MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 26: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright of the Cats sing the song in the rooms after winning the round five AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Geelong Cats at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 26, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Carlton have been encouraged to make a call to Geelong assistant coach and three-time premiership player Matthew Scarlett should they part-ways with current coach David Teague.

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The Blues have endured a poor season in which the defensive side of their game has been exposed time and again. With an independent external review of the football department expected to see Teague lose his job.

The Blues have been heavily linked with a move for former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon as well as Alistair Clarkson.

However, Garry Lyon has called for the Blues to take their search a bit more left field and make a phone call to Scarlett in a bid to turn their defence around and get an edge into their game.

“I had a bit to do with him in the International Rules, so spent some time with him and loved the way he handled himself," Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

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“I just love what he stood for, I loved how he played. Tough, hard, uncompromising, and maybe even too abrasive at times, that’s what some people could tell you.

“I think it held that club in good stead. When you talk about those Geelong days, and you talk to the Stevie Js of the world, they’ll say the feedback was brutal, but it was honest and it was upfront. They sometimes boxed on, but it held them in great stead.”

While there has been no indication from Scarlett that he wishes to be a head coach in the near future or depart Geelong, Lyon said a call at the very least was worth the time if the Blues are doing their due diligence.

“He went and coached South Barwon where he spotted Tommy Stewart in his own right,” said Lyon.

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“Now he’s been in the system under Chris Scott for a long time. He’s in charge of the backline group that is as hard as any team in the competition to score against.

“Maybe he has put it on the record that he’s not interested, I haven’t read that, but god help me.

“He’s been involved in an elite program for a long time.”

Tim Watson asked if Carlton needed to be reaching out to Scarlett given their defensive frailties.

“If you were part of the Carlton search, you’d ask the question," said Watson

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 26: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright of the Cats sing the song in the rooms after winning the round five AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Geelong Cats at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 26, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

"If in fact Carlton are out there searching?

Lyon said that the Blues must reach-out.

"100 per cent," Lyon replied. "I’d ring up and say, ‘Have you got time for a coffee?’

“He might say, ‘Love it down here in Geelong, just want to be an assistant and hope we get a premiership or two in the next few years. I love what I’m doing, thanks for the call’.

“Fair enough, nothing ventured.”