Carlton spearhead Harry McKay has downplayed the tension between the club and exiting stars Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, as well as the uncertainty surrounding superstar Charlie Curnow's future at Ikon Park.
Speaking on 3AW with Jimmy Bartel, McKay spotlighted the dilemma of dealing with teammates in the locker room who may be weighing up their future, but stated that Carlton's departing free agents had handled themselves with the utmost "professionalism", despite animosity from fans toward De Koning's play in the second half of the season.
"I can't really speak on the situations at other clubs, but from the scenarios with TDK and a few of the boys this year, in terms of free agency and choosing to leave the club... I don't know if it's a misconception, but obviously, you're really close mates with all your teammates and you care about the person first," McKay said.
"You want the best for them as a person. I think we're all adult enough to realise that there's good opportunities [elsewhere]. Like TDK, for example, he obviously would have loved to stay at the club, but he's going to set up his family.
"There's a lot of professionalism. So long as the player is rocking up and working hard and is really committed to getting better each day, I don't think anyone can ask too many questions."
McKay admitted he had not spoken to Curnow much about his situation following his exit meeting, where he told senior coach Michael Voss and club officials that he'd be open to engineering a trade to one of Geelong, Gold Coast or Sydney.
However, the 2021 Coleman medallist stated there would be no hard feelings for Curnow should he remain at the Blues for 2026, with the club adamant he remains a "required player" at Princes Park.
"There's a lot of hypotheticals and speculation and often what's reported is different to what's actually happening inside the four walls," McKay said.
"At the end of the day, we have a lot of love and care for all the players on the list. Whatever may or may not have happened or be said or gone down in exit meetings, who knows, but everyone is so professional that come day one of pre-season, regardless of what has transpired in the off-season, everyone gets around [Curnow], and we'll get to work.
"It can be a little bit of a silly season. It is what makes the industry so entertaining to a degree, with all the hypotheticals and the moving parts that an end-of-season brings.
"In terms of Charlie, I haven't messaged him too much... I'm sure he's using the off-season as a good time to get away and chill out a bit, and he'll be ready when he comes back.
"This time of year can bring some hypotheticals, but it's all part of [the AFL]."
