No longer able to be contained by taggers, irrepressible Carlton captain Patrick Cripps is now a well-rounded star who has gone to another level, according to coach Michael Voss.
Carlton will play finals despite losing to St Kilda on the final day of the regular season, with Fremantle losing to Port Adelaide and failing to pinch the Blues' top-eight spot.
That is largely thanks to superstar skipper Cripps, who is in the thick of contention for a second Brownlow Medal, after claiming the game's highest honour in 2022.
Cripps, 29, has averaged 28.7 disposals, 15.7 contested possessions and 8.1 clearances in another stellar season where, between his brute strength, smarts and workrate, he has lifted whenever the Blues need him.
He almost single-handedly kept the Blues alive with a monster 35-disposal best-on-ground performance against West Coast, then again shone against St Kilda.
"How he’s grown his game across this year is that probably last year teams that went to him and tagged him and put some attention to him could probably take a few things off him - they can’t do that anymore," Voss said.
"He’s developed his game and it’s a more rounded game, and then you put the leadership on top of that.
"So now it’s not just about what he brings capacity-wise, it now brings the intangible things.
"I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s been able to do that and he’s forging a good leadership group."
The Blues (eighth) will need Cripps at his very best if they are to beat Brisbane (fifth) at the Gabba in their elimination final on September 7.
Voss, a Brownlow Medallist and great of the game in his own right, had no doubts over his captain's ability to deliver.
"Certainly the way Crippa has approached the last period of time - and the entire season to be fair - has been pretty impressive," he said.
"Leigh Matthews once said to me if you get names on the magnet you don’t have to worry about how they turn up - it’s just a luxury to have. You don’t have to worry about them, you just put their name on the board.
"You don’t have to worry about if they’re prepared or not, they just get themselves ready.
"They get themselves ready for the physical battle, they get themselves ready for the mental battle and he does that every single week."
