Carlton captain Patrick Cripps has urged Blues fans to remain patient and ‘stick fat’ with their team during a recent form slump that sees the club sitting eight points adrift from finals contention.
On the back of Saturday’s disheartening 11-point loss to North Melbourne, Cripps fronted the press on Monday to stress the importance of players and fans remaining united during this turbulent time.
“I don’t want to divide us versus the fans – I feel like it’s really important we stay together,” Cripps told reporters.
“We’re sticking fat together… buy in and get behind us, we’ll turn it around. It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort, but we’re going to stay united.”
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Saturday’s scoreline flattered the Blues after they failed to respond against North Melbourne during the second quarter, allowing a run of eight unanswered goals to trail by as many as 46 points at one stage.
Stick fat: Cripps' message to Carlton fans amid on-field struggles | https://t.co/3yt5TLvz7X | #AFL pic.twitter.com/eRQztrpWn6
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) June 23, 2025
Defensive mistakes and a lack of pressure cost Carlton on several occasions, while the absence of Harry McKay and Sam Walsh placed further strain on a team that has struggled to hit targets all year. Cripps, meanwhile, has been a touch quiet as he plays more of a forward role, averaging just 20 touches over his last three games.
Fans remain also divided on the future of coach Michael Voss and whether trading a key piece like Walsh could be the answer moving forward.
The Blues face a mammoth task again on Thursday night on the road against Port Adelaide, before back to back games against Premiership heavyweights Collingwood and Brisbane.
In all likelihood, the 10th placed Blues would need to win at least seven of their remaining nine games to qualify for finals, but with the fixture ramping up and goals still proving incredibly hard to come by, Cripps’ comments might turn out to be nothing more than wishful thinking.