Charlie Curnow celebrates a goal during the R20 clash between Carlton and Hawthorn at the MCG on July 24, 2025. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos
CARLTON superstar Charlie Curnow has delivered an emphatic response to speculation that he has sought a move away from the club, saying his future will be with the Blues both next year and beyond.
Curnow was linked to Gold Coast, Sydney and Geelong earlier this week amid the club’s disappointing season, but refuted suggestions he had indicated a desire to leave Ikon Park and reiterated he won’t in the future either.
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“I obviously want to be here,” Curnow told reporters after Carlton’s 24-point loss to Hawthorn on Thursday night. “I don’t really want to make this about me right now, but I’m playing at Carlton next year. There you go. Done.”
Curnow has another four seasons to run on a lucrative long-term contract at Carlton that doesn’t expire until 2029, saying he hasn’t had to discuss his future with the Blues amid the attention that he has received throughout the week.
“No, nothing has happened,” Curnow said on whether he had told the club of an intention to explore his options. “I’m just putting all of my time into playing footy at this club for the next year and the future years.”
Curnow said the speculation around his future hadn’t impacted on his week leading into the clash against Hawthorn on Thursday night, but said the attention had caught the interest of his family and friends.
“I just reckon sometimes people around you can be impacted,” Curnow said. “That’s the thing that can be most frustrating as an AFL player, your close family and partners and things … it probably impacts them more than us.”
Carlton slipped to 7-12 following the disappointing defeat to Hawthorn, with questions still hanging over the future of coach Michael Voss and teammate Tom De Koning amid a significant $1.7 million offer from St Kilda.
However, Curnow – who has spent the last two seasons as vice-captain of the Blues under skipper Patrick Cripps – said he was confident the side could turn its fortunes around quickly.
“You see other teams in other years ride home strong,” Curnow said.
“We probably need to find a bit of form leading into next year. (But) I was sitting on the bench, looking across and watching Matt Carroll and Harry O’Farrell and having chats to them. Having those guys run around, having a bit of fun, I think that’s going to hold us in a really good stead going into next year.”
Curnow, a dual Coleman Medal winner, has kicked 32 goals from 18 games this year – down on his previous outputs – following a summer where he had three surgery setbacks, two on his knee and one on his ankle.
“It’s been up and down, for sure,” Curnow said.
“It started off in pre-season, having three surgeries. That probably lingered around at the start of the season for me. I tried to find my feet, but I feel like as a team we haven’t really found our feet also. That’s been obvious.
“It’s nice to be able to enjoy something like tonight, though [Jacob Weitering’s 200-game milestone and Sam Docherty’s retirement]. It was a pretty awesome moment with Kade Simpson coming off at the boundary. It was pretty good to watch.”
With the Blues no chance of playing finals football in 2025, Curnow said the message to the Carlton faithful was to retain hope and to back the side to eventually improve heading into next season.
“It’s a hard one to cop for them, I know,” Curnow said. “Just grow with us, have fun with us. We’re trying hard out there. We do really want to have a crack for them. Just stick with us and something good will happen.”