CARLTON
BEST 25
B: Ryan Houlihan, Michael Jamison, Setanta O'hAilpin
HB: Andrew Walker, Bret Thornton, Heath Scotland
C: Kade Simpson, Nick Stevens, Marc Murphy
HF: Brad Fisher, Jarrad Waite, Bryce Gibbs
F: Eddie Betts, Brendan Fevola, Matthew Kreuzer
FOLL: Shaun Hampson, Chris Judd, Andrew Carrazzo
I/C: Cameron Cloke, Adam Bentick, Ryan Jackson, Paul Bower
EMG: Shaun Grigg, Richard Hadley, Darren Pfeiffer
The rest of the squad:
Cain Ackland, Joe Anderson, Dennis Armfield, Mark Austin, Jordan Bannister, Clinton Benjamin, Luke Blackwell, Steven Browne, Jake Edwards, Adam Hartlett, Aisake O'hAilpin, Jordan Russell, Jason Saddington, Simon Wiggins, David Ellard (rookie), Lachie Hill (rookie), Sam Jacobs (rookie), Aaron Joseph (rookie), Michael Shields (rookie)
The recruitment of superstar Judd, the return of Stevens from injury and the injection of further quality youth (e.g, Kreuzer) has boosted Carlton's optimism considerably. Its best 25 now looks impressive across the board and ready to start climbing up the ladder. But the club's ruck stocks are still vulnerable. The flexibility of key talls Waite, Setanta O'hAilpin and Cloke is an underrated strength of this unit.
AGE (As at March 20, 2008)
* 21 years and under: (25)
* 22-25: (13)
* 26-29: (6)
* 30+: (0)
Carlton enters 2008 with the youngest list in the competition. Almost two thirds of its squad is 21 years or under, which suggests it is unlikely to push for a premiership this season. Development will continue to be a focus for its youthful squad this year.
MATCHES (As at March 20, 2008)
* 0 matches: (12)
* 1-25: (10)
* 26-50: (5)
* 51-100: (10)
* 101-200: (7)
* 200: (0)
No club in the league has less match experience than Carlton. The Blues are the only club not to have cracked the 2000-game mark entering 2008. More matches and more than this year need to be pumped into the squad in order to be premiership-ready.
HEIGHT (As at March 20, 2008)
* 184cm and under: (13)
* 185-190cm: (14)
* 191-199cm: (13)
* 200cm+: (4)
Carlton is one of five clubs to boast the tallest groups in the competition, averaging 189cm. The Blues have a fine cross-section of height on their list which, if kept together, will help their chances at flag glory in coming seasons.
POSITIONS
* Defenders: (11)
Smalls: (1)
Mediums: (3)
Talls: (7)
* Midfielders: (20)
Smalls: (9)
Mediums: (11)
Talls: (0)
* Forwards: (7)
Smalls: (2)
Mediums: (1)
Talls: (4)
* Rucks: (6)
The Blues have a stack of midfield options, with several also defensive/forward options. Despite having the key targets of Fevola and Waite, Carlton lacks numbers in attack, which does not bode well for the pointy end of the season.
SUMMARY
There is no doubt the wheel is turning at Carlton after several tumultuous years, but even the brilliant Judd won't be able to single-handedly turn the club's fortunes around. Development and patience again must be the focus, particularly from the likes of Murphy, Gibbs and now Kreuzer. Anything else at this point – even the possibility of a top-eight berth – will be a bonus.
NUTSHELL
Light is now at the end of the tunnel, but it won't be reached in 2008.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
