Charlie Curnow, a Gold Coast Sun?
Shock reports have claimed the star Carlton forward, who has four more years to run on his Blues contract, has explored the possibility of a trade to the rising Suns, who are on the brink of their first ever finals appearance in 2025.
Curnow has endured a turbulent season, with the two-time Coleman Medallist mustering just 30 goals in 17 matches for the struggling Blues, including a four-week goalless stretch that ended with his crucial three-major haul in their win over Melbourne on Saturday.
According to Nine’s Tom Morris, Curnow himself is keenest on the move.
“This [the move to Gold Coast] is based around lifestyle, living in Melbourne and the football bubble, and getting out of the spotlight here in Melbourne,” Morris told 9 News Melbourne.
“Crucially, Carlton knows this. They’ve told him in the last couple of weeks that he’s not for sale … it was made clear that Curnow is a required player and contracted until 2029.
“Curnow’s not unhappy, I’ve got to make that very clear, with the Blues. Nor is he kicking the door down, like [Christian] Petracca at Melbourne last year. But he’s clearly been pondering what life in Queensland would look like.”
According to Morris, several other Victorian clubs have used Curnow’s keenness on the Suns to explore their own possibility of luring him out of Ikon Park.
However, the move is almost entirely initiated by Curnow and his management, with the Suns, according to The Age, not even having spoken directly to Curnow.
Further complicating matters, the club’s latest crop of Academy talent is set to use up the majority of their draft picks this season, while their salary cap would have little room for a player of Curnow’s stature or for his hefty current contract.
In addition, the Suns already boast a three-tall forward line, with spearhead Ben King supported by promising Academy youngsters Jed Walter and Ethan Read, who were taken with picks 3 and 9 respectively in the 2023 national draft.
‘Showpiece for the AFL’: Port great calls for prime time Showdown
Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak has renewed calls for the Showdown to be given prime billing, as the Power prepare for Ken Hinkley’s final match with Adelaide as coach.
Arguably the AFL’s most passionate rivalry, matches between the Crows and Power are frequently highly entertaining affairs, with the city of Adelaide divided throughout the lead-up.
However, the match’s 8:10pm (AEST) start time on Saturday clashes with North Melbourne vs Geelong, while it will be broadcast only on Fox Footy due to the AFL’s agreement with the network to put all Saturday matches this season behind a paywall.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, Boak, who will be appearing in his 33rd Showdown, has called for the marquee match to be given the respect it deserves.
“We’ve been trying for a long period of time to get a stand-alone Friday night or Thursday night game, because it has been a showpiece for the AFL for a long period of time now,” he said.
“There’s definitely been a lot of push from both clubs to really get it up in the lights because it does provide a lot of entertainment – not only South Australia, but … a lot of footy fans in general love to watch it.”
Thursday night scheduling has become a point of contention in the AFL throughout 2025, with a significantly increased number of matches in the prime TV slot seeing it become notorious for low-quality matches.
Round 13’s clash between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn was the most recent match on the night where the winning margin didn’t exceed 40 points.
