Carlton will seek top-end midfield talent during the upcoming trade and free agency period as the Blues look to add class and talent into a relatively young midfield.
With Blues captain Marc Murphy out for the next four weeks with a foot injury, the Blues will line up against West Coast at the MCG with a midfield including Patrick Cripps (23yo), Paddy Dow (18yo), Zac Fisher (19yo), Sam Petrevski-Seton (20yo) and Sam Kerridge (24yo).
Given Carlton don't have an A-grade midfielder in the mid-20s age bracket, the Blues are after a player to fill that void, with Carlton's general manager of football Andrew McKay confirming the club's wishlist.
“We are certainly in the free agency market,” McKay told the Herald Sun.
“It has been about the timing of when to decide to seek a free agent ... we think the timing is pretty good now.
“We have got some young midfielders coming through in (Paddy) Dow, (Lochie), O’Brien and Charlie (Curnow) will go through there,” he said.
“But we still need those experienced heads that can rotate through the midfield to take pressure off ‘Murph’ and ‘Crippa’.”
Despite stopping short of revealing individual targets, players like Eagle Andrew Gaff and Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus are out of contract at season's end, while Adelaide star Rory Sloane fits the bill, but may be above the age bracket the Blues are after.
