Gary Buckenara analyses Carlton’s list after the 2019 season
Carlton is preparing for a trade period triple strike. But how much are the likes of Jack Martin, Tom Paley and Eddie Betts really worth? List guru Gary Buckenara breaks down where the Blues are at.
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There is something special building at Carlton.
The improvement in the group as a whole and from specific players under new coach David Teague in the second half of the season was exactly what every Carlton supporter has wanted to see since the start of 2018.
There were serious concerns early this season but the enthusiasm Teague has been able to instil in the playing group and across the club in a short period, plus the development of several players, means there are exciting times ahead.
Sam Petrevski-Seton, Jacob Weitering, Matthew Kennedy, David Cuningham and Jack Silvagni were among those who took a step forward, rather than continuing to go backwards.
The challenge for the players and coaches is to keep that improvement and positivity going over summer and channel it into a huge pre-season so they can hit the ground running in 2020 and bank early wins.
The list is in great shape.
Carlton already has nine A and B-grade players, including co-captains Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty, while I see a further eight players who have the talent to develop into A or B-graders (read on to see my full list breakdown).
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To compete for a premiership a team needs a mix of at least 12-14 A and B-grade players, so if the likes of Sam Walsh, Harry McKay and Paddy Dow can keep improving, then I see the Blues having at least 14 on their list in the coming seasons (removing Kade Simpson, Matthew Kreuzer and Marc Murphy who are nearing the end of their careers), while it doesn’t take into account the stars this club will be able to attract through the free agency and trade periods as their on-field performance improves.
The other side to this is we haven’t seen good players who are still in the AFL system wanting to leave the Blues since about 2013-14 (when Eddie Betts, Jarrad Waite and Jeff Garlett departed) outside Bryce Gibbs (Adelaide, 2018), Lachie Henderson (Geelong, 2015) and Zach Tuohy (Geelong, 2016), which speaks volumes for the belief within the playing group of what the club is building, despite the sacking of Brendon Bolton.
We’ve already seen some of the benefits of the improvement under Teague with Tom Papley and Jack Martin wanting to join the club, although the trades fell through, while Stephen Coniglio was very close to leaving premiership contenders GWS for Carlton.
There is so much potential and hope for the future in this list, Carlton fans and the club as a whole just need to continue to be patient for a little bit longer because a successful period is just around the corner.
The Blues were the victims of the trade period thanks to Essendon’s unwillingness to do a deal for Joe Daniher, missing out on their two top targets in Papley and Martin. While they tried to say the deals for Daniher and Papley weren’t linked, they clearly were because Sydney was never going to let its leading goal kicker from this year go without bringing in Daniher. The Blues also failed to strike a deal for Martin but could end up securing him for free in the pre-season draft, which would be a win given the Suns wanted a first-round pick for him in a trade. Carlton will now need to work out a way to put a price on Martin’s head that rules Melbourne out of the running in the pre-season draft as the Demons both need that type of player and will hold a pick before the Blues.
It’s buyer beware on Martin, though. He’s a brilliant player and maybe in a better environment he’ll improve but you just don’t know. He doesn’t work hard enough. If he dedicates himself he could be anything because he’s got so much talent but there’s a big question mark — will he be able to cope with the pressure of playing at such a big club?
LIST NEEDS
The Blues have a very good defensive set-up, so the focus needs to be up forward and through the midfield. Carlton has been crying out for a quick and clever small forward who can apply pressure and kick goals consistently, so missing out on Papley was a blow, although the recruitment of Betts now looks much better as he would have been surplus to needs had the Blues also brought in Papley and Martin.
LIST BREAKDOWN
A: Patrick Cripps
B+: Jacob Weitering, Charlie Curnow
B: Kade Simpson, Matthew Kreuzer
B-: Marc Murphy, Liam Jones, Sam Docherty, Caleb Marchbank, Eddie Betts
C+: Jack Silvagni, Matthew Kennedy, Lachie Plowman, David Cuningham, Ed Curnow, Levi Casboult, Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman
C: Darcy Lang, Cameron Polson, Tom Williamson, Hugh Goddard
C-: Marc Pittonet
Developing*: Paddy Dow, Lochie O’Brien, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Harry McKay, Zac Fisher, Sam Walsh, Will Setterfield, Liam Stocker
Developing: Tom De Koning, Harrison Macreadie, Ben Silvagni, Matt Owies, Finbar O’Dwyer
Please note: Developing* means players under 21 years of age with the talent to develop into A or B-grade players.
MORE NEWS:
Essendon forward Joe Daniher requests trade to Sydney, but will Bombers budge?
What would your club’s dream AFL trade period look like?
DRAFT STRATEGY
Carlton didn't expect to still have their top-10 selection given they had earmarked it to be involved in a trade for Papley. There are some nice small forwards in this draft the Blues should be looking at, while it's very strong for midfielder with good ball use which is a list need. I'd be targeting those types of players with early picks.
CRYSTAL BALL
Carlton should be a far more consistent team in 2020 and be much harder to beat. Immediate improvement under Teague should see them in the finals mix as soon as next year, especially if they have luck with injuries, but playing finals in 2021-22 is probably a more realistic expectation.
I think the Blues can seriously challenge for the premiership as soon as 2021.
Originally published as Gary Buckenara analyses Carlton’s list after the 2019 season