CARLTON'S outgoing caretaker coach John Barker says the club's recruiters need to make bold choices to set the Blues back on the path to success after they slumped to a fourth wooden spoon since 2002.
And Barker believes free agent Matthew Kreuzer can play an important role in lifting the club back into finals contention.
The Blues finished 18th on the ladder after their 57-point loss to Hawthorn on Saturday, with the Brisbane Lions' shock win over the Western Bulldogs lifting the Queensland side off the bottom rung.
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The silver lining is that Carlton will now hold the prized No.1 pick at the NAB AFL Draft and can choose between Victorian duo Jacob Weitering, a key defender, and tall forward Josh Schache, who are touted as the top-two talents.
"What I'll say about our list and our list management is we need to be bold," Barker said.
"We've talked a lot about what's required going forward for the team. I think we need both (a key forward and defender) to be candid and we're going to work really hard on making some of those bold decisions.
"Because what you saw over the last six or seven weeks when we started to lose senior players was … what our depth looks like – and there's a hell of a lot of work to be done with our depth."
However, Barker believes the Blues still have some promising top-end talent – such as Rising Star favourite Patrick Cripps and Dylan Buckley - while he's also seen encouraging signs from mature types Kreuzer and Sam Docherty.
While Kreuzer is yet to decide where his playing future will be, Barker hoped the big man stays at Ikon Park.
"What gets us out of this is us working hard together as a team. Having said that, he's a very good player, he's important to the club and I think he's a Carlton person and will be going forward," he said.
WATCH: John Barker's full post-match media conference
Barker, who finishes up as interim coach with three wins from 14 games, said he was grateful to the Blues for handing him the reins after Mick Malthouse's sacking, with his stint in the hot seat stoking his ambition to become a senior coach.
The 40-year-old, whose children accompanied him to the post-match press conference, said he will seek "clean air" to think about whether he wanted to stay on as an assistant under new coach Brendon Bolton.
"My timetable now's sitting next to me. I'm pretty keen to spend some time with family over the next little while," Barker said.
"I'll be in at the club for the first couple of days of the week just for some of the exit, review-type interviews with the players but I'm just keen to get around family and spend a little bit of time with them and then work out what I do going forward."
