AFL 2024: Jon Ralph looks at Carlton’s best 22 ahead of Opening Round

Michael Voss is going to have to break plenty of hearts in his team selection for Opening Round. JON RALPH culls the contenders to name his best Carlton side to take on the Lions.

Blues head coach, Michael Voss. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

Michael Voss is going to break as many as 10 hearts in a fortnight’s time.

In the lead-in to the Blues preliminary final, assistant coach Ash Hansen said dropping four senior players was the result of the most difficult match committee of the year.

Out went Brodie Kemp (17 games in 2023), David Cuningham (12 games), Matt Kennedy (16 games) and Matt Owies (27 goals in 18 games).

If Carlton can dodge a spate of injuries in a pair of pre-season clashes starting against Geelong on Thursday, that selection discussion will have been a walk in the park.

Already the club’s best-and-fairest winner in Jacob Weitering (calf) will miss the first two matches and Jack Silvagni is out with an ACL tear.

But with so many players having enjoyed career-best summers those final 12 players are competing for a couple of spots and the subs vest.

Michael Voss has a difficult task of choosing his best side next month. Picture: Getty Images

In that preliminary final Harry McKay and Jack Martin returned from injury, Jordan Boyd got a game and rewarded Voss with 17 tidy defensive possessions and semi-final sub Ollie Hollands pushed Kennedy back into the sub role.

Leading into Thursday’s Ikon Park clash against Geelong, Voss had already lauded De Koning, Elijah Hollands and Jesse Motlop as on the podium for the best pre-seasons at Ikon Park.

The competition for spots is a beautiful problem for Voss to have even as he knows Weitering’s replacement will have to take on Joe Daniher and potentially Tom Lynch in the first six days of the AFL season.

Marchbank took care of Eric Hipwood (one goal) in the preliminary final and will keep his spot, while Brodie Kemp was well beaten in the semi-final and is a second defender rather than a pure full back.

So for argument’s sake inject slot in pure full back Lewis Young as Weitering’s early-season replacement ahead of Kemp or Sam Durdin.

Then put Zac Williams into the back six at Alex Cincotta’s expense and slot in ex-Sun Hollands as a mid-forward once he’s over his suspension.

Then throw in a fit-again Orazio Fantasia for the third small forward spot behind Jack Martin and a mid-forward (Sam Docherty in this side) on the belief that if he’s fit he will play.

From that best 22, who can’t even find their way onto the Blues bench from their 2024 list?

All of Matt Kennedy (who got a quarter against Brisbane as the sub), hard-running wingman Jaxon Binns, medium defender Jordan Boyd, marking tall Kemp, mid-forward David Cuningham, defender Lachie Cowan, small defender Alex Cincotta, small forward Lochie Fogarty, small forward Corey Durdin, small forward Matt Owies and key back Sam Durdin.

Across every line Carlton has a ridiculous level of depth.

Kemp could play 10 years in the Blues backline but at 192cm he needs to show he can take the big dogs when isolated deep given he was rated below average for spoils and one-on-one contests last year.

Intercept defender Mitch McGovern is a lock, Marchbank has a nice blend of aerial defence and rebound through intercept marking, while Nic Newman plays on the elite smalls.

With Adam Saad and the returning Williams providing rebound, Cincotta, Boyd and second-year defender Cowan easily could miss out.

Track watchers believe first-year general defender Billy Wilson’s burst of speed as a No.34 draft pick will have him in selection contention at some stage this year.

The depth of talent for small and medium smalls is ridiculous.

Martin’s last 10 games of 2023 were some of the best of his career mixing physicality and kicking ranked elite, while Elijah Hollands and Sam Docherty can play half forward as the midfielder rotating out of the centre square rotation.

There are high expectations on Carlton this year. Picture: Getty Images

Last year of the smalls Owies kicked 27 goals, Motlop 24, Silvagni 14, Cottrell 11 and Durdin 11, yet Silvagni injured only Motlop is guaranteed selection.

Pressuring forward Fogarty and high half forward Cuningham both played a dozen games last year but neither hit the scoreboard much (Fogarty four goals, Cuningham six).

If they cannot pressure and kick goals it opens the way for Fantasia, handed a two-year deal after playing nine late-season SANFL games averaging 2.2 goals to show he isn’t a spent force.

The midfield depth speaks for itself - Sam Walsh, Patrick Cripps, Hewett, Adam Cerra, the pacy Cottrell, wingmen Acres, Ollie Holland and with Elijah Holland and Sam Docherty capable of playing wing, half forward or half back.

Hawthorn’s horror intra-club outing losing James Blanck and Changkuoth Jiath - as Dylan Moore succumbed to glandular fever - showed how quickly a summer can turn pear shaped.

But if Carlton has unrivalled off-field stability, a level of depth the club has not seen in 20 years means few players will feel safe when the 23 is named every Thursday night.