Sam Walsh has gone ‘straight past Patrick Cripps’ as the Carlton star rivals must stop

Sam Walsh has “gone straight past” Patrick Cripps as the player who needs to be tagged at Carlton, according to North Melbourne champion David King.

The third season for the former No.1 pick has been hotly anticipated, with many expecting the former Rising Star winner to break into the AFL’s top echelon of midfielders.

Blues coach David Teague showed he has faith in Walsh by sending him into 21 centre bounces in the season opener against Richmond; more appearances there in one game than he had across 2019 and 2020 combined, per King.

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But because of his versatility and ability to be damaging with the footy – as compared to Cripps, who is a dominant contested ball player but not as strong in other areas – Walsh is now the main threat to opposition defences, according to King.

“Sam Walsh, for me, has become the number one player that needs to be tagged at Carlton. He’s gone straight past Paddy Cripps,” he said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“Because of the damage that he brings to the game, the creativity, his ball-use. The threat to use run-and-carry.

“And he’s going into centre bounces now – he went in there 21 times on the weekend; last year he was there for eight in total for the season, 11 the year prior.

“And we just see what he can do – so creative. 30-plus disposals, he’s only done that five times in his previous 40-odd games.

“So he’s taken giant steps in this pre-season period and I just think now the next step is becoming super damaging forward of centre, not just getting ball back half.”

Walsh and Cripps are different types of players; the former more damaging, according to King. Picture: Andrew HenshawSource: News Corp Australia

While tagging an opposition player has gone out of fashion, with team defence more important than individual efforts to stop one player, King believes the changes to the AFL’s rules could bring it back.

In Round 1, teams were able to move the ball from their defensive 50 to the forward 50 one in every three attempts; that’s up from one in every five attempts in the last four years.

The new man-on-the-mark rule, combined with the extra metres given to the player kicking in after a behind, are allowing teams to move the ball faster. That in turn may force teams to hold their structure in defence, and create more one-on-one match-ups.

“I think it will (lead to more tagging), given we’re all waiting to see who’s gonna blink first in the coaching department,” King said on AFL 360.

“If they haven’t tagged Dustin Martin, why would they tag Sam Walsh, but that’s the discussion, isn’t it? I think a team tag – if he’s near you, you pick him up, you stay diligent.

“But now that he’s going in at centre bounces, his whole game has changed, so the scope for Sam Walsh in 2021 is now huge.”

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St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna compared Walsh’s skill-set to that of Port Adelaide gun Travis Boak.

“The ability to get from contest to contest because of his running power – that’s what separates them from the other mids,” he said on AFL 360.