Patrick Cripps

When Patrick Cripps gathers the football at a centre bounce, lowers his shoulder and drives forward, there is a moment of pure, unstoppable force that reminds you why they call him the most dominant midfielder in the AFL. A two-time Brownlow Medallist — his 2024 triumph yielding a record 45 votes that left the rest of the competition in his wake — and five-time John Nicholls Medal winner, Cripps is the embodiment of everything Carlton’s long-suffering faithful have been waiting for. His physical power is immense, his contested-ball work suffocating, and his ability to kick goals from the midfield gives the Blues a scoreboard threat that opposition coaches have yet to solve. Through the lean years of Carlton’s rebuild, Cripps carried the club on his broad shoulders. Now, with the pieces assembling around him, the reward feels tantalizingly close.

Career Statistics

Player Profile

The body of work is extraordinary: 230 games, 127 goals, two Brownlow Medals, and a captaincy that has defined Carlton’s modern era. Cripps’s clearance work remains among the best in the competition, his physical presence at the contest a force that younger teammates feed off and opponents dread. In 2026, the Carlton captain enters the season as the driving force behind a club that believes its premiership window is wide open.

EC — Senior features writer, australiafootball.com