OVERLOOKED defender Ryan Sturgess is set to start training with Carlton this month in a bid to win the last spot on the club's list.

The Blues have opened a position after placing first-year utility Brodie Kemp on the long-term injury list as he recovers from a knee reconstruction, allowing the club to add a replacement player via the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period before the season begins.

Carlton is likely to also trial others in the coming weeks for the spot. It can also choose to hold the place open and fill it in in the mid-season draft, which is expected to be held mid-week after round 11. 

Sturgess was considered unlucky not to find a home via last year's national and rookie drafts, having pieced together a solid season for the Northern Knights as a medium backman who is good in the air. 

He also featured for Vic Metro in the mid-year NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, where he played all four games and showed he can be a damaging kick.

Carlton has also had former Western Bulldogs midfielder Lukas Webb training with the club as he makes a bid to revive his career after the Dogs delisted him last year.

Sturgess was one of more than 80 players to attend last year's NAB AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne, but suffered an ankle injury late in the Knights' season that ruled him out of testing.

The concern has restricted his pre-season, but he is due to join Carlton's AFL squad in coming weeks as the club considers its options for the final place on the list.