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Thanks for the phone call, Mick: Carlton let management do the sacking

4th December, 2014
15

Carlton players should probably buy coach Mick Malthouse a new phone for Christmas.

Dumped midfielder Kane Lucas became the latest player to take a parting shot at the Blues on Thursday, claiming he was axed by the AFL club just weeks after being told he was a required player.

The 23-year-old says he is still yet to hear from Malthouse about the decision, with football operations manager Andrew McKay forced to deliver the bad news while Lucas was on a family holiday in Bali.

Veteran midfielder Brock McLean also went through the same drama – led to believe his spot was safe before being told of his axing by McKay while on holidays in Europe.

Both players are miffed they never received so much as a phone call from Malthouse.

But while McLean’s AFL career is now over, Lucas has been handed a second chance after being picked up by West Coast in Wednesday’s rookie draft.

Lucas played 42 games for Carlton over the space of five years, but sensed something was amiss when the Blues traded in Kristian Jaksch, Mark Whiley and Liam Jones.

“They said I was a required player and things kind of changed through trade period,” Lucas said.

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“I think they were telling a few guys at Carlton the same thing – Brock McLean and Mitch Robinson.

“But we were doing the numbers and it didn’t quite add up that enough players were going to make the list.

“Footy’s a pretty tough business. I just got a call from (football operations manager) Andrew McKay, and he just said, ‘thanks for the five years’ service and everything you’ve done’.

“I was a bit the same as Brock McLean, I didn’t get a phone call from the coach Mick.”

Robinson, whose time at the Blues was littered with off-field problems, ended up earning a lifeline at Brisbane.

Lucas trained with delisted Demon and now new Geelong recruit Sam Blease after returning from Bali.

He said being axed had made both he and Blease hungrier than ever to succeed.

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Lucas hopes his move back home will refresh a career that promised so much when he was taken by Carlton with pick No.12 in the 2009 national draft.

“Second chances don’t come along often,” he said.

“I’ve seen at Carlton guys like Andrejs Everitt and Sam Docherty made the most of theirs last year.

“I’m hoping to do the same this year and really make an impact and make it a long career.”

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