https://www.afl.com.au/news/599396Champion Data's time-in-position stats show a number of Carlton's blue-chip recruits from its five-year rebuild are no longer playing in the roles where they flourished as junior prospects.
Sam Petrevski-Seton was recruited to the club as a ball-hunting, strong-tackling contested midfielder with the sixth selection in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft. But he's played 98.3 percent game time in the backline this season.
David Cuningham was also a first-round pick when he arrived in 2015, drafted as a quick midfielder who looked most threatening using his breakaway speed at stoppages. He's played 84.3 percent forward over the last three seasons.
Will Setterfield and Matt Kennedy weren't drafted by Carlton, but were both recruited from Greater Western Sydney. Setterfield was a tough, mobile and skilful modern midfielder, Kennedy a tall, contested onballer who thrived at stoppages.
But the former has been used on a wing for 68.5 percent of this season and the latter has been used forward for 71 percent of the last three years. Both have been dropped from the senior team over the last month.
It's a similar story for Paddy Dow, who was drafted with the third pick in 2017 as a tough, explosive contested midfielder but has played 54.7 percent game time forward this year. He has found himself in an attack that also features natural midfielders like Michael Gibbons, Marc Murphy and Zac Fisher.
Liam Stocker, another first-round pick, will make his way back into the Carlton team for the first time since 2019 on Saturday. But he will do so having won 38 disposals playing across half-back in the VFL last week. That's despite being drafted as the Morrish Medal winner for his prolific contested work in the midfield as a junior.
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