In his most recent night game he had 41 disposals against the Cats, and he’s playing at a standard in 2024 many believe is higher than the one he reached in 2022 when he won the Brownlow Medal.
Who knows whether the extra work will make Cripps more nocturnal in a football sense, but it highlights the lengths the greats are willing to go to become great.
His first midfield coach at Carlton was Robert Wiley, an Australian Football Hall of Fame member who played in a flag with Richmond. The characteristic he immediately noticed in Cripps was a will to get better.
As a teenager he wanted to be in the gym, improving his hands in touch sessions, lapping up whatever his new teammate Chris Judd had to offer, having idolised the dual Brownlow medallist as a West Coast supporter growing up in Northampton.
Having experienced a growth spurt at school, the recruit’s endurance wasn’t great, so Wiley went to work on making him elite inside the stoppage, knowing the running power would build as the pre-seasons stacked up. Not long after, Cripps sought out West Australian running coach Mark Neates, a partner in Kickstart Academy with Wiley, to improve his running and help him accelerate off the mark.
Such actions are not without risk, as anyone who pushes themselves beyond their comfort zone knows.
And Cripps, the warrior, has done that himself, admitting he was nearly broken the week after Brendon Bolton – a coach he respected – was sacked in 2019. He doubted he could play but gritted his teeth as he drove to the game and vowed to present a positive attitude. He kicked four goals and won 38 disposals.
As the two West Australians spent time together, Wiley recognised the person he was working with was more than just a football fanatic. Cripps was an empathetic, positive and smart youngster, someone he realised wanted to be both the best footballer, and to help other people.
Robert Wiley says WA sportsmen Cripps and Mitch Marsh (pictured) share the same positive, affable, competitive personalities.Credit: Getty Images
“I know [Australian cricketer] Mitch Marsh, too. They both have very similar characters, [they’re both] affable and open, and always have a great smile on their faces. Paddy has that approach in spades,” Wiley said.
That positive, optimistic outlook has always been underpinned by hard work – something instilled in Cripps growing up on the family farm.
And unlike Marsh, who took time to win over the sporting public, Cripps has long been universally respected as he stuck at the task of dragging the Blues out of the doldrums, the footballing equivalent of Test cricketer Allan Border to a generation of Blues fans.
Former Melbourne star Nathan Jones had to wait until his 12th season at the Demons to play in more wins than losses in a year, and he can relate to what Cripps went through in the first part of his career when the Blues on-baller played in just 38 wins in his first 138 matches.
“He is probably my favourite player in the comp,” Jones said. “What I admire most about him is his integrity and what comes with that is his resilience and his perseverance. He is just a quality human.”
Since 1999, Cripps has had more clearances than anyone at AFL level and only Sydney’s Josh Kennedy won more contested possessions in their first 199 matches.
His numbers in 2024 (a year he and his partner Mon became parents to daughter Koda) are almost identical to those he achieved in 2022, when he took home the Brownlow.
But the eye says he is playing better now than then as he reaches game 200 – the skipper admitting he now knows those around him will get their job done, removing the temptation to do too much.
Cripps celebrates with coach Michael Voss after a win. The pair are proving a great combination.Credit: AFL Photos
“I don’t need to overreach. I am really clear on my role and what I am going to do for the side,” he said.
“Being part of a winning, successful environment helps your own form. I don’t think it was trying to do too much, it was just the will to win.
“You look to guys to the left and the right and know they are going to get the job done.”
Clarke flips any notion that Cripps was doing too much. It’s more a case of his load being lighter.
“You think about the growth of the guys around him,” Clarke said.
“That has enabled him to do what he does better. He doesn’t always have to try to win the ball, he doesn’t always have to put himself in that position because he can put someone else there and support them. That flexibility in his game has been really powerful this year.”
Studying psychology now after completing an agriculture-business degree proves Cripps’ thirst for knowledge isn’t just confined to football.
“Like anything in life you are always trying to find ways to get better,” Cripps said.
John Barker, who was an assistant and then interim head coach at Carlton, said Cripps’ constant stream of ideas related to football meant coaching him was never dull. The two still start conversations by jokingly calling each other “Big Unit” after Cripps once described Barker as a big unit when asked in a media appearance what the pair had in common.
Cripps’ willingness to enter the contest, minute after minute, game after game, while playing through injury and defeat constantly amazed Barker. His loyalty was not such a surprise, just another attribute that makes him a revered figure.
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“I get a lot of joy out of helping other guys around me,” Cripps said.
It’s clear his teammates get joy playing alongside him, and he is held in the sort of esteem his coach was when a champion at the Brisbane Lions. Voss captained his side to three flags. Cripps is aiming for one.
“You’ve got to dream big, but we are just really focused on right now and being really present in the moment, and actually enjoying the journey,” Cripps said.
That journey is nowhere near over, nor will the desire to master his craft disappear. Others like to poke fun by calling Cripps “Peg Leg” because of his inability to kick on his left foot.
Don’t worry, a foot injury a few years back forced him to work on his weak side and insiders say he’s improved.
By game 300 he will probably have that down pat – pardon the pun – too.
To Clarke, Cripps is a great leader and teammate, a footballer’s footballer, loyal, driven, and the best type of competitor.
“If you’re invested, he is invested in you,” he said.