Carlton started like a house on fire in 2022, going 8-2 in the first ten rounds with Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps and twin towers Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow shredding opposition defences to ribbons.
The Blues had total control of their illusive decade-long finals destiny after defeating West Coast in Round 17, sitting fifth at 10-6. Carlton fans could at last see September action on the horizon. Then calamity struck, losing five of their final six games to bundle out of the finals - most agonisingly in narrow defeats to Melbourne and Collingwood in the final two matches by five points and one point respectively.
The devastation of being a fingernail away from punching their September ticket will be motivation for the year to come for Michael Voss' men.
In this piece we'll touch upon these five burning questions for Carlton in 2023.
5. What will new recruit Blake Acres bring to the midfield mix?Â
In order to address outside run and carry, Carlton landed Blake Acres from Fremantle during last year's trade period.
Acres brings plenty of experience to the Blues, having played 120 games since making his debut in 2014. The hard-running winger enjoyed a career-best season in 2022 for the Dockers, averaging 21.7 disposals and 440 metres gained per outing in 20 appearances.
Last season, Carlton used Lochie O'Brien and Matt Cottrell on the wing, but bringing Acres in is an ultimate upgrade to shore up the Blues' deep midfield skeleton.
In an October interview with the club's website for the first time since the trade, Acres said the club's vision under Coach Michael Voss and Head of List Management Nick Austin was the deciding factor to join.
"I had a few conversations with 'Vossy' and Nick Austin a few weeks before the end of the season," he said.
"I just wanted to see what was out there and if there were any potential good fits for me and I had some really good chats with Nick about the direction that Carlton is heading.
"I think how they started their season so well - that's great experience for the group, hopefully I can add to that and take that next step. I don't think it's much: their best is clearly good enough."
What Carlton has is a player who consistently accumulates the ball and runs all day without receiving the plaudits. Whether Acres is the missing piece is the unknown.
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