The Footy podcast: Jon Ralph on Carlton’s Tom De Koning talks, Jack Silvagni future

On the latest podcast, we delve into Carlton’s list and the tough calls needed if the Blues are going to retain Tom De Koning. Plus, the analysis of footy’s major issues. Listen here.

Carlton could let son of a gun Jack Silvagni walk in a bid to retain out of contract rising star Tom De Koning, News Corp AFL journalist Jon Ralph says.

Silvagni logged just five disposals and one goal against Richmond in round 1 and kicked 0.2 from 13 disposals before being subbed out in the fourth quarter against Geelong last Thursday night.

The 25-year-old forward is a restricted free agent this year and has attracted interest from rival clubs including Essendon in the past.

“He’s a supposedly high-priced free agent,” Ralph said on the Herald Sun Footy Podcast.

“Ideally he would kick 30 goals this year and they’d pay him $500,000 a year for the next three years. But they’ve just got so many other competing list priorities. So I keep thinking to myself, ‘How tough will Carlton be on these established players who probably haven’t come on as much as they wanted?’”

Tom De Koning’s future is a major talking point.

Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni and Matthew Owies.

The Blues need to find money to keep Tom De Koning, who is out of contract this year and is certain to attract big money offers to leave Princes Park.

“If they allowed Jack Silvagni to go to another club, do you effectively just use all of that money and try and retain Tom De Koning?,” Ralph said.

“We’ve talked about Tom before. He’s probably worth $600,000 at Carlton. Someone else will offer him $850,000.

“Carlton have got a lot of players there that are out of contract that they could make tough calls on.”

This week’s Herald Sun Footy Podcast also covers the off-field issues at Hawthorn, this year’s top AFL draft prospects to keep an eye on and all the latest moves in the footy media world.