After it was revealed on Thursday the Blues would be without forward Jack Silvagni for the entirety of the 2024 season due to a ruptured ACL, devastation was justifiably the reactionary sentiment.
It's indubitably a cruel blow for the 26-year-old father-son gun, who earned a two-year contract extension late last year to remain at Princes Park in the medium term.
Albeit, after the initial despondency within Carlton Football Club headquarters, the next point of focus should regard the Blues forwards, who subsequently need to step up in place of Silvagni.
Irrespective of the fact that he sometimes fell out of coach Michael Voss' favour last season amongst a forward-line already containing juggernaut spearheads Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, at his best, Silvagni was a member of the Blues' optimal squad.
Thus, whether it's as an immediate starter in Voss' Opening Round squad, as a 12-to-14-game fringe option, or even as an infrequently-appearing depth piece, here are five Carlton forwards who could see increased opportunities in 2024 as a result of Silvagni sitting on the sidelines.
2. Tom De Koning
To the relief of the Blues faithful, De Koning solidified his medium-term future at Princes Park when he signed an extension in July last year, shunning a host of very interested rivals.
His positional versatility is tantalising, and he refuses to limit himself with regards to where he plays – and that's important because sole ruckman Marc Pittonet doesn't possess De Koning's capability to go forward and impact the scoreboard.
Hence, if required to play as a third key forward alongside Curnow and McKay, De Koning is a legitimate option – even if the Blues are better served long-term deploying him as a predominant ruckman.
