After a 0-4 start to the season, Blues fans ought to be delighted with their team’s effort to win six of its next eight games and even the ledger after 12 rounds.
With the bye upon us, we’ve taken a look at Carlton’s best performers so far in 2016:
DISPOSALS
Totals: Kade Simpson (320 disposals), Bryce Gibbs (314), Ed Curnow (311), Sam Docherty (299), Patrick Cripps (289)
Averages: Kade Simpson (26.67), Patrick Cripps (26.27), Bryce Gibbs (26.17), Ed Curnow (25.92), Sam Docherty (24.92)
Season-high: Bryce Gibbs (34 against Geelong)
GOALS
Totals: Andrejs Everitt (14 goals), Jed Lamb (12), Bryce Gibbs (12), Matthew Wright (11), Levi Casboult (11)
MARKS
Totals: Sam Docherty (96 marks), Kade Simpson (93), Sam Kerridge (71), Jacob Weitering (66), Levi Casboult (62)
Averages: Sam Docherty (8.00), Kade Simpson (7.75), Jacob Weitering (6.60), Sam Kerridge (5.92), Levi Casboult (5.64)
Season-high: Sam Kerridge (16 against Brisbane)
TACKLES
Totals: Ed Curnow (82 tackles), Patrick Cripps (68), Bryce Gibbs (60), Matthew Kreuzer (45), Matthew Wright (44)
Averages: Ed Curnow (6.83), Patrick Cripps (6.18), Bryce Gibbs (5.00), Nicholas Graham (4.50), Matthew Kreuzer (4.09)
Season-high: Ed Curnow (13 against Collingwood)
Ed Curnow laid a whopping 13 tackles in the Blues' Round 7 win over Collingwood. (Photo: AFL Media)
INSIDE-50s
Totals: Matthew Wright (48 inside-50s), Sam Kerridge (42), Bryce Gibbs (42), Ed Curnow (41), Zach Tuohy (39)
Averages: Matthew Wright (4.00), Sam Kerridge (3.50), Bryce Gibbs (3.50), Ed Curnow (3.42), Marc Murphy (3.40)
Season-high: Patrick Cripps (8 against Brisbane), Sam Kerridge (8 against Richmond)
GOAL ASSISTS
Totals: Bryce Gibbs (9 goal assists), Patrick Cripps (8), Kade Simpson (7), Ed Curnow (7), Dennis Armfield (7), Sam Kerridge (7), Dale Thomas (7)
Season-high: Kade Simpson (3 against Fremantle, Brisbane), Bryce Gibbs (3 against Essendon), Ed Curnow (3 against Port Adelaide), Andrew Walker (3 against Geelong)
CONTESTED POSSESSIONS
Totals: Patrick Cripps (176 contested possessions), Ed Curnow (121), Bryce Gibbs (102), Matthew Wright (101), Sam Kerridge (96)
Averages: Patrick Cripps (16.00), Ed Curnow (10.08), Bryce Gibbs (8.50), Matthew Wright (8.42), Sam Kerridge (8.00).
Season-high: Patrick Cripps (20 against Fremantle)
EFFECTIVE DISPOSALS
Totals: Kade Simpson (271), Sam Docherty (242), Ed Curnow (239), Bryce Gibbs (221), Sam Kerridge (213)
Averages: Kade Simpson (22.58), Sam Docherty (20.17), Ed Curnow (19.92), Patrick Cripps (19.18), Bryce Gibbs (18.42)
Season-high: Kade Simpson (28 against Collingwood), Sam Docherty (28 against Port Adelaide)
CONTESTED MARKS
Totals: Levi Casboult (27), Jacob Weitering (14), Sam Docherty (11), Ciaran Byrne (9), Matthew Kreuzer (8)
Season-high: Levi Casboult (7 against Collingwood)
CLEARANCES
Totals: Patrick Cripps (88), Bryce Gibbs (53), Ed Curnow (46), Matthew Wright (39), Sam Kerridge (32)
Averages: Patrick Cripps (8.00), Bryce Gibbs (4.42), Ed Curnow (3.83), Matthew Wright (3.25), Matthew Kreuzer (2.73)
Season-high: Patrick Cripps (10 against St Kilda), Bryce Gibbs (10 against Essendon)
After Round 12, Patrick Cripps was ranked No.1 in the league for total clearances. (Photo: AFL Media)
FIVE QUIRKY STATS
1. Patrick Cripps became the quickest player to reach 200 clearances since the stat was recorded in 1998, notching up the milestone in the loss to North Melbourne.
2. No Carlton player had had 17 contested marks in the first seven rounds of a season until Levi Casboult reached that number in Round 7 against Collingwood.
3. Jacob Weitering became the second-youngest No.1 draft pick in league history after Marc Murphy to receive a Rising Star nomination.
4. Matthew Kreuzer’s career-high 12 tackles and eight clearances against Geelong were the highest numbers ever seen for a player over two metres tall.
5. Kade Simpson’s 250th match also marked Carlton’s fourth win in a row. The Blues’ last streak of four wins before that included Simpson’s 150th match.
