Carlton to help Bret Thornton find new club

BRET Thornton has played his last game for the Blues and it remains to be seen if his career will continue elsewhere.

CARLTON veteran Bret Thornton has played his last game for the Blues and it remains to be seen if his career will continue elsewhere.

Thornton, 26, has asked Carlton to help him find a new club and Hawthorn, which pursued him two years ago, seems his most hopeful destination.

But the Hawks are still chasing Fremantle's Chris Tarrant, and though conceding they trail Collingwood, they are yet to raise the white flag in that battle.

Tarrant said he would retire if he didn't get to the Magpies.

It was also suggested yesterday that Collingwood's Tyson Goldsack was on Hawthorn's radar, which means Thornton may be the third wheel.

Under contract for another year, the Blues confirmed they and Thornton have agreed to help look for a new home.

"He requested an opportunity to seek a trade and we are facilitating a trade as best we can, which will be of value to him and valuable to Carlton," Blues football manager Stephen Icke said yesterday.

That the Blues dispensed of Thornton after Round 15 and into the VFL means his options at Carlton are limited.

His best hope is to play a Nick Maxwell-type role at a club that employs a defensive press.

Carlton lost faith in him to play on a big forward and at 192cm it probably wasn't a role that suited.

He is a capable loose backman, but there are queries over his want to go left and right with the ball, he doesn't run and carry with speed and under pressure his decision-making and delivery can be questioned.

His strength is the ability to mark the ball, be a third-man up option and has the flexibility to play on smalls.

"A change of environment is probably not too bad for Bret," Icke said. "The other thing is he can do is play forward. He can mark really well and that's his great strength.

"He's got good footy smarts, but we've just gone with a slightly different direction."

The Blues, meanwhile, are refusing to budge on its request for Pick 14 from Adelaide, arguing that if Jacobs was available in the national draft he would be a traditional first-round selection.

They confirmed Setanta O'hAilpin would be on the move, probably to Western Bulldogs, and will look at a player swap and/or Richmond's second-round pick for Shaun Grigg, who has chosen the Tigers as his new home.

West Coast's Matt Spangher is also a possible Blues target, forward Brad Fisher's future is uncertain, and the Andrew Walker saga continues.

The Blues are not keen on doing a package deal with the Crows with Walker and Jacobs.