Carlton will find it difficult to secure father-son gun Cody Walker, but now has every means at its disposal.
Following Sydney's preliminary final loss to Fremantle, the Swans' first-round pick, which is owned by the Blues, has been locked in at Pick 16.
That selection, coupled with Carlton's Pick 11, nets the Ikon Park club 2,129 points.
Pick 1 holds a 3,000-point value. Pick 2 is 2,481. And Pick 3 is 2,178.
Following Carlton's miraculous revival under Josh Fraser in the second half of the year, resulting in a shock finals campaign and subsequent finish inside the top 10, the Blues aren't privy to any discount for bidding on AFL draft prospects.
Another caveat is that the Blues can only use two selections to match a bid on Walker, which is likely to come at Pick 1 from Essendon, who is also weighing up a bid on Port Adelaide-linked draft star Doughie Cochrane.
AFL clubs, like those in Essendon's position, also have a greater incentive to bid on draft prospects in the first five selections, with the AFL handing them a compensatory selection at the end of the first round if they are moved down the order by a matched bid.
Carlton can go into a deficit, meaning if the Bombers bid on Walker at Pick 2, they are in a strong position to facilitate the 2,481 points needed. The cap on deficits is 421 points, which would take Carlton to 2,550 points, eclipsing what's needed for the second selection.
But if the old nemesis and arch rival opt to put the Blues in a bind and bid on Walker with Pick 1, what can they do?
Carlton's shrewd and bold trade moves in previous years have armed them with back-to-back mid-20 selections (Pick 23 and 24), courtesy of North Melbourne and Gold Coast.
The Blues could look at packaging this year's selections in order to get further up the draft board.
Another option could be trading Sydney's 2027 first-round pick (courtesy of the Curnow trade) into this year, although it won't be as appealing given Tasmania's stronghold on next year's draft and early selections.
