Cooper Lord became much more than a fringe player for Carlton in 2025, firmly establishing himself within the Blues' engine room depth chart.
Lord played just two games in his rookie season but tallied 21 senior selections to his name in his second year, albeit many came as substitute.
However, the potential of the 20-year-old is evident, with the speedster looking more and more comfortable as his time on ground increased throughout the year.
While playing primarily through the midfield and on the wing, Lord proved to be a tough, explosive and good user of the Sherrin, averaging 17.9 disposals and 3.9 score involvements in games where he spent more than 70 per cent of the game on the field.
Additionally, when given more regular opportunities to attend centre bounces, Lord thrived, notably winning 24 disposals, seven clearances and laying 12 tackles against Gold Coast in Round 22, a fixture where Lord attended 82 per cent of centre bounces.
These flashes of brilliance have provided Lord with the confidence to expand his repertoire in 2026.
"I 100 per cent want to [establish myself in the midfield]," Lord said on Friday.
"We have a very strong midfield at the moment, so I'm focusing on how I can get to work against the other midfielders.
"I've been able to learn a lot off the boys in there, so I'm just working hard on my strengths and hopefully the rest comes with it."
Lord's development this pre-season is being helped by Carlton's major off-field catch, hiring the recently retired Port Adelaide legend Travis Boak in a leadership and cultural role.
Lord spotlighted the immediate impact the 300-gamer has made around the club, with much of the playing list turning to him for guidance.
"Boak has been awesome. He's really easy to talk to and has been really approachable," Lord said.
"I think he's going to be a great asset for not just the leaders of the club but us young boys coming through. We'll look to tap into that [experience] as best we can."
Lord will continue pressing for a spot in Carlton's Opening Round best 23 in the Blues' upcoming pre-season fixtures, first taking on Brisbane on Wednesday, February 18 at Brighton Homes Arena in a scratch match before challenging Geelong at Ikon Park on Wednesday, February 25.
