MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 02: Patrick Cripps of the Blues looks on during the round 11 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the Carlton Blues at Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 02, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Following Carlton's 41-point loss to Essendon on Sunday, Bombers legend Tim Watson had some concerns for the Blues and star midfielder Patrick Cripps.

Cripps was kept to just 11 disposals by second-gamer Dylan Clarke and had little impact throughout the contest.

With the Blues starting the season 1-10, Watson believes Cripps is under immense pressure to lead the team on field, and wonders if it's catching up with the 24-year-old already.

“Has too much pressure been applied to this young man?” Watson told SEN Breakfast on Monday.

“I saw him play last week against St Kilda and I thought he was good, but I thought he was beaten by Jack Steele.

“Yesterday he had none of the ball, he wasn’t going to get into the game at any stage, which isn’t to take anything away from Dylan Clarke who kept him to 11 possessions, but it’s so unusual isn’t it?

“I’ve never seen him have less influence on a game. Is it possible you can get worn down both physically and mentally because of the workload that he is required to give as a player, the leadership he is required to show?

“At what point does it start to tear you apart as an individual?”

Watson's co-host Garry Lyon went one step further, and asked if a change of scenery would bring out the best from the centre clearance king.

“You could pose the question to Tom Lynch up at the Gold Coast Suns who had a tough time up there, they struggled, couldn’t get anything right, they were getting belted, he was shouldering responsibility, he was captain, and he said, 'Enough, I’m coming back to Melbourne',” Lyon said.

“All of a sudden he’s not the captain, he doesn’t have any of the pressure he had every single minute of every single game up at the Suns, he’s got Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Alex Rance, Dylan Grimes and everyone else who can shoulder that responsibility and all he has to worry about is playing.

“Imagine if Patrick Cripps arrived at Geelong like Tim Kelly did. Imagine if he was just slotted into that midfield. These are the sliding doors moments that can sometimes define careers.

“Patrick Cripps is going to be a Hall of Famer, I suspect, but it’ll be harder work than if he was at a club where the load was shared and success was just expected every game.”