Carlton are already on the hunt for new assistant coaches as they prepare an external review of the club's football department.
The Blues' lacklustre season so far has put the club in a tough spot, and it seems that significant coaching changes at the end of this season are now inevitable.
Sam McClure has told The Age that Carlton football boss, Brad Lloyd, is currently building a list of potential candidates to fill the coaching ranks in 2022, and that former Richmond skipper, Chris Newman, is very high on that list.
Newman, who played 268 games in the yellow and black, moved straight into assistant coaching at Hawthorn after his retirement in 2015.
Since taking on the role of VFL coach a year later, Newman has won the 2018 VFL premiership with Box Hill, after being named VFL coach of the year, the previous season.
Newman also has a close relationship with current Hawks assistant, Sam Mitchell, and outsiders believe that the pair could be a package deal if they do decide to move elsewhere.
Despite seemingly next in line for the senior coaching role at Hawthorn, should Alastair Clarkson continue in the role in 2022, Mitchell might explore other opportunities.
Senior club officials at Carlton have defended the decision to interview for coaches, conceding that waiting until the end of the review could mean missing out on the cream of the coaching crop.
With the highly regarded Newman and Mitchell on the radar of many rival clubs, Carlton can't afford to wait until the end of the season to conduct their search.
In stark contrast to Carlton's troubles, Hawthorn have had an incredible record of developing successful coaches in recent times.
Recent AFL premiership coaches, Damien Hardwick, Adam Simpson and Luke Beveridge have all been assistant coaches during Clarkson's tenure, with many others going on to senior coaching at the elite level.
With Collingwood also searching for a new coaching line-up, Carlton have some real competition in poaching the Hawks duo - or anyone else.
Carlton has refused to confirm whether Newman had been interviewed by the club, but admitted they were putting together a list of potential coaching targets.