CARLTON is seriously considering recruiting former Demon and Giant Tom Bugg as it seeks to fix one of the chinks in its armour.
Bugg, 25, was most recently a defensive-minded forward at Melbourne, but played only three of his 96 career games this year before being delisted.
NAB AFL DRAFT HUB Latest news, video and more
His positional transformation at the Demons, after previously playing as a midfielder and down back, saw him average 4.1 tackles, including 1.3 inside 50 in 2018, across his three seasons there.
The Blues have a great need for someone like Bugg, given they ranked last this past season for forward-half pressure and time-in-forward-half differential.
PHANTOM FORM GUIDE Cal Twomey's latest update
Bugg will start training with Carlton this week, joining fellow unlisted hopefuls Hugh Goddard, Jed Lamb, Sam Fisher, Jesse Palmer and Mason Blakey.
Lamb, who continues to train without a guarantee of being redrafted, and Bugg may even be in a two-horse race for one spot, given their similar skillset.
BEST OF THE BEST Combine's standout performers
Bugg's three senior appearances in 2018 were his only games since last year's infamous behind-the-play incident with Callum Mills, where he knocked the young Swan out in a moment of madness.
The Gippsland Power graduate copped a six-match ban for his action, which has dramatically changed his approach to football, as he told AFL.com.au in April.
INDICATIVE DRAFT ORDER Your club's latest picks
An intense training regime saw him win Melbourne's pre-Christmas 2km time trial last year and teammates also noted a shift in his professionalism and team-first attitude.
"When you act like that (the Mills incident), you have to take responsibility for those actions and I've used this summer to hopefully try to change that perception," Bugg said.
"Hopefully going forward I can keep changing that perception."
WHO'S LEAVING YOUR CLUB? All the latest retirements and delistings
The Blues have a track record of auditioning ex-AFL players at training then drafting them, with Cameron O'Shea and Matt Shaw both being picked up that way.
