Curnow's earned every plaudit, say the Blues
THE rapid development of Carlton young gun Charlie Curnow has come as no surprise to those inside Ikon Park.
Blues assistant coach Dale Amos said the Torquay youngster’s form reflected his willingness to do the hard work.
Curnow has taken 45 marks and kicked eight goals in the past five games, including a 10mark, two-goal performance against Melbourne that earned the former Geelong Falcon a NAB Rising Star nomination.
His efforts in the past month caught the attention of Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton, who said this week Curnow would be the competition’s best player in two years.
Amos said Curnow’s efforts were even more remarkable considering he was playing in one of the toughest positions on the ground.
“It has happened relatively quickly, but particularly in the position that he is playing,” Amos said.
“It is often quite difficult to be able to impact the way he has when you’re playing in a key position role, particularly in your second year.
“From that point of view it has been a bit of a surprise but to his credit Charlie has worked really hard, so in some regard it is not a complete surprise because he has invested really heavily in his game and is trying to improve his game, and that is starting to show through in some of his performances in recent weeks.”
Curnow is one of five Carlton players to win a Rising Star nomination this year. The others are Sam Petrevski-Seton, David Cuningham, Caleb Marchbank and Jack Silvagni.
Curnow plays Geelong for the first time tonight, giving him another chance to show off his partnership inside the 50m arc with Levi Casboult.
Amos said although all facets of Curnow’s game had improved, his marking had been a highlight.
“I think Charlie’s last month in particular has been really encouraging,” the assistant coach said.
“We’ve seen him establish himself and start to take more of a significant role in our forward half and I think his marking has probably been the standout of his game.
“It was good for him to get a Rising Star nomination and he is a good Geelong boy who is really starting to find his feet in his second year, which is a real credit to him.”
Tonight will mark just game No.23 for Curnow, who was taken by the Blues with pick 12 in the 2015 AFL draft.