Despite claiming the 2022 Brownlow Medal, Patrick Cripps believes he’s still got a way to go before reaching his best football.
The 27-year-old’s rise back to one of the league’s best was a remarkable one given his drop-off in 2021. Just 12 months ago the Carlton captain was criticised as out of touch with the modern game, but Cripps went back to his fundamentals to prove there’s still a place in the game for an out-and-out midfield bull.
Speaking on SEN’s The Run Home, Cripps revealed it was an 80-20 training routine that he’s used to allow his strengths to flourish.
“There are always ways to get better, I wouldn’t say I’m quite at the top of my game yet. I don’t think until the day you retire you'll say it,” Cripps explained.
“There’s always areas you’ll tinker, but I think when you get to my age you want to keep to 80 per cent of your (training on) what makes you good.
“For me, it’s that contested clearance work I put a lot of time into. Obviously at this time of year you just try and put the load in through your body, and I sort of spend this time of year from a physical point of view just getting strong and fit so I can handle the load throughout the pre-season.”
Cripps ranked fourth in total clearances across the competition in 2022 and third in contested possessions per game.
The skipper also booted 20 goals and averaged just shy of four marks per game, pointing out those stats as areas to improve going forward.
“I want to kick more goals next year, I want to keep developing that element of my game,” Cripps added.
“Being a tall midfielder, I (also) want to keep developing my marking and be an aerial threat.
“And then I suppose from a high-performance point of view, there are different ways you can tap into different stuff. There are things like breath work and things like that that can help take your game to the next level.
“I think it’s important once you get to a certain level you keep your core training stuff, make sure you don’t tinker with that too much, but then the little one percenters here and there, you can give them a try.”
Cripps has spent his off-season in the United States, linking up with NFL and NBA teams and several experts in search of the best training results.