Carlton captain Patrick Cripps has responded with humour to the viral training footage that showed Blues players struggling with basic kicking drills during pre-season. The clip, uploaded by fan Heath Buck last month, quickly spread across social media platforms, drawing criticism from supporters and commentators alike.
Captain Cripps Sees the Funny Side
In an interview on Triple M's The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, Cripps revealed he found the situation amusing rather than concerning. "I've got a funny story with that viral clip," the two-time Brownlow medallist confessed. "There was one guy that wheeled on his left and put it three rows back ... that may have been me. Luckily there wasn't more vision of it because I did the same thing the second time."
When questioned about whether he addressed the footage with his teammates, Cripps explained they simply laughed it off during their annual player culture day. "We just found the humour in it. It was one of the funniest things I've seen, watching it back," he said. "Our Carlton supporters probably wouldn't have been pumped seeing that. It wasn't great footage, but we saw the humour side of it."
Training Standards Remain High
The Carlton captain was quick to emphasise that the viral moment didn't reflect their overall training standards. "The boys have been training really well, it's high energy at this time of year," Cripps assured. "Not going to lie, I did laugh very hard watching that video. Last Friday, we did the same drill and every time we hit a kick, we were getting up and about it. You gotta have a bit of fun."
Coaching Staff Address Training Privacy
Premiership coach Adam Simpson, who joined Carlton in the off-season as a coaching mentor, also commented on the viral footage during an appearance on SEN radio. While acknowledging the overreaction, Simpson expressed concern about supporters regularly filming training sessions.
"What I do notice at Carlton, and it's none of my business, but people film Carlton training a lot. It's easy access," Simpson observed. "Even when I was coaching, if I wanted to know how they went, I'd just YouTube Carlton and there were four different angles from supporters."
The experienced coach made a direct appeal to Blues supporters: "I would have not liked that as a coach, the supporters filming training and critiquing it online. It's great, easy vision for the opposition to look at. Blues supporters, put the cameras down... Let them train."
Cripps' Fitness and Leadership Outlook
Beyond addressing the viral footage, Cripps discussed his physical condition heading into the new season. The 30-year-old midfielder acknowledged he often plays through discomfort but feels particularly strong ahead of the 2026 campaign.
"I feel good, I had a fair bit of time off this off-season. I went back to WA and rested and recovered," Cripps revealed. "I feel as good as I ever had, and ready to get stuck into another year. There's definitely times when you play under a bit of duress, but I just enjoy that challenge."
As captain, Cripps emphasised his commitment to leading by example: "There's certain times where you don't play because you'll put yourself at further risk, but I feel if I can play and it won't do my future self at any harm ... I like to do that, especially as the captain of the side. Every now and then you cop a fair whack in the media ... but I never like to use an excuse once I get out there, just bite down on that mouth guard and dig in."
State of Origin Anticipation
Cripps also expressed excitement about leading Western Australia in the returning State of Origin match scheduled for next Saturday night. "I was a big advocate for this. I was hoping it was going to get through," he said about the concept's revival.
The Carlton captain praised the player commitment to the representative fixture: "It's been unreal the buy-in from the players – not only WA but the Vics. We've got the best players playing. We're going to treat the game with respect, and we want the game to carry on in future years, so it will be on."
Cripps confirmed preparations are underway: "It's going to be great. Next Wednesday we all link-up in Perth and have a three-day camp."
