PLENTY to work through.
Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin detailed the Blues’ overall strategy for the Continental Tyres Trade Period, which officially kicked off at Marvel Stadium on Monday.
Speaking to Trade Radio, Austin spoke of striking deals for outgoing players as well as where the Blues’ acquisition priorities lie heading into the week.
This is what he had to say.
On overall strategy:
“We’ll see what comes across our way. We’re more committed to the draft at this point in time: we’ll look to add a piece or two if we can. That’ll be about it, it’s more about finding new homes for some players first and foremost and then we’ll work through what our list spots look like after that.”
On Paddy Dow:
“We’ll wait and see. We’re really committed to helping Paddy progress his football. We’d love to keep him, he’s proven to be really handy. He played some really good football for us when we got some injuries. We’ll work through it: as long as it’s something we can use - potentially in the future, that’d be our preference - but we’ll catch up with the Saints in the coming days.”
On the offer for Zac Fisher:
“We’re pretty clear [pick No.42] won’t get it done. Zac’s got two years to run and he’s been offered a pretty good opportunity at North Melbourne to further his football. We don’t think it’s going to be a difficult one to get done, but there’s a fair bit going on: we’ve got a lot of balls in the air, we’ll wait and see how that one plays out. The deal will need to reflect the opportunity he’s been offered and also the two years to run on his contract.”
On reports about Elijah Hollands:
“There’s some interest in Elijah, he’s a former top-10 player and a quality pick. There’s certainly some interest there, he’s a contracted player to the Gold Coast Suns. They’ve got a change of coach and a lot of things happening up there, so they’ve got a fair bit to work through also. As it stands, he’s a contracted player to Gold Coast so we’ll see how it plays out.”
On current draft position:
“We’d like to get as high up as we can. We’ve watched this group for a number of years and the top-end talent that’s available is quite exciting. You never say never. We’ll have to work through that, but there’s certainly some interest. We haven’t got a pick where we’d like to be that gives us that flexibility, but we’re open to anything.”
On Camporeale twins in 2024:
“That’s a factor. They’ve both had terrific years, particularly in the second half of the year where they’ve really hit their straps. A lot can happen between year 17 and year 18, but they’ve both had unbelievable seasons. They’ve come through the Carlton Academy and the father-son program, and a lot of work has gone into them already. We’ll continue to invest in those two players: it’s certainly a consideration for us.”
