Blues target flags

INSIDE 5 YEARS: COOK

CARLTON chief executive Brian Cook has declared the Blues want to win both a men’s and women’s premiership within the next five seasons.

As both teams eye a return to finals in 2023, Cook said there were no firm expectations on what the team could achieve this season, but silverware in the short-term was in its sights.

“In our business plan, we’ve indicated that we’ll win at least one men’s and women’s premiership in the next five years,” he said.

“But the real issue for us is to keep improving every year. That’s the important thing – both on and off the field. Not sure exactly what that means, apart from last year I said to win more games than we lose, and in the last 10 years that would have gotten us in the eight but it didn’t get us in the eight (in 2022).

“We’ll improve on last year – that’s our aim. Where that ends up, from a ladder point of view, who knows.”

The Blues fell narrowly short of a finals berth last season, having been all but set to play in September before dropping their last four games to finish ninth.

Cook stopped short of saying a top-eight finish was the expectation for the team.

“The expectation is to improve. One of the things I’ve learned in my long time in footy is that you cannot determine how much other clubs will improve,” Cook said. “You’ll have a fair gauge on how you might improve; it’s talking into the wind a bit when you start indicating that you’re going to finish fourth or fifth or sixth.”

Star midfielder Sam Walsh, meanwhile, revealed he would not be rushing his return after recent back surgery, with a timeline to be back playing still on the backburner.

The 22-year-old underwent back surgery in December and has been ruled out of at least the first month of the season.

“I haven’t looked too far ahead,” Walsh said. “Every session, there’s incremental gains that’s involved. We haven’t put a timeline on the contact stuff just yet.

“Certainly with the back there’s some strict timelines that you have to follow, but now that we’ve passed that sixweek mark, we can start (introducing) a lot of things.

“I don’t think (missing at least a month will change) – we’re going to stick to that month and by then, we should have a really good look at where we’re heading.”

Skipper Patrick Cripps echoed Cook, saying the team was determined to improve off the back of last year’s finals heartbreak after lifting its training intensity.

“I definitely learnt the hard way about how cruel (it is) to be missing games late in the year,” he said. “Like anyone, you want to have a body of work that sets you up for playing a good block of solid football that leads you to good back-end (of season) footy.”