MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 17: Patrick Cripps of the Blues celebrates a goal during the 2022 AFL Round 01 match between the Carlton Blues and the Richmond Tigers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 17, 2022 In Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps embarks on game 150 a vastly different footballer and person than the one that arrived at Princes Park in 2013.

Once again one of the game's premier stars Cripps' return to form in 2022 has largely been put down to his body being 100% after two years of battling injuries. However, the Carlton skipper has also put a lot of work into the mental side of the game with Cripps putting a large focus on mindfulness and gratitude.

Speaking ahead of his milestone game, Cripps said the the growth he has experienced in the last two years can be put down to the tough times he and the club faced together as well as his focus on mindset.

"I probably grew a lot as a person through those tough times," Cripps said.

"One thing I've been big on and I know a lot of the guys like myself and Sam Docherty have had a level of hope and optimism around the place. When there is tough times you have to keep the group together and that's one thing I'm really proud of, this group has really stuck together."

The 27-year-old said that while he has battled his body in recent seasons he has found that the mental side of the game outweighs the physical.

"It's huge. I think it's the most important part of the game," Cripps told media.

"Not necessarily training hard but it's more about the perspective of everything. Focussing on what's important to the club and what internally drives you.

"I think I try to block out as much external noise as I can and also have a different perspective on it. There's going to be external noise but you need to focus on what's actually important and that's (things like) what people close to you think and what internally drives you.

"It's been a good learning curve over the last couple of years but I feel like I'm in a good spot now.

Carlton recently enlisted the services of ‘The Resilience Project’ founder Hugh van Cuylenburg to help continue to build connections throughout the club. Michael Voss has worked with the mindfulness guru in the past and was reportedly keen on bringing him into the fold, so much so that he mentioned the work of van Cuylenburg in his original interview with the Blues.

According to a Herald Sun report, Cripps was so enamoured with what van Cuylenburg had brought to the club that he bought 50 copies of van Cuylenburg’s book to give to each of his teammates at the start of the pre-season.

While only having worked alongside Cripps for a short time, Voss said that he appreciated what Cripps had done for the club during his career.

"He's been an incredible servant to the football club," Voss said.

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"When he first stepped in I was just an admirer from afar about what he was able to offer as a player. I've got more of a first hand experience of what he's like in more recent times of what he's like not only as a player but a leader as well.

"He's just exceptionally hungry. He's a guy that's gone to work on himself and is trying to find a better version and has accepted some of the things that didn't go right for him in the last couple of years. He's owned all that and gone to work on himself."

The Blues have the chance to go equal top of the AFL ladder on Thursday night when they take on Richmond. With a 9-3 record, 2022 is already Cripps' most winningest season in his career.

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As Cripps and his troops continue to enter unchartered waters and creep ever closer to finals, the man himself says he's confident the next 150 games may prove more fruitful than the previous 149.

"I probably didn't think I'd get to 150, the last few days I've reflected a little bit on the journey so far. It's a massive milestone when I think about it.

"I'm pretty excited for the next 150 (games) and hopefully they're a bit more successful than the last 150.

"I've never been here (9-3). My first eight years I think there's only been one time I was ahead of the ledger."