How the Blues are harnessing the energy of their boisterous fans to ‘break’ rivals

Carlton star Adam Cerra says the Blues are feeding off the energy of their revitalised fans, and has revealed a key plank of coach Josh Fraser’s mantra as they push to continue their September dream and “break” Geelong next weekend.

The Blues’ remarkable uprising continued on Saturday night when they ran over Melbourne by 19 points in a high-pressure wildcard clash in front of 91,733 fans at the MCG, booking an elimination final against Geelong at the MCG on Friday.

The deafening roar of the Blues’ fans enthralled by a stunning resurgence under Fraser out-powered their Demons’ rivals, and the Blues want this to continue against the rested Cats.

“We play off their [fans’] energy, and we try and energise them through our footy,” Cerra told this masthead.

“We know it’s a strength of this football club; the Carlton community, how big and strong that is, and we try and use it to our advantage. They come out in numbers. Our part is to play an exciting brand of football to energise them, give them a good game of footy to watch. We love doing that.”

The Blues have been doing that since Michael Voss was sacked after a 1-8 start to the season, with 12 wins and a draw from their next 15 games, with a simplified, high-possession game plan that rivals have yet to consistently counter.

They have also altered their mindset when it comes to crunch time in games. Where they all but froze earlier in the year, they now embrace tight contests, adopting a “just play the minutes” ethos.

Cerra, who had 26 disposals across half-back and in the midfield against the Demons, said the Blues wanted to “break” opponents.

“It might take 118 minutes to break a team, but we have full trust. It might not come in the first quarter, but we stick to the process and try and break them by the end,” Cerra said.

Cerra delivered insight into the hoodie-wearing Fraser’s mindset of how the Blues handle adversity, including against the Demons when they conceded the opening four goals.

“The main messaging since ‘Frase’ has come in is – ‘just play your minutes’. No matter what is going on in the game, we are just going to chase, just play the minutes,” Cerra said.

“That’s why I think we are playing that game well now. We are not getting caught up in the scoreboard. We know momentum will come and go.

“Stay present, don’t worry about the external things, the scoreboard, whether we are kicking goals or hitting the post, like [against the Demons in the final term] – we are on to the next thing.

“It’s really led by our leaders, first and foremost, who are driving a calm presence across the field to trust that process and trust the work we do through the week.”

Fraser has regularly told players and the public the Blues have set high standards at training. A focused, consistent training plan has helped deliver success.

“Throughout the week, our standards at training, habits, we try and make every session the best session of the year,” Cerra said.

“That gives us real confidence to go out and play our brand for four quarters. We trust the work we do through the week. It’s really fulfilling when you come and see it come to fruition.”

Cerra also praised the maturation of a side focused on defence and role-play. He said star youngsters Jagga Smith and Harry Dean embodied this.

“I think all the young boys, Harry Dean, Talor Byrne, they are just doing the right things. They value the hardest part of the game, defending, putting on pressure. They get the rewards on the back of that,” Cerra said.

“Jagga got the rewards on the back of that, another night it might be Talor kicking a few goals. The bottom line is they put on pressure and stay disciplined in their role, and they respect the hardest part of the game. So, it’s pretty rare to have 18-year-olds come in and have that awareness already.”

Fraser’s focus on this has also been reinforced at selection.

“Historically, there’s been certain players who have felt like they’ve had to do everything, and the intent’s fine, but it’s misguided, and actual fact, you’ve just got to be so reliable in your role and trust the guy next to you to get his job done,” Fraser said.

“I thought we had a really even spread of contributors, and I think that’s been our story for large parts of the last 14, 15 weeks. We’re not reliant on one or two. Absolutely, guys will stand up and have very good games, but the load’s shared and spread. So is the ownership.”

The Blues expect Will Hayward (ankle) to be available for a recall – he booted a team-high three goals in a four-point win over the Cats in round 12. Regardless, Cerra said many of his teammates were relishing what’s at hand.

“I think a lot of the boys say it’s some of the most enjoyable football we have played,” Cerra said.

“Take away the results, we come into work with a smile, and an eagerness to just keep getting better. That’s the most enjoyable part. Sometimes, we can’t control the scoreboard, but we can control how we show up every day and every quarter.

“We are really relishing and enjoying that. The result at the end is the byproduct and reward. We are getting real joy in the process.”

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