AFL trade news: Carlton’s plan to secure Dan Houston and retrain strong draft hand

Carlton is still interested in securing Dan Houston, but won’t compromise its hand in the draft to do so. JON RALPH unpacks how the Blues hope to pull off a magic trick.

Carlton is adamant it will take a first-round selection in November’s year’s national draft, with the club only prepared to throw the kitchen sink at Dan Houston if it can secure an additional first-round selection.

The Blues love the 2024 national draft so much the club will take a minimum of four selections, keen on a key position defender and more speed across the ground.

Carlton has taken only a single top 25 pick in the past four national drafts – No. 11 selection Ollie Hollands – so is determined to stockpile elite talent in November’s national draft.

It means Carlton has ruled out simply trading away its first pick for Houston unless it can find another first-rounder in this year’s draft.

The Blues hold the No. 12 draft pick and are one of many clubs attempting to trade a future first-rounder for the Gold Coast’s No. 13 draft pick.

So Carlton would give up its No. 12 pick as part of a deal for Houston if it could secure the Suns’ No. 13 pick.

All of the club’s future picks in the 2025 national draft are on the table as Carlton attempts to improve a draft hand for this year that is currently 12, 34, 65, 68 and 71.

Some of those later picks will be used securing father-son pair Ben and Lucas Camporeale.

Lucas and Camporeale at the National Draft Combine Day 1. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

But ideally Carlton would have multiple early picks as well as finding a way to secure Houston, who North Melbourne and Collingwood are also chasing.

The club is not prepared to miss out on the elite talent in the 2024 national draft by selling the farm for Houston.

So the priority will be to find an elite young key defender after delisting Caleb Marchbank (with Lewis Young looking for a new home) and bringing in more speed on the list.

Blues list boss Nick Austin said on Sunday the Blues were fully invested in the 2024 national draft.

“It’s a really strong draft and a very even draft. We feel like our first pick is in a good spot. It’s a very even group but also has positions of need for our footy club so we will get stuck in and do the work and we think we will get some good players,” he said.

“All our future picks are on the table. We are looking to improve our draft hand this year.

“Not only for the draft but to potentially provide some flexibility at trade time. The priority is to strengthen our draft hand for 2024 as best we can.

“For us we are looking for some speed and run and some key position depth behind the ball.

“We feel like there will be some players around the mark that we can bring into our club that will make a difference.”

Port Adelaide's Dan Houston is hot property this trade period. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Blues secured 32-year-old Nick Haynes as a free agent on Friday but Mitch McGovern turns 30 this week, Marchbank is gone, and Young wants to play regular AFL football.

Young has just purchased a house in Melbourne so ideally would stay in Victoria but is assessing rival interest.

Austin told the Blues website the club was interested in dual All Australian Houston.

“Dan is a very good player, he has clearly had a couple of good seasons at the level and he’s a contracted player at Port Adelaide and there is a fair bit to work through,” he said.

“We will head into the trade period with an open mind and see where that one takes us.”

Austin said the club made no apologies for keeping open list spots, which means Jack Carroll, Matt Owies and Sam Durdin are waiting on their futures.

“Obviously list spots are tight and we need some flexibility going into the trade period which we have created. We have some young players coming through like Ashton Moir, Cooper Lord and Jaxon Binns. Even young Billy Wilson, so we have got to create a pathway for those guys to get some opportunity, so its exciting we are going to have a minimum of four picks in the national draft.”

Originally published as AFL trade news: Carlton’s plan to secure Dan Houston and retrain strong draft hand