“Footballer’s footballer”: Re-signed Carlton utility’s hidden Blues connection

Re-signed Carlton midfielder Cooper Lord's connection to Carlton pre-dates his selection at the 2024 Mid-Season Draft.

The midfielder has played 24 games since being selected and signed a three-year contract extension on Tuesday to remain at Ikon Park.

But he likely would not have even been on the Blues' radar if not for the scouting of a Carlton premiership player. 

"(Ian Aitken) spoke to me about him and said 'you have to come and see this kid' and I watched him train and spoke to him and brought him into Dragons for the second half of pre-season going into 2023," Sandringham Dragons coach Rob Harding told Zero Hanger.

"He fit in from the first session and he impressed everyone with his contest work and work ethic and fit into the group really well."

A product of the Kew Comets Football Club, part of Oakleigh Chargers' talent pathway zone, Lord was overlooked for representative football until former Kew coach and 1987 Blues premiership player Aitken alerted Harding of his precocious talent, having tracked his development for more than a decade.

Harding was naturally interested in a player from his local club and gave Lord the opportunity to train with the Dragons in pre-season of his top-aged season.

He made the list and put himself on the draft radar in 2023, before ultimately being overlooked despite a strong season, and splitting his time between North Melbourne VFL and Sandringham the following year. 

Throughout that time, he played almost exclusively as a midfielder, often praised for his two-way running, but since arriving at Carlton. he has played as an inside and outside midfielder, tagger, and on the flanks.

Harding echoed Voss' long-held sentiment about his coachability, while noting that his flexible skillset has allowed Lord to integrate seamlessly into the new roles.

"His work ethic and running power and contest work have always been there and they are traits applicable across all roles at AFL level," Harding said.

"He's so coachable so he learns the nuances of each role really quickly. 

"Holding his width as a winger who is a natural contest player, his work ethic to get up the ground and reset as a half forward - he embraced both of those, and tagging some of the best players in the game takes an enormous amount of preparation and discipline. He's a footballer's footballer."