Patrick Cripps fumed to reporters as the Carlton skipper attempted to give an assessment of his side’s dismal start to the 2025 AFL season, dropping the ‘F-bomb’ twice in a furious, expletive-laden rant.
But one footy great has questioned the authenticity of the Blues’ skipper’s comments.
It’s been a dire start to the season for Michael Voss’ side, who are winless following their opening four games.
That losing streak culminated on Thursday night after the Blues suffered a dismal 17-point defeat by bitter rivals Collingwood.
Cripps, a two-time Brownlow medallist, was subsequently asked what was going on with his side, following the loss.
‘Mate, If I had the answers I wish I’d f***ing know,’ Cripps said to ABC News.
Patrick Cripps (second from right) dropped two F-bombs in an interview with ABC Sport after his side’s defeat by Collingwood on Thursday
Luke Hodge, though, believes Cripps’ comments were not authentic, with the Hawks great claiming he was just saying that to show emotion for the fans
Concerns are now mounting over whether Andrew Voss’ side are slipping out of contention for a spot in finals this year.
And in response to those fears, the Carlton captain was resolute on what he thought his side could achieve: ‘I’m very bullish on what we can still do. Obviously, you don’t want to be zip and four but f*** that’s where we are at the moment.’
But four-time premiership winner Luke Hodge wasn’t buying the 30-year-old’s comments.
‘I think that was orchestrated,’ Hodge told The Agenda Setters.
‘Patrick Cripps is a smooth media performer. He does not make those mistakes. I have listened to him for years. Love him as a player, love him when he does talk in the media.
‘That was orchestrated to make sure the supporters know that he’s just as frustrated. Because I don’t think I’ve ever heard him swear.
He believes that the fact that Cripps dropped the F-word twice was a show for the fans.
‘So for him to put two in, I think that was orchestrated to show the passion that he as a player is hurting as well.’
Carlton have endured a torrid start to the season, but Cripps (front left) dismissed fears that this could be a wasted campaign
The Blues are 0-4 so far this season. They have been unable to hold out gams and have suffered multiple second-half collapses, like Thursday’s defeat by Collingwood
Dale Thomas disagreed. He believes Cripps had simply just relaxed in front of the reporter.
‘I reckon that’s the difference of radio interview versus TV interview,’ he said.
‘Just relaxed a little bit.’
Thomas believes that Carlton got their game plan wrong, stating: ‘Endurance and the speed probably the two keys and there’s not a lot of speed.
‘I’ll grant you power but at the moment they need to really figure out what is going on and the style they want to play.
‘Because at the moment that territory, kick it forward, no real system ahead of the ball and just have a crack isn’t the way to go any more.’
Carlton have now been outscored by opposition teams by a cumulative 110 points in the second half of games.
Having led at half-time on Thursday they were again punished by Collingwood for taking their feet off the gas pedal.
Michael Voss’ side take on the West Coast this weekend in Adelaide for the 2025 Gather Round
The Magpies came out in the third quarter and put four unanswered goals past the Blues.
‘I feel like it’s pretty clear – we’ve had a good month of footy now — what we need to work on,’ Cripps said.
‘But I feel like tonight, they [Collingwood] really got us through the contest, which is… I feel like the other few games we matched or won that area of the game but tonight their pressure was really good.’
Cripps elaborated on that point, stating he feels his team need to be better at ‘being brave in those moments’ around the contest.
‘When the opposition comes at us at the moment, you see it when you watch the game back the boys get a little bit tight, so that’s a hurdle we’ve got to face and I know we’ll get through it, it’s just frustrating at the moment.’
But he doesn’t think 2025 will be a wasted year.
‘You can’t look that far ahead, to be honest. You do that, you can waste years and I’ve never been about that.
‘Like I said, [2023] is a perfect example — there’s a lot of belief in this group and I feel like I have a lot of footy left in me as well. If you start thinking like that, it’s a bit of a slippery slope.’
While it’s been a torrid few weeks for the club, they received some very good news on Wednesday night with star forward Harry McKay likely to return to the match.
Official confirmations over his return are still to be made, but Riley Beveridge reports that McKay is set to fly out to Adelaide this week for their clash against the Eagles, and could return to play after being sidelined due to personal reasons.
