlton look primed for September football.
Speaking on SEN, Cornes believes anything less than finals from the Blues this year should be deemed a failed campaign.
โThere are no excuses left for Carlton,โ he said.
โI think a par result for the Blues is to make finals (this year), but a birdie in golfing terms to win a final and anything else is a bonus.
โThere are no more excuses for the Blues, theyโve run out.โ
Ironically, the comments come just five months since Cornes suggested Carlton were "miles off it", stating the club showed no improvement from their 2020 season.
โI think itโs negligible whether theyโve improved this year,โ he said in September.
โItโs debatable whether theyโve improved this year, right now Iโm staring at the ladder and it has them in 12th position and theyโve been overtaken byย Fremantle.
The Bluesโ 2020 campaign has been slammed after missing out on a top eight finish.https://t.co/V1urkukF6F
— Zero Hanger (@zerohanger) September 14, 2020
โAll the Carlton fans would think itโs just going to happen and thereโs just going to be natural progression forward but is it a given that they improve next year, clearly the pressure will rise forย David Teagueย โ itโs got to be finals or bust (in 2021) basically.
โIโve spoken at length about the culture of losing, when they get into winnable positions like they have done a couple of times this year, they havenโt had that grit and determination to get over the line.
โThey look miles off it to me.โ
The Blues will face 2020 finalists St Kilda in the AAMI Community Series next week before facing reigning premiers Richmond to kick-start their 2021 campaign.
