The subtle language shift from Carlton that opens the door for a Charlie Curnow trade
The door has slowly creaked open for Charlie Curnow to get out of Carlton over a three-month period. Josh Barnes unpacks the change in messaging from the Blues over their superstar forward.
If you listen closely you can notice the subtle shift from “will” to “want”.
In the cut and thrust of trade period, it can be more about what you say then what you do, especially when the big deals usually don’t happen until the countdown clock is running out of digits.
The door has slowly creaked open for Charlie Curnow to get out of Carlton over a three-month period, which began in July.
Remember when Curnow himself told reporters on July 24 that any trade talk was “done”?
“I’m playing at Carlton next year boys, so there you go, done. Nothing has happened. (I will) pretty much just put all my time into playing footy for this club this year and into future years,” he said.
When asked by this reporter if he actually wanted to stay at Carlton, Curnow didn’t answer, and instead said he had fielded enough questions about a potential trade.
As the trade period heads towards its final days, it has reached the stage of Carlton taking in offers for the superstar, even if the Blues still remain publicly steadfast they aren’t negotiating.
But an offer is one step away from an accepted trade, as Geelong and Sydney phone in bids.
Where Essendon has not given any wriggle room on Zach Merrett – Matt Rosa stated on Monday even if he requested a trade officially, it wouldn’t be listened to – Carlton left the door open just a smidgen.
“The club has made it really clear that from our perspective Charlie has four years on a deal and we expect him to be at Carlton for the next four years … there is nothing that has come to us that would make us reconsider that,” new football boss Chris Davies said on Monday.
On Friday, Davies told Trade Radio “the club’s position has been that we don’t want Charlie to be leaving Carlton”.
It’s small and it’s subtle but Carlton not wanting Curnow to go is a softening from September.
On back-to-back days on September 1 and 2, Michael Voss said of Curnow: “he’ll be playing for Carlton in 2026”.
And on September 10, CEO Graham Wright said: “he’ll be a Carlton player going forward”.
That sounded pretty definitive, when the Blues said he will be sticking around.
Those that are cynical of the hamster wheel that is trade period point to chat like this as just posturing, where the Blues toe a public line to jack up the trade price for Curnow.
It can also be a way to slightly massage Blues fans to him leaving.
Instead of Carlton dropping the whip hand, the Blues can say they never wanted Curnow to leave but in the end the deal was so good they had no choice.
Take list manager Nick Austin on Sunday in a club video: “We had a really honest conversation with Charlie at the end of the season, and again, any decision we make is in the best interests of the Carlton Football Club … we fully expect him to be a Carlton player in 2026.”
“Fully expect” is a step softer than a definitive call that he will be a Blue.
Once it became clear that offers were floating in to Austin’s phone, Davies took the next step in the journey of stressing Curnow wasn’t up for discussion.
Instead of flat batting any chance of the forward leaving, Davies said an offer of three first-round picks from Geelong was not enough.
Where Curnow was once never going anywhere, now trade offers are short of what they need to be.
“Notwithstanding the fact we don’t want Charlie to go no matter what, I’m not sure anyone would think that is a reasonable deal for who Charlie Curnow is,” Davies said.
Even if Davies won’t talk negotiating, turning down an offer is negotiating, and a better offer seems like it will boot the door open for Curnow to leave.
“We want Charlie to stay. I am not going to get into what Charlie is worth other than we want him to be at Carlton,” he said.
“I am not going to get not what Charlie is worth other than we want him to be at Carlton.
“We are just not in that situation where we are volunteering anything in regards to Charlie.”
There is that “want” word again.
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Originally published as The subtle language shift from Carlton that opens the door for a Charlie Curnow trade
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