Carlton captain, dual Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps has fielded questions of a varying nature ahead of Thursday night's monster clash with Collingwood, but one topic felt particularly pertinent.
Beloved figure, and one of Cripps' best friends, Sam Docherty, was notably absent from the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation breakfast on Monday, in the wake of his controversial recent comments about Carlton's form. Docherty has been an ambassador for the cause for some time, given his own struggles with the condition.
"At the end of the day, those comments weren't meant to get aired," Cripps said, in defence of his mate. Former teammate Dan Gorringe leaked Docherty's impassioned triaging of Carlton's concerns on his podcast, unbeknownst to Docherty.
"He said that in a private setting - I have no hard feelings towards 'Doc'.
"He obviously does a great amount of work for Peter Mac, with his story as well, it makes this game extra special for us. We saw what he went through with his battle, but we also saw the power of community - people coming together to support a mate when they need it. That's why this round (sic) is so special - it puts the spotlight on something much bigger than the game itself."
Cripps did his part to build up Thursday's clash, magnifying the magnitude of what is always a spicy encounter.
"Any chance we get to play the Pies, you know it's going to be a sell-out.
"Every game is big when we play them, no matter where we sit on the ladder. It's always a close game, it's always a good battle, and that's why you love playing your rivals. It's an important game, but every game is important for us.
"We've had a lot of close games over the years; they've been a very good side. They get asked the question about their age a lot, but they've got a lot of senior guys who know how to perform on the big stage."
When pressed about Collingwood's dominance in the rivalry recently, Cripps was forthright in wanting to change that fact.
"(I'm) well aware they've had the wood over us for the last couple of years, but we're looking to change that on Thursday night. That's definitely one of my motivations going into this week - there's nothing I love more than beating the Pies."
With his side again struggling, and pace in the midfield a real concern, coach Michael Voss attempted to make a selection statement last week, via the omission of another of Cripps' personal friends, in George Hewett.
Cripps was quick to publicly admire the way in which Hewett has responded to his axing.
"I'm really good mates with George," Cripps said.
"He's a guy I love playing with him. Probably one of our most loved teammates. The way he goes about it is a credit to him as a person. He puts in as much work as anyone I've seen around the footy club.
"He put the team ahead of everything because of the way he showed up. He created a real positive energy around the club, which is what you love seeing when guys don't get the opportunity (to play). I've got a lot of respect for him. I love playing with him.
"He's going to play a lot of footy for us this year."
With his side languishing in irrelevance and seemingly years away from genuine contention, it was put to Cripps that a premiership is still the only accolade absent from his cabinet.
"It still drives me. Any player that gets to the back end of their career, it's the sole purpose you play for (sic).
"I think I learned a good lesson last year, and a lot of us did, that when you get too focused on the end result, you lose the joy of the weekly stuff. Although that'll (a flag) be my goal for how long I keep playing for, I still love the game, I love training, I love competing. My focus lately has been on trying to really lead the boys (particularly) at the start of the week, and create a good energy.
"The energy at the club and the way the boys have been training is as high as I've ever felt it. I've still been loving going to the club. It's always the biggest challenge when you're not getting results.
"It's still early in the year. I feel like there's a lot of potential in our group, and we're looking forward to Thursday to really kickstart our year."
