Finals win or bust for Carlton, says Waite

CARLTON utility Jarrad Waite has thrown his support behind comments made by president Stephen Kernahan, saying that anything short of a finals win will be deemed as a failure in season 2011.

The season proper is still a month away, however Kernahan and chief executive Greg Swann have made it very clear in the past few weeks that they expect the Blues to win a final this year.

Coach Brett Ratten, who is out of contract at the end of season, is under pressure to take his side one step further after they have failed to win a final in the past two seasons.

Waite said the players also held the same expectation but said the pressure of achieving their goal would not be a burden on the side.

"No [we don't feel pressured], not at all," Waite said from his home town of Benalla on Monday.

"Our ultimate goal in football is to win a grand final. If we don’t make the finals this year and win a game then we will be very disappointed.

"We know if we do everything right and play our best type of football, we'll go a long way this year. It's just about playing that consistent footy that we want to play.

While Waite has high hopes for the Blues this season, he also has put the pressure on his own personal performance.

The 28-year-old made a successful comeback last year after undergoing a knee reconstruction in 2009 and so far has had a trouble-free pre-season.

An athletic key-position player, Waite has often been used in defence when the Blues have lacked height down back but prefers to play up forward.

A restructured backline with the likes of mature aged rookie Nick Duigan and draftee Matthew Watson will allow Waite to become a more permanent fixture in Carlton's forward line in 2011.

"I would assume that we've got a few more players that can play that defensive role now so I'm looking forward to spending the majority of time up forward," Waite said.

"It's my second year off a reco so I'm expecting a fair bit out of myself. I'm really hoping to lead the forward line."

The Blues had their first hit out in the NAB Cup on Saturday night against Richmond and premiers Collingwood.

Forward Setanta O'hAilpin rolled his ankle during the game and has since had scans on the injury.

O'hAilpin joined the rest of the team on Carlton's Telstra AFL Community Camp in Benalla on Monday, despite his right foot being in a moon boot.

Waite said the injury was not serious and the moon boot was just a precautionary measure.

Sorry, but Carlton's half-decade of tanking hasn't served them as well as they'd hoped. Without Juddy, they're an average team and I foresee another first round finals exit.