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Charlie Curnow immediately regretted checking how many goals Taylor Walker kicked on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
The star Crow, best known as \u201cTex\u201d, had feasted on West Coast for the second time this season, kicking nine goals to temporarily overtake Curnow by one in the race to be the 2023 Coleman medallist.<\/p>\n
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Charlie Curnow celebrates one of the three goals he kicked against GWS to clinch this year\u2019s Coleman Medal.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n They both booted 19 goals from two games each at the hapless Eagles\u2019 expense \u2013 but Curnow\u2019s nerves were suddenly jangling, a night before he would try to secure consecutive Coleman Medals. It took him another half an hour, or longer, to fall asleep.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t watching it because I don\u2019t normally watch too much footy,\u201d Curnow told The Age<\/em>. \u201cThen I looked at [Walker\u2019s game] at 11pm, and I saw he kicked nine … I shouldn\u2019t have checked it \u2013 I jinxed myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Only Curnow will ever know what went through his head, but it seems he realised in that moment how much the goalkicking honour meant to him. Footballers, and athletes in general, often dismiss their individual feats in an effort not to be seen as self-absorbed \u2013 something Curnow will never be accused of.<\/p>\n But, sometimes, it is impossible to pretend they don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n Curnow\u2019s nephew, Will, the son of older brother and teammate Ed, told him in the lead-up to the game that him winning another Coleman was \u201cthe only thing that matters\u201d, so there was that pressure.<\/p>\n The man himself even broke into a nervous laugh as his eyes caught 2021 Coleman winner Harry McKay\u2019s in the Carlton change rooms before Sunday night\u2019s clash with the Giants.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh, mate, I\u2019m trying not to think about it, but it\u2019s at the back of my mind\u2019,\u201d Curnow said.<\/p>\n Curnow need not have worried. All-Australian Giants defender Sam Taylor\u2019s hamstring setback, which caused him to be a late exclusion, was a fortunate break for the Blue, but he was a man on a mission in the early going.<\/p>\n Any slim chance Curnow would be held goalless for the first time this season was soon wiped out when he shook GWS backman Jack Buckley to mark on a lead, then snap truly about 11 minutes in.<\/p>\n Even better was to come mere minutes later when he lost Buckley again and soared over Harry Perryman to haul in another mark. Curnow sparked mass celebrations soon after with an accurate strike from barely inside 50 metres to move clear of Walker and become the league\u2019s newest back-to-back Coleman medallist.<\/p>\n Curnow was a tad embarrassed, but understandably chuffed, post-match about what followed.<\/p>\n His teammates excitedly mobbed him, then he produced a cheeky bicep flex towards a section of the Carlton faithful before urging them to make more noise.<\/p>\n Curnow soaks up the love from the Carlton faithful on Sunday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s honestly amazing,\u201d Curnow said.<\/p>\n \u201cI got a bit excited. It kind of all hit me at once. It was a bit of \u2018me time\u2019 \u2013 I need to pull myself back. Kicking goals is the best part of the game, but enjoying that with my teammates [was special]. Seeing them happy, for me, makes me bloody pumped.\u201d<\/p>\n Making Curnow\u2019s achievement even greater this time around is the knowledge his 78-goal season haul \u2013 he finished Sunday\u2019s game with three majors \u2013 is a major reason the Blues are September-bound for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n The powerhouse club last played in the finals a decade ago, and has endured some horror times in between, with Curnow also spending more than two years out of the game between mid-2019 and late 2021 due to a persistent knee problem.<\/p>\n Blues sharpshooter Charlie Curnow is mobbed by teammates after securing the Coleman Medal.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Carlton looked headed for another wasted season when they sunk into the bottom four after a 34-point loss to Essendon in round 13, an unwanted status that left everyone, including Curnow, searching for positives.<\/p>\n However, plenty has changed for both the Blues and Bombers since.<\/p>\n \u201cAt times this year, when we weren\u2019t going too well, it was important for me to look back on those [injury] times and think about how I was playing [now] and how lucky I was because sometimes the AFL world can feel quite daunting,\u201d Curnow said.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel pretty honoured to be a Carlton player and in a position where I can win these awards. It\u2019s on the back of hard work over those years of being injured.\u201d<\/p>\n Curnow also found strength in his family, from older siblings Ed, George, Charlie, Charlotte and Eliza, to his parents, David and Cassie.<\/p>\n \u201cI just know that if things aren\u2019t going that well \u2013 nothing in that bubble is going to change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Curnow flies for a mark over the Giants\u2019 Harry Perryman in the round 24 match.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a really strong core group of people, so I find things a lot easier when I\u2019ve got that support. If I miss a goal from straight in front; I can go back to them and have a laugh about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a whole lot of fun right now. I\u2019m trying to take it as it comes and get down to the coast, back to Torquay with my schoolmates. I\u2019m pretty pumped. A lot of my mates came up tonight and watched the last game of the year \u2013 and they\u2019ll be there for finals, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Coach Michael Voss was thrilled for Curnow and has learned since his own playing days to better appreciate individual accolades as \u201cteam achievements\u201d.<\/p>\n The Blues could have as many as four matches left in their season, which leaves ajar the unlikely possibility of a Curnow century of goals. The last AFL footballer to do that was Lance Franklin in 2008.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he\u2019ll kick 100 for sure,\u201d Voss said lightheartedly. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we just say it today, get it out of the way? Who the bloody hell knows?<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you what, we\u2019ll all be happy if he does, and that means we\u2019ve gone all the way, so I won\u2019t take that off the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Curnow won\u2019t make any such predictions, jokingly or not. His focus is firmly on Carlton\u2019s finals campaign and making the most of this chance.<\/p>\n \u201cTonight was not what we wanted to show as a team, but the last 10 weeks as a whole have been amazing,\u201d Curnow said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a big journey with our fans, and them sticking by us [was huge]. It\u2019s a great opportunity for our leaders to show what they\u2019re made of, coming into finals because they\u2019ve put a lot of work in over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think of \u2018Crippa\u2019 [skipper Patrick Cripps], my older brother Ed, and \u2018Doc\u2019 [Sam Docherty]. I\u2019m probably missing a few, but those older guys have kind of built this, so kudos to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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