Carlton’s biggest AFL trade week regrets, from Shaun Grigg to Zach Tuohy

Carlton supporters have felt their fair share of trade and free agency pain in the past decade. While this year’s trade outlook looks promising for the Blues, several deals in recent years have proven a bust.

Carlton is eyeing a trade loot during this year’s exchange period, with Tom Papley, Jack Martin, Dan Butler and Eddie Betts among those linked with the club.

The arrival of several stars would be welcome for long-suffering Blues fans, who have endured years of trade busts.

Carlton has offloaded players such as Sam Jacobs and Betts who flourished at Adelaide, while burning early picks in the draft on fringe players from other clubs.

Which trades do the Blues rue most from the past decade?

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Shaun Grigg celebrates a goal during the early years of his career at Carlton.

1. SHAUN GRIGG FOR ANDREW COLLINS

Grigg played 43 games in four seasons for the Blues before he was traded to Richmond in 2010 for Andrew Collins. The young Tiger had played 25 games in two seasons at Punt Rd but never got going in two years at Carlton. Collins featured in two matches during his first season with the Blues, but was delisted at the end of 2012 after managing only a further nine games. He was then redrafted, only to be cut again without adding to his 11 games in navy blue. Meanwhile, Grigg featured in 171 games for the Tigers including their drought-breaking premiership in 2017. To top off his contribution, he left-footer retired earlier this year, allowing Richmond to snare Grand Final debutant Marlion Pickett in the mid-season draft.

Sam Jacobs was one that got away for Carlton due to the club having four ruckmen in 2010.

2. SAM JACOBS FOR PICKS 34 AND 67

The Blues had Matthew Kreuzer, Robbie Warnock, Shaun Hampson and Sam Jacobs on their list in 2010. With four ruckmen, something had to give at the end of the season and Adelaide pounced on Jacobs. Carlton took Patrick McCarthy and Andrew McInnes in the national draft with the picks it received from the Crows, while Jacobs was Adelaide’s first-choice big man for eight seasons before losing his spot this year to Reilly O’Brien, taking his career tally to 201 games after only managing 17 for the Blues. Warnock spent a further five years at Carlton for 55 matches, while Hampson was traded to Richmond in 2013. Blues fans must wonder what their return would have been if they’d held on to Jacobs for another few years.

MORE TRADE REVIEWS:

From Tom Harley to Nathan Lonie, the worst trade deals in the Power’s history

From Wayne Carey to Bryce Gibbs, the worst trade deals in the Adelaide Crows’ history

From Chad Morrison to Mal Michael, Collingwood’s biggest trade regrets

From Jordan McMahon to Chris Yarran, the least successful trade deals in Richmond history

Eddie Betts leaving via free agency for Adelaide is a switch Carlton fans still lament.

3. EDDIE BETTS LEAVES VIA FREE AGENCY

The Blues will welcome Eddie Betts back to Princes Park for his last AFL season, but most Carlton fans lament the mercurial forward spending the prime of his career with Adelaide. Betts didn’t want to leave but the Blues wouldn’t match an offer reported to be $2 million over four years from the Crows in 2013. Over the past six seasons he’s booted 310 goals at an average of better than 50 per season. Carlton’s leading goalkickers in the past six years have been Jarrad Waite (29), Andrejs Everitt (31), Matthew Wright (22), Levi Casboult (34), Charlie Curnow (34) and Harry McKay (26). The Herald Sun reported in 2015 the difference between Carlton’s offer and those tabled by the Crows and North Melbourne was up to $900,000.

Kristian Jaksch and Mark Whiley were traded to Carlton in a deal which involved pick 7. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

4. KRISTIAN JAKSCH, MARK WHILEY AND PICK 19 FOR PICK 7

This one really stings for Carlton supporters. The Blues would have had access to players such as Jake Lever and Peter Wright had they held onto pick 7 in the 2014 national draft. Instead, that selection was sent to GWS for fringe pair Kristian Jaksch and Mark Whiley, while pick 19 was used on Blaine Boekhorst. The Giants drafted Paul Ahern with the top-10 pick they landed from the Blues. Jaksch lasted only two years at Carlton and played seven games, while Whiley was also cut at the end of 2016 after nine games. Boekhorst featured 25 times in three years, leaving the Blues’ yield from this trade at 41 games from three players gained.

Billie Smedts played nine games for Carlton after being part of the Zach Tuohy deal. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

5. ZACH TUOHY FOR BILLIE SMEDTS

Tuohy had turned down a contract offer from Carlton and reportedly been in the sights of Geelong and North Melbourne at the end of 2016. The Blues showed interest in Nakia Cockatoo and ironically, current Blue Darcy Lang, but were rebuffed. Instead, the Cats and Carlton agreed on a deal which sent Touhy and a future second-round pick down the highway. In exchange, the Blues gained Billie Smedts, a future first-round pick and pick 63. Smedts played nine games in one year at Carlton before he was delisted.

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