It is hard to imagine any Carlton supporter 12 months ago thinking their side would be in the position they are in now, but the Blues are sitting pretty in fifth after 13 games.
Michael Voss' side's most recent loss against the Tigers caused them to slip out of the top four on percentage but they continue to loom as a premiership threat should they recapture their great form.
The vastly improved Blues have been reaping the rewards from the off-season acquisitions of George Hewett, Adam Cerra and Lewis Young, who have made an instant impact on the side.
They could once again be busy this off-season, with plenty of useful names still on the market and the potential for further improvement in this Carlton side will make rival fans slightly nervous.
In the next instalment of our series, we've compiled a list in, no particular order, of five names the Carlton Blues could target at the end of the season.
TRADE TARGETS: ADELAIDE, BRISBANE
5. Sam De Koning (Geelong Cats)
A more speculative selection, the Blues need key defenders and Sam De Koning has shown he is already one of the hottest defensive prospects in the league this year.
In his third year of AFL, De Koning had played all but one game for the Cats and has held down the fullback position since Lachie Henderson's retirement at the end of last season, playing on some of the toughest forward opponents with great success.
The 21-year-old is one of the front-runners for the Rising Star Award this year and towering at 204cm, is freakishly good at ground level for his height.
There's a clear link between 'SDK' and the Blues here, as his brother Tom who currently plies his trade in the ruck for Carlton.
While there are no official links or murmurs of a departure from the Cats for De Koning, the Blues would be silly not to test the waters at the end of either this season or next.
However, the Cats would be desperate not to part with their prized backmen so it would take a motherload offer to entice them to even think about an early departure for the former Dandenong Stingray.
De Koning has shown his immense closing speed, aerial dominance and intercept ability in his small sample size and he fills a need for Michael Voss that would free up the responsibility for other Blues' backmen.
We wouldn't truly expect this to happen in 2023 with his current contract to expire at the end of next season, but who knows, crazier things have happened.
