Carlton or Essendon?
That is a legitimate question being posed around the football landscape in the wake of two recent coach sackings.
Michael Voss a fortnight ago was joined by premiership teammate Brad Scott this week as unemployed.
But which job would you rather push for? Which is more appealing?
Our writers have their say...
Mark Stevens (Carlton)
Essendon, sadly, just seems cursed since its Tullamarine shift. The Bombers' kids are good, but there is a mid-range chasm in list and not enough top liners.
At times they look spiritless, the Dons. At least the Blues are winning quarters ... Jagga Smith and Harry Dean give you something to build around ... and they have won finals recently!
Aidan Cellini (Carlton)
Carlton is the choice for me.
The Blues have an aging list but have multiple top-end selections to come, helped by the departure of Charlie Curnow, which will regenerate their list.
Graham Wright and Chris Davies are proven performers in their roles, and have barely been in their respective hotseats for long, but has already implemented immense change.
On the contrary, the Bombers are unstable, and when a captain wants out, it's not good.
Marcus Beeck (Carlton)
The Bombers' young brigade of Nate Caddy, Isaac Kako, Sullivan Robey, Archer May, Dyson Sharp, Jacob Farrow, Archie Roberts, Elijah Tsatas and older players Nic Martin and Zach Reid are an enticing prospect for a new coach looking to make a name for himself.
But something doesn't feel right at Tullamarine - and hasn't for two decades. Whether it is the club's insistence on promoting its own people or determination to resort back to the past, but things need to change drastically to fix the culture at Bomberland. So for me, I'd rather pick the Blue skies hanging over the likes of Harry Dean, Jagga Smith and Cody Walker at Princes Park.
Jonty Ralphsmith (Essendon)
Essendon's young core runs deeper than Carlton, making them the more viable option.
While both clubs have had recent off-field instability which has contributed to poor on-field results, there is more upside around the Bombers.
Archer May and Nate Caddy are players the forward line can be built around, while first-year trio Dyson Sharp, Sullivan Robey and Jacob Farrow have all shown promising signs.
Where Carlton's next generation is, at this point, likely to be overly centred around Jagga Smith, Harry Dean and the yet-to-arrive Cody Walker, Essendon has nailed its drafting in the last two years, giving them more talent at their disposal.
That the young players are willing to buy in to high standards is also a positive - the club needs to ensure stable, strong leadership allows them to get the most out of themselves and protects them from the lure of success elsewhere.
Harrison McIlwaine (Essendon)
If it were at all possible to blend Carlton's back office with Essendon's playing list, that'd be the option I'd take.
Essendon are further along in their ‘bottoming out' journey. You've already read the names of the talented kids now donning the sash earlier in this article — they appear not only talented, but made of the right intangibles too, even if the same can't be said of the wilting daisies that populate the Bombers' senior playing circle.
Grant Merrett's trade wish, and go full ‘fire sale' mode on any other older commodities not willing to fall into line.
We know Graham Wright to be among the AFL's most shrewd operators, and he'll need every ounce of nous acquired over the journey to navigate the Blues out of their current mire.
Carlton have too much of the same player in their engine room, and there's little value at the trade table for many of those pieces anymore, superhuman-of-old Cripps, included.
If Welsh's boys club is allowed to keep dictating proceedings, then Carlton are likely the better option. It may be naive of me to say that I choose to believe that won't happen, but only time will tell.
Thomas Spencer (Essendon)
Essendon's younger list intrigues me more, as they have more exciting players to build a successful team from. Players like Nate Caddy, Archie Roberts, Sam Durham, Nic Martin, Isaac Kako and more can be pillars for the club in the future.
The idea of bringing a club like Essendon back into contention and being the coach to get them their first finals win since 2004 would be an exciting moment to look forward to. Essendon seem a more exciting and challenging opportunity to me than what Carlton could present in the coming years.
Liv Carlisle (Carlton)
I'm willing to admit a bias here, having grown up with Navy Blue blood, but I'd take Carlton over the Bombers any day.
Over the last two rounds, the Blues have shown what they can do with a new coach. They have better senior players, better junior players and have a better draft position, not to mention better immediate prospects (looking at you Cody Walker).
When all said and done, while Carlton may have had (another) rough year, they have managed to avoid that dreaded spot on the very bottom rung of the ladder. Essendon…not so much.
Miles Earl (Carlton)
Carlton, at the moment, have been in the finals dance before with most of the players on their list, and they've shown their hunger for improvement post-Voss, so there's something to build on, as opposed to the ticking time-bomb of disappointment that is Essendon.
Walsh and Jagga are rare foundational pieces that many coaches would love to build a team around for the next decade.
While Essendon have a history of using coaches as scapegoats, so it's almost when you'll fail, not if you'll fail.
