Former great Jordan Lewis believes Carlton should put every player except one on the trade table at season’s end – even reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps.
The Blues have come in for a barrage of criticism as their season slides into disarray, with last week’s 50-point loss to Collingwood leaving the pre-season flag fancies 11th on the ladder with a 6-9 record.
Amid heavy debate about the quality of the list under-pressure coach Michael Voss has at his disposal, Lewis believes a major list reset is in order, urging the Blues to go back to the draft and start again, even if it means giving up captain Cripps or another star in dual Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow or Harry McKay.
“Look at the players on your list that have currency – entertain the idea to get them out the door and trade in some draft picks,” Lewis said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“You’ve got to take the emotion out of it. I’m talking Cripps, Curnow, McKay.”
Lewis compared such a trade to his Hawthorn team losing Lance Franklin to Sydney as a free agent at the end of their 2013 premiership season; undeterred, the Hawks would win the 2014 and 2015 flags to secure their dynasty.
“I keep coming back to, the best player in the league was traded out of Hawthorn. Lance Franklin left Hawthorn Football Club to go to Sydney and everything was okay,” Lewis said.
“I just think you don’t want to have these conversations in three years’ time, when the player that you could have traded out has lost their currency.
“If you want to be a mediocre side, you’re not going to make tough decisions. Do you see Carlton winning a flag in the next five years?”
Patrick Cripps looks dejected after a Carlton loss. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
For Lewis, only one Blue is untradeable – prized Pick 3 in the 2024 national draft Jagga Smith, who hasn’t played a game after rupturing his ACL in the pre-season.
The former Hawks great’s comments come after Blues president Rob Priestly publicly guaranteed Voss will coach out the remainder of the season – but made no such promises about retaining his job for 2026.
“Vossy is contracted until the end of ’26 – that doesn’t change,” Priestley said on Monday.
“I think what we’re trying to do here is really focus on the next eight weeks, get ourselves into the very best possible position addressing things we need to address.
“Then that gets us into the end of the season where we can – in a really calm and measured way – make decisions if we need to make them then – but we’re focused on the next eight weeks and Vossy is our coach.”
The Blues face old foes and ladder-leaders Collingwood under the Friday night lights as heavy underdogs in Round 17.
Concerns over SCG stadium as Port warning in April revealed
The AFL have been criticised for seemingly ignoring a warning from Port Adelaide that the SCG surface was not up to league standard, months before a public fiasco during Sydney’s clash with the Western Bulldogs at the venue on Friday night.
The surface was slammed by all and sundry after players frequently slipped over, with the AFL sending a delegation including their independent turf consultant to the SCG this week amid fears the ground could be deemed unsafe for the Swans’ clash with Fremantle on Sunday.
The surface has been below its best since a concert at the venue by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in April, with particular concern over the Paddington end of the ground.
Up to 90mm of rain is forecast for Sydney on Tuesday in what will further hamper hopes of having the SCG turf up to scratch.
On Monday, the AFL said the independent turf consultant, members of the league’s football department and AFL Players Association representatives would inspect the ground this week.
The group will assist the ground’s curator with ongoing management of the playing surface.
Speaking on Sunday, Dockers coach Justin Longmuir admitted he is concerned with the quality of the grass and the potential for a serious injury to occur.
“I watched the [Swans-Bulldogs] game on Friday night, and we’ll be led by the AFL, but the moment my brain goes to, ‘That’s unsafe for players’, I have a concern,” Longmuir said after their win over St Kilda.
“And I went there [to the SCG] on Friday night. I thought it was a bit unsafe, especially down the left-hand side.”
In a further twist, football journalist Caroline Wilson revealed on Seven’s The Agenda Setters that Port Adelaide officials had voiced their concerns about the surface following their win over the Swans on April 18.
“In Round 6, Port Adelaide did a captain’s run on the SCG on the eve of their game against the Sydney Swans. This was shortly after the Andre Bocelli concert,” Wilson said.
“Chris Davies, the head of footy at Port Adelaide, emailed the AFL footy department boss, Laura Kane, and said the club had some real issues with the surface.
“The response that Chris Davies received was that yeah, it didn’t look great, it looked bad, but it was acceptable.
“I don’t think Port Adelaide were alleging it was dangerous, but they certainly said it was much worse than ‘looked bad’. It was not fit to be playing AFL football.
“A second email was sent by the Port Adelaide Football Club after the game. I’m not sure Port were satisfied with the answer they received.
“The AFL says as a result of that email, the ground was actually re-rolled and looked at before the game and dealt with. Days after that game, they sent their turf consultant up to the SCG.”
According to Wilson, the Swans are ‘furious’ over the state of the ground during the Bulldogs game.
(with AAP)
Saintly twist in Port gun’s trade backflip
In-demand Port Adelaide star Miles Bergman now appears likely to resist the advances of Victorian suitors and re-commit to the Power.
According to afl.com.au‘s Callum Twomey, Bergman, one of the hottest out-of-contract players on the market, will sign a two-year contract with the Power that takes him through to the end of 2027, when he becomes a free agent.
The 23-year old, who has dazzled since moving to the midfield mid-season, had several clubs vying for his signature, with St Kilda, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs among the keenest.
However, a Fox Footy report claims Bergman’s decision to re-commit might be due to the Saints’ interest waning in recent weeks, with the club prepared to throw all its eggs into signing their own in-demand star in Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
Wanganeen-Milera has been hotly pursued by both the Power and Adelaide, but the South Australian native is now seen as most likely to remain at the Saints, potentially on a similar short-term deal to Bergman.
Bergman, who made his debut in 2021, is set to play his 100th AFL game when the Power face West Coast in Round 18.
