CHRIS Judd will be Carlton's captain for the foreseeable future but is bound to leave a huge void when the inevitable happens and he stands down from the top job.
As unpleasant as the thought of life post-Judd would be for the club's powerbrokers, they've put in place a succession plan aimed at making that transition as smooth as possible.
Under the watchful eye of development manager Darren Harris, young guns Bryce Gibbs, Shaun Grigg, Matthew Kreuzer, Michael Jamison and Marc Murphy have each been placed in charge of one of five sub-groups in the club's new development academy.
"The development program has been fantastic for us younger guys," Gibbs told carltonfc.com.au.
"We meet once a week, go through a few things and learn about the opposition and about the game plan. We just make sure everybody's getting involved and make sure that the young guys feel comfortable voicing their opinions.
"Some of the younger blokes might be a bit scared to go up to Juddy and tell him about how he feels about an issue or ask why we do something in the game plan. So we're someone they can come and talk to and then we can bring that to the leadership group.
"We've been able to take some real leadership qualities away from that ourselves and we've had fun doing it as well. I guess that's preparing us for the next couple of years to step up into the real leadership group."
Gibbs has been well-schooled in media diplomacy since his arrival at the club amid much fanfare ahead of the 2007 season and handles the inevitable question about his own leadership ambitions with aplomb.
"You never know. There's a group of us coming through and I think any of the guys would play a good role in the leadership group," he said.
"If the young guys and the older guys see me as the leader of the club then, yeah, I might be able to take that opportunity if it comes up in the future."
Harris, a former assistant coach at West Coast, joined Carlton after the 2008 season and oversees 27 players who fall under the development umbrella at the club.
