CARLTON CEO Cain Liddle has ruled out any possibility of the Blues asking the AFL for a priority pick.
The Age’s Jake Niall last week wrote that the Blues should apply for special assistance, but Liddle said a priority pick hadn’t even entered the Club’s thinking as its belief in its plan remains rock solid.
“The issue of a priority pick hadn’t even been discussed internally,” Liddle told SEN 1116 on Tuesday.
“The reason it wasn’t even thought about and that we’re not interested in it is because we’re really confident in the plan and the kids we’ve been able to bring in.
“We’ve got a clear plan, and when you decide to cut a list back by 42 players over three years, you appreciate that at some point there’s going to be a compounding effect from all that change - we’re experiencing that right now.
“I can’t stress any more that we are really confident in the direction we’re headed. We’re keen to just knock it (priority-pick talk) on the head and move on.”
Carlton has fielded more players under 22 than its opponents in all but one of its 10 games so far this season, with the likes of Paddy Dow, Lochie O’Brien and most recently Pat Kerr getting their first taste of senior footy.
They were joined by Jacob Weitering, Zac Fisher, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and David Cuningham – who have each played under 50 games – against a more experienced Geelong on Saturday night.
While admitting the Blues’ youngsters would need time to develop, Liddle said it was important the Blues targeted more experienced players.
“We’re really comfortable with what we’ve drafted, but we definitely need to balance bringing kids in with bringing in some mature-age players with bigger bodies,” he said.
“We don’t have a lot in that 24-26 age group, and we’re certainly looking to add in that area.”
The Blues will face the Swans at the SCG on Friday night before its bye round, with injured players Caleb Marchbank, Alex Silvagni, Jarrod Pickett, Levi Casboult, Matthew Kennedy and Ciaran Byrne set to be available after the bye.
