A Carlton hangover

One would assume, by now, that Carlton fans would be used to the disappointment of losing. For younger fans, such as myself, it seems all we've ever known (my father assures me that we used to be a formidable side but it's been 23 seasons and I'm yet to see it). However, waking up this morning, I felt particularly low and have come to the conclusion that I am (still) suffering from a Carlton hangover.

Emotions were running high for Carlton fans before the game even started, with the first game against our ex-superstar and current nemesis Charlie Curnow. Despite the playful banner, many fans did feel the sting of seeing Charlie not in the navy blue, a sting only exacerbated by Curnow's performance (we all knew he could kick goals but I don't remember him tackling last season).

Perhaps the most painful part of the night is that fans were given hope. We'd kicked the first goal of the season, we were 22 points ahead in the third quarter and Ben Ainsworth had earned his guernsey by scoring from the outside fifty. And yet, in that same third quarter the Swans somehow managed to gain a 39 point lead before closing the game a whopping 63 points ahead.

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It was quite possibly the hardest third quarter I've ever had to watch. Sydney raised their game and turned on the pressure while Carlton reverted to the 'kick it long and hope' tactic, a strategy I'd thought we'd learnt didn't work last season. Sydney scored time and time again while Carlton slipped around the field, seemingly unable to break the opposition's momentum. The joy on Curnow's face was a particularly painful nail in the coffin, as Carlton fans came to the rough realisation that maybe he had made the right choice.

The removal of hope, the devastation of falling so far so early in the season and the betrayal of Curnow formed the perfect cocktail of loss that has fuelled my Carlton hangover, garnished by the knowledge that my team is making the same mistakes they've made for multiple seasons now.

While last night may have been a fast example of me realising that this year might not be our year, I, like many other legions of fans, cling to the hope that one day Carlton will reclaim their glory. Until then I remain downtrodden but stubbornly loyal to the navy Blues.