Is it possible to have too many midfielders? Not according to Carlton. You could say the club has an obsession with them. The Blues used their three selections (picks 12, 43 and 59) in Thursday’s AFL draft on midfielders.
Clubs have always faced the dilemma of whether to pick the best player available or to recruit according to what they need.
The fact the Gold Coast will have nine of the first 15 picks in the 2010 draft made decision-making all the more crucial in this year’s draft.
Carlton has, quite clearly, picked the former. It has since tried to justify its decision by saying you can’t have too many midfielders.
It shows the club has moved on from Brendan Fevola. They have recruited Lachlan Henderson from Brisbane to fill the void, and it is hoped Matthew Kreuzer will continue to improve. Jarrad Waite will also return from a knee reconstruction and can fill a key post at either end of the ground.
And there is no doubt the forwards will receive some silver-service. Judd will miss the first three matches of the season, but Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Richard Hadley, Andrew Carazzo, Shaun Grigg, Kade Simpson, Aaron Joseph, Mitch Robinson and new recruit Brock McLean (Melbourne) will shoulder the workload in the captain’s absence.
If you add the three draftees, it’s a long-list. Have they got the balance right?
Of the Blues’ new breed, Kane Lucas and Marcus Davies both stand at 188cm, while Rohan Kerr is 184cm. They may not be key forwards, but they will provide Carlton with some strong bodies in the midfield exchanges.
Provided they are ready to play in 2010, of course.
It is anticipated that Lucas will be ready for a move to the big-time after playing senior football in the WAFL last season.
It is the same apprenticeship undertaken by Brisbane’s Daniel Rich – and we all know how good he was in his first year.
While the Blues have made an effort to justify their decision to bolster their midfield stocks, it is clear they simply didn’t rate many of the key position players in the draft.
Last season, commentators, Blues’ supporters and impartial observers all, at various times, expressed concern over Carlton’s set-up – at both ends of the ground.
The loss of Waite further emphasised this problem. Now Fevola is gone, the plan is to pinch-hit with midfielders up forward.
But is that sustainable? And can the Blues make the top-eight again?
Some will argue that West Coast, which won the flag in 2006, showed you can achieve the ultimate success without a star-studded forward line.
Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins and Judd piloted the Eagles’ success.
But there must be serious questions asked of this current Blues team. Are they still a few years away from seriously challenging the league’s elite?
In the first seven rounds next season, the Blues face Richmond, Brisbane (away), Essendon, Adelaide (away), Geelong, Collingwood and St.Kilda.
It is a tough start to the season by any standards. How Carlton responds to it will tell us plenty.
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