‘It’s not working: Carlton told to trade struggling forward to Swans as ‘marquee’ Buddy replacement

Carlton has been urged to trade one of its star forwards to the Sydney Swans as a marquee replacement for Buddy Franklin.

Harry McKay and Buddy Franklin.

Could offloading Harry McKay solve Carlton’s forward line woes?

Fox Footy’s Jonathan Brown believes the Blues should be on the phone to Sydney – offering McKay as the replacement for Lance Franklin, who many have tipped to retire at season’s end.

“Sydney, they’ve always had the big marquee forward – I think Buddy (Franklin) is going to retire at the end of the year. They’ve had Plugger (Tony Lockett), Barry Hall and Buddy – a long line,” he said On the Couch.

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“Where is their next one, where is it coming from?

“Knowing Carlton have got a lot of deficiencies in all areas of the ground, if I was in charge of Carlton, I’d absolutely be open to picking up the phone to Sydney and saying: ‘Hey boys, would you like Harry McKay? Would you like your next big marquee up there?’

“It benefits both!

“You’d get maximum draft picks. I’d ask the question.

Harry McKay’s goalkicking struggles are under scrutiny. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/AFL Photos/ via Getty Images )

“Say (McKay) is on $900,000, so it would give Carlton salary cap relief. If Buddy retires, Sydney would certainly have that (cap space). They’ll need it to help Logan McDonald up forward.

“The Curnow-McKay thing is not working.

“It may be an opportunity for young (Tom) de Koning to find a spot there in the Carlton forward line.

“I know it’s a big call.

“I think Harry McKay can get back to his best, but you’ve got to be inventive when it comes to fixing your team.”

McKay, a Coleman Medallist, has struggled so far in season 2023, kicking just 2.7 in his past three games.

Against the Swans last Friday night, McKay was targeted inside 50 11 times for just two scores generated.

Brown said it wasn’t just McKay who wasn’t performing, but believed he’d get the best return for the club if the time came to be bold.

“Charlie Curnow’s got a fair bit to answer for … he’s one of the most predictable kickers inside 50 of any player in the competition,” Brown said.

Do the Swans need a marquee forward or can they replace Buddy internally? Photo: Phil Hillyard.

“If you’re his opponent and the opposition defence … you know what Curnow is going to do every time.

“Everyone knows what he’s doing.

“He gets the ball and rolls around to the right every single time.

“This is why you consistently see McKay and other big targets have multiple defenders around them.”

It’s been less than a year since McKay signed a big-money seven-year deal at the Blues, keeping him at the club until the end of 2030.

But AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson has warned McKay could “turn out to be one of the worst long-term signings” the Blues have made if he is unable to correct his goalkicking woes.

“He has lost games for Carlton, that is a fact. Other players have played bad, but Harry has had the opportunity, ball in hand, to win games of football and he hasn’t,” Robinson warned.

Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph said he had no doubt the Swans would have the salary cap room for McKay should Franklin retire as expected.

But he believes the Swans have a few targets in mind – not McKay.

“They’re having a look at the likes of Tom De Koning, we told you in March they are sniffing around Harry Himmelberg,” Ralph said.

“I can’t see Carlton blinking at that one.”

Originally published as ‘It’s not working: Carlton told to trade struggling forward to Swans as ‘marquee’ Buddy replacement