Carlton star Tom De Koning puts contract talks on hold as the Blues win unconvincingly in Gather Round

The Blues may finally be on the board in 2025 but plenty of unanswered questions remain after the win over the Eagles – none bigger than the one now hanging over Tom De Koning.

Carlton star Tom De Koning will hold off on a decision on his future until later in the season.

The gun ruckman is being targeted by St Kilda with a monster offer in the vicinity of $1.7 million a season.

While North Melbourne jet midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke has already recommitted to the Kangaroos, De Koning isn’t ready to make a call yet.

It will allow the big man to weigh up the prospects of both the Blues and Saints in the back half of the season before making a decision.

Tom De Koning in action against the Eagles. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

The Saints could also attempt to meet De Koning or his manager Robbie D’Orazio over the mid-season bye which is the time out-of-contract players often look to speak with interested clubs.

But De Koning, 25, will find it hard to leave his teammates at Ikon Park despite the huge money being offered to him by the Saints.

Carlton could also still offer De Koning more than $1 million a season to help recognise his value and standing as one of the most exciting talls in the league.

The Saints believe they can fit De Koning, Rowan Marshall, 29, and Max King, 24, in the same side from next season after a brilliant start to 2025.

St Kilda is also keen on Leek Aleer, from GWS Giants, and Port Adelaide linebreaker Miles Bergman.

Carlton could welcome back ruckman Marc Pittonet for the Good Friday clash against North Melbourne, meaning De Koning could spend more time forward in place of injured pair Harry McKay and Brodie Kemp against the Roos.

WHAT DOES CARLTON’S WIN REALLY TELL US?

– Jon Ralph

Twenty minutes into Carlton’s Gather Round day of reckoning, Michael Voss might have felt a little queasy.

When your season is on the brink, you don’t want the soundtrack to your first quarter against hapless West Coast to be Benny Hill music.

And yet with everything on the line after a 0-4 start to the season, everything that could go wrong early did.

Carlton’s early inside-50 entries were plagued by errors as Zac Williams, Charlie Curnow and Jesse Motlop butchered chances to put the foot to the Eagles’ throat.

The Blues’ much-vaunted defence Voss has preached about was repeatedly gashed as West Coast spirited the ball end-to-end with no Carlton players in sight.

Those Spirit of Carlton millionaires who had flown across to Adelaide for a boozy Friday lunch at a prestigious winery would have been shifting uneasily in their seats.

Nursing red wine hangovers, their theories on how to fix Carlton would have been in full voice for the high-worth coterie members and wannabe powerbrokers.

When Harry McKay knocked himself into next week with an accidental head clash with West Coast’s Tom Gross, the alarm bells were ringing.

History will show that Carlton eventually found its way to the live kill it needed.

By halftime Sam Walsh – subjected to some rare criticism this week – had conjured three second-quarter goals and the Blues had gapped the Eagles.

By the final siren the Blues had their first victory of the season on a day when the only thing that truly mattered was four premiership points.

As Voss said post-match, he wasn’t quite sure what to think but it wasn’t quite relief despite the commanding 71-point margin.

Those early stumbles were replaced by a midfield obliteration that re-wrote the record book – plus-60 in contested possessions and plus-22 in clearances compared to West Coast.

The margin was healthy and the stars filled their boots with big stats – Walsh with 37 touches, George Hewett with 39 disposals as his exceptional year continued.

Brodie Kemp’s year-ending achilles injury and McKay’s inability to build into the season undermined the Blues’ chances of surviving another judgment day against North Melbourne on Good Friday.

But the Blues can only be glass-half full after their first win.

To their credit, Carlton’s leaders lifted after being challenged through the week.

Jacob Weitering obliterated Oscar Allen. The Eagles co-captain was barely sighted all day.

With Allen quiet, Harley Reid a non-factor at half-back and Tim Kelly dropped, the Eagles kicked 6.14 to blunt any chance they had.

While others wilted in the 34C conditions, Blues running man Walsh thrived with 19 first-half touches.

Sam Walsh starred against the Eagles. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Swingman Jack Silvagni revealed another week of forthright and confronting conversations had finally produced meaningful change.

“We came over with a job to do and it took all four quarters,” Silvagni said. “It was nice to get it done and play our game. I think ‘Weiters’ leads by his actions. You just expect him to play well so he flies under the radar, but what he does is outstanding. ‘Cripper’ went forward and kicked some goals.

“We had a few honest chats during the week and it was what we needed. They will continue but those boys were really strong on what they said and led by their actions.

“It was player driven – taking accountability for what we have dished up the first four weeks. So to implement it today was promising. We know how close the competition is.

If you are five or 10 per cent off you get punched in the face so you can’t rest on your laurels.”

Voss said of all the long and earnest discussions this season, this week’s honesty sessions had been the most “significant”.

“Hopefully it’s the one that we can build off the back of,” he said.

One of those Walsh goals came from the kind of ball movement that must be the way forward if Carlton is to get itself out of this mess.

Zac Williams’ low chiselling ball into space allowed Walsh to mark uncontested 30m out for his second goal.

Both teams had their share of horror skill errors but it was apparent the Blues’ mids and half-forwards were trying to take care to lower their eyes to improve mid-forward connection.

The returning Matt Cottrell hit Charlie Curnow laces out early to set the mood and Carlton’s smalls in Lochie Fogarty and Corey Durdin feasted on the improved supply.

Durdin finished with four goals and Fogarty hit the scoreboard for the first time this year.

Voss can only hope this Gather Round victory is the platform to launch from.

Because the alternative is that Carlton is a flat-track bully that has beaten only three teams in its past 13 games – North Melbourne in round 19 and West Coast twice.

Originally published as Carlton star Tom De Koning puts contract talks on hold as the Blues win unconvincingly in Gather Round