Carlton Football Club has declared they will remain 'open minded' to trading in a hopeful exchange for a mature body at season's end.
The club has stated they are sticking to their guns, committing to a clear and focused "draft-first" strategy.
The Blues' coaching staff and personnel have never shied away from their intentions over the past handful of seasons. They have been truly adamant about development of foundations for the club's long term gain.
Through the season, it has become increasingly evident that young emerging star Patrick Cripps has struggled for support in the middle of the ground. Recruiting staff will no doubt seek to remedy this by prioritising the acquisition of seasoned player(s) to help bear the load at contests.
"We were in a position as a club a few years ago where we needed to go to the draft," Bolton told reporters on Friday.
"At the right time and with the right deal, we're open minded to trading now. That was always the plan, but it's got to fit the salary cap."
Carlton's focus at the draft has turned to developing a sense of midfield depth, with recent top end draft pick Sam Petrevski-Seton at pick 5 in 2016, and also Paddy Dow and Lochie O'Brien in the most recent draft class.
The club did however lose Bryce Gibbs, one of their more senior midfielders, to the Adelaide Crows in late 2017. With this, the bulk of the inside contested work had fallen into the lap of 23-year-old Cripps.
Bolton drew attention to the club's age profile, "there's no secret in the age bracket of our list - that 22-26 gap, we haven't got a lot in that space."
"Over time, we need to build that. That's a given."
