How Stephen Silvagni has helped drag Carlton’s list out of a deep dark black holeJon Ralph is obsessed with us right now wrote:
IT is the recruiting black hole that could have brought Carlton to its knees.
Eight years of drafting and trading that secured the Blues a collection of list cloggers, draft busts and the odd star.
Fittingly, when all else failed they turned to a club legend with the nickname “SOS”.
Carlton needed saving and in just two trade and draft cycles, list boss Stephen Silvagni has done extremely well to begin turning the ship around.
And yet Carlton’s latest bout of delistings this week laid bare the dramatic extent of the list overhaul.
The Blues have turned over 64 players in five years, effectively turning over their entire list one and a half times in that period.
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So how far is Carlton away from surging up the charts?
The defence is clearly the strongest line, with Jones, Jacob Weitering, Marchbank, Kade Simpson, Sam Docherty and Sam Rowe all mixing and matching.
Gibbs’ departure leaves the midfield a little thin, but if Matthew Kreuzer, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy, Kennedy, Ed Curnow, Petreveski-Seton, Lang and Kerridge stay fit it is at least building in momentum.
The front six is clearly the line in most need of patience, with Harry McKay a two-gamer, Curnow a freak who still needs time and Levi Casboult’s best year in footy still only bringing 34 goals.
With two more successful drafts this will be a list Blues fans believe is going places.
I am shocked. A half decent positive article about Carlton.