Whether it be a tactical integration taking shape over a number of years, a last-ditch effort to revive a player's career, or a short-term fix that turns into something more, AFL clubs are no strangers to the growing practice of a positional shake-up.
With the likes of Isaac Heeney, Rory Lobb, Nick Blakey, Kyle Langford and Ben Keays all transitioning successfully into new roles over recent years, we thought we'd delve into the biggest positional switches heading into the 2025 season.
6. Jack Silvagni
Forward to Defender
No player in this list would have better guidance for a positional switch than Jack Silvagni.
The 27-year-old is seemingly making the move from a key attacking post to a key defensive post, a position where his father Stephen earned Team of the Century and Hall of Fame honours.
With his father and All-Australian backman Jacob Weitering to lean on for guidance, Silvagni looks well-placed to make a smooth transition into the Carlton backline.
Considering Silvagni had failed to reach the 20-goal mark in any of his nine seasons as a forward, a change of scenery was perhaps needed, especially since the inconsistent Carlton backline is where his strength of overhead marking could be of significant impact.
More importantly, the move could provide the aforementioned Weitering with some much-needed assistance, as the two-time best and fairest winner is battling the defensive aerial duels almost single-handedly at times.
Prior to Silvagni's pre-season transition, this issue in particular looked set to be compounded even further by way of Brodie Kemp's switch forward and the recent delistings of Caleb Marchbank and Sam Durdin.
Carlton head coach Michael Voss will be hoping that Silvagni's move will provide the team with some long sought-after stability down back. This issue is evidenced by Carlton's second-best defensive tall Mitch McGovern only playing a 20-plus game season once in his six years as a Blue.
