THE Carlton Football Club is pleased to welcome key defender Lewis Young to IKON Park.
The 22-year-old makes the switch to the Navy Blue in a three-way trade that saw the Western Bulldogs receive pick No.52 from West Coast, who acquired Sam Petrevski-Seton who has returned home to Western Australia.
Drafted as a 17-year-old in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, Young arrives at the Blues with 24 games of senior football under his belt, making nine appearances this season.
He featured in two finals wins for the Bulldogs in 2021, recording a career-high five tackles in a famous semi-final win against Brisbane.
Young made his debut against the Blues in Round 17, 2017 – recording 21 disposals and six intercept marks that day.
At 201cm and 100kgs, he originally entered the AFL as a key forward and has filled roles in the ruck, but it is down back where the emerging talent has shown a bright future.
Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin said the acquisition of Young perfectly aligned with the Club’s strategy during the 2021 off-season.
“We have made it a real focus this off-season to target specific needs for our current list, bringing in Lewis well and truly does that for us,” Austin said.
“We have been tracking Lewis’ development as a key defender very closely and believe he is now at the point where he can regularly push for senior selection and with five years of development under his belt, we look forward to seeing him take his game to the next level in the Navy Blue.
“The competition for spots will certainly be there at our club next season, which will really benefit our entire playing group throughout pre-season and into the 2022 campaign.
“The Club would also like to thank Sam, who made some great friendships here over the last five years. We had some really good, honest discussions with Sam at the end of the year, and ultimately we committed to helping find Sam a fresh start to progress his career: it was pleasing we were able to do that.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the Bulldogs and Eagles during our discussions and their willingness to ultimately reach a trade that was mutually beneficial for everyone.”
