Carlton exploded out of the blocks in season 2022 and looked every inch like a top-four side for the first half of the season. At their best, they were scintillating and irresistible, yet as the season wore on, things took a turn.
Injuries and form hit them at the worst possible moment, stalling their momentum and bringing them back to the peloton chasing the top four.
The Blues have addressed a number of key areas over the last few years, namely inside midfield grunt with Adam Cerra and George Hewett, while a resurgent Matt Kennedy was a nice cherry on top.
This year the target has been outside run to take the pressure off star Sam Walsh, with the Blues acquiring Blake Acres at the trade table and Oliver Hollands at the draft with Pick 11.
See Also: If every AFL team could steal one player: Richmond
They finished just outside the top eight, with a couple of winnable games being the difference in the end between a finals run and a season that ended in frustration. While not the ideal scenario for Carlton fans, there's no doubt this club is heading in the right direction.
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Key position defender depth was an issue that blighted the Blues this season. The loss of Liam Jones has hurt and injuries to key position personnel decimated their backline, resulting in their season veering off course.
Jacob Weitering is so important to this team, some depth in this area to support him is essential. While the Blues have the likes of Lewis Young, Lachie Plowman, Caleb Marchbank and Mitch McGovernย in this area, every one of them has had his injury concerns.
Without a reliable option to take the pressure off Weitering, the Blues were exposed at times and in the mid-season draft were forced to give lifelines to the likes of Sam Durdin. That's not to denigrate Durdin, more to highlight the disastrous spate of injuries they copped.
While the injury curse in the backline caused headaches, the Blues have other areas they could address. Ruck depth appears to be one where they could come up short if things go wrong.
There's no doubt Tom De Koning will be a star and Marc Pittonet is serviceable but they could use some experienced grunt in the ruck and around the ground to give their A-grade midfielders first use.
Should injury hit one of these two the Blues are pretty light on with reinforcements to call upon, so a reliable ruckman with a big tank fits the bill.
Finally, they're lacking a wealth of small-forward craft at the moment. With two of the most exciting big men in the game, the forward line is already seriously dangerous, however an extra dimension would make them top-four contenders.
This is nothing new for the Blues, it's an area they have wanted to address for a while. They took the first steps in the right direction by drafting Jesse Motlop, who looks exactly like the player they need. Perhaps just a bit more experience is what's required.
Here are four options the Blues would love to steal in an exercise that takes salary caps and other restrictions out of the equation, and a verdict one which player is most needed.
SEE ALSO: IF RICHMOND COULD STEAL ONE PLAYER
5. Verdict
While another shot at Tom Papley would give the Blues some extra spice in their forward third, and the services of Reilly O'Brien would hand Carlton's dazzling midfield group a greater chance of attaining the Sherrin, Michael Voss would love to bolster his backline as the Blues plot a finals return.
Carlton would've strongly considered a key defender when they entered the draft this year, however opted for the aforementioned Hollands to boost their wider midfielder stocks.
Both Sam De Koning and Jake Lever bring a wide range of capabilities as key defenders, but with the Blues in a win-now window and Lever likely to complement the lies of Weitering and Young, the Demons star gets the nod.
Arguably the best intercept target in the league, the addition of Lever would see Carlton's planned rise to premiership contention accelerated.
