Carlton salary cap: Blues may have to trade a star on big money to be in premiership contention

Richmond, Melbourne and Geelong got to the top end of the ladder and still had at least one big list move in them. Yet Carlton is 13th and out of money. What are the Blues’ options?

Harry McKay of the Blues looks on during the 2023 AFL Round 10 match between the Carlton Blues and the Collingwood Magpies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 21, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Richmond won the 2017 premiership, signed Dustin Martin to a $9 million contract for 2018-24 and recruited Tom Lynch on a $6.5 million contract 12 months later.

Melbourne won the 2021 premiership and added Brodie Grundy and Lachie Hunter 12 months later.

Geelong lost the 2020 grand final and then recruited Jeremy Cameron, Isaac Smith, Shaun Higgins and took a punt on Tyson Stengle.

The boldness from the best is palpable. They got to the top with bullets left in the chamber.

Carlton might have to do something drastic to save their list. Picture: Getty Images

But at 13th-placed Carlton the ammo is gone.

“One of our issues is list management,” chief executive Brian Cook recently admitted.

“We are top-ended … but it’s forcing us into a good habit, and that is picking up some kids.

“We picked up four or five really good draft picks (last) year. So I think that will be our formula for the next two or three years.”

In other words … we are out of money.

We spent it all on long-term contracts for the likes of Zac Williams, Patrick Cripps, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.

Lewis Young – signed to 2026 – was substituted off in round 8 and dropped in round 11.

Last week No. 1 ruckman Marc Pittonet was awarded a four-year contract when Tom De Koning wanted that position.

McKay has signed until 2030 yet has forgotten how to kick (14 goals from 41 shots this year).

Cook wants to hit the draft. But the Blues currently hold one draft pick inside this year’s top 60 (the No. 6 pick).

They offloaded their second-round pick for Lachie Cowan and their third-round pick for Blake Acres.

Their 90,000 members have not seen finals in a decade.

According to Cook this list plus a bunch of teenagers will take them to the promised land.

But how can that work when clubs who are already at the top are adding megastars?

Perhaps it is time for the Blues to be bold and unpick their rigid list. If they are chips-in on this group then why not go all-in?

The way to do that would be to shed one of these expensive contracts and reinvest the cash elsewhere.

On Monday night Jonathan Brown suggested the Blues should trade McKay to Sydney because his partnership with Charlie Curnow wasn’t working.

“They’ve always had that marquee forward — Plugger, Barry Hall and Buddy. Where’s their next one?” Brown told On The Couch.

“Knowing that Carlton has got a lot of deficiencies in all areas of the ground, if I was in charge I’d absolutely be open to picking up the phone to Sydney and saying, ‘Would you like Harry McKay?’”

Last year Gold Coast attached the No. 7 draft pick to Jack Bowes in a bid to get Bowes’ $1.6 million off its books.

Last year Collingwood effectively sacked Brodie Grundy to shed two thirds of his $900,000 per season contract off its books.

The Magpies then used that cash to help sign Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay, Billy Frampton and Bobby Hill.

So what can the Blues do? Do they say to North Melbourne or St Kilda – here, take our No. 6 pick plus Williams and we will use the $800,000 saved to sign players who can help win the 2024 flag?

Williams, who turns 29 this year, signed a six-year $5 million contract. Halfway through that deal he will have played 23 games.

Zac Williams. Picture: Michael Klein

Next year he will be coming off an ACL while the Blues should be in premiership mode. So do they cut their losses and dump that salary?

The Blues will save a bundle next year when Mitch McGovern’s $700,000 deal expires – whether they trade him or re-sign him for half that price.

But they are bracing for more than one of De Koning, Jack Silvagni, Paddy Dow and McGovern to go.

“They pay their good players highly, which means that the bottom-end players aren‘t going to necessarily be as good as other teams because other teams decide to spread the love a little bit more,” Hawthorn champion Jordan Lewis said on Monday.

“Like Geelong (and) like Hawthorn when I was there. When you invest so heavily in top-end and top-end players don‘t perform then you fall right away.”

Blues list boss Nick Austin was lauded when he locked away his A-graders.

Suddenly they have a president saying finals is the expectation, a chief executive saying let’s hit the draft and a supporter base leaving games early.

Originally published as Carlton salary cap: Blues may have to trade a star on big money to be in premiership contention