Carlton finished 5th out of 17 teams in the 2011 AFL season with a win-loss record of 14–7–1, ultimately eliminated after a three-point semi-final loss against West Coast.
[3] The club's two joint major sponsors, car manufacturer Hyundai and confectionery company Mars, were unchanged from 2010.
"[7] Brett Ratten and Chris Judd continued in their respective roles as senior coach and captain of the club, each entering his fourth season appointed to the job.Note 2 Kade Simpson continued in the role of vice-captain, and Michael Jamison and Andrew Carrazzo retained their places in the club's leadership group from 2010.
Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy and Jordan Russell were elevated into the expanded leadership group for 2011, replacing Heath Scotland, who stepped down, and Simon Wiggins, who retired from the AFL at the end of 2010.
The three vacant assistant coaching positions were filled by Alan Richardson from Essendon, John Barker from Hawthorn, and Gavin Brown from Collingwood.
West Coast ultimately moved into the top four in Round 22, after Carlton's loss against Hawthorn.
In the elimination final against Essendon, Carlton fell fourteen points behind during the first quarter, after kicking five early behinds to Essendon's three goals; the Blues then kicked the next ten goals of the game before half time to set up an unbeatable lead, and finished with a comfortable 62-point win.
The John Nicholls Medal, for the best and fairest player of the club, as well as several other awards, were presented on the night..
[60] By the end of the season, Murphy was fifth-favourite behind Judd, Sydney's Adam Goodes and Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan.
A vote of all players in the league, selecting from a ballot of all club nominees, was then used to determine the final placings.
[63] Chris Judd won the Leigh Matthews Trophy for the second time in his career, the first being in 2006 when he was playing for the West Coast Eagles.
Judd and Murphy both featured prominently in most valuable player awards, voted on by various broadcasters, commentators and professional associations of the AFL (only appearances in the top five of each award are shown): Andrew Walker's Round 18 mark was one of the three finalists in the Mark of the Year.
[83] Former premiership player and coach Robert Walls was elevated to Legend status in the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame.
Carlton senior- and rookie-listed players who were not selected to play in the Carlton team were eligible to play for either the Northern Bullants seniors or reserves team, including both Victorian Football League matches and Foxtel Cup matches.
[104] Additionally, in the inaugural season of the Foxtel Cup, the Bullants reached the second round (quarter finals) before being eliminated by eventual runners-up Claremont.
[106] :1.^ Although Hawthorn had a higher overall membership, that Victorian-based club additionally plays several home games in Tasmania each year.
:2.^ Ratten also served as head coach in the final six rounds of 2007 as caretaker, before being officially appointed as head coach for 2008. :3.^ Many draft picks involved in trades changed their position slightly on draft day (e.g Carlton acquired pick No.