Bryce Gibbs. Blues' fans clearly have an eye on the future with a bunch of mostly younger players topping the vote with a 94 per cent 'must keep' rating. Gibbs headed a list that included Matthew Kreuzer, Marc Murphy, Aaron Joseph, Jarrad Waite and Kade Simpson; all players that the fans feel the club can't do without.
Fair enough too. Gibbs, Kreuzer and Murphy are all No.1 draft picks and will form the cornerstone of Carlton's next premiership side. Joseph's high ranking is probably a bit of a surprise given he's a rookie tagger, but it just goes to show how much his hard-at-it attitude has endeared him to the fans. Waite is all class at either end of the ground and Simpson's run and carry is something supporters obviously rate highly.
What the coaches said:
Gibbs: "Bryce has added a lot of facets to his game. He has become a very good clearance player now and continues to be a good reader of the game. We got him to push forward and kick goals this year which he did really well." – assistant coach Mark Riley
Joseph: "You're not supposed to have favourites, but he's probably my favourite player both as a coach and a former player. I love the way he goes about it. No job's too big, nothing is a big fuss, he never has a gripe about anything and he gets the toughest roles week-in week-out. There wasn't a job we didn't think we couldn't give him. He's got a massive heart and a massive tank and we're really excited about what he's going to offer us in the future." – assistant coach Brett Montgomery
The keepers
Robbie Warnock, Bret Thornton and Michael Jamison. The trio all received 93 per cent of the 'must keep' vote. The buzz around Warnock is largely due to the fact that he arrived amid much fanfare from Fremantle, but is yet to play a game; sort of like giving a kid a Christmas present that he can't open till next year. Thornton and Jamison are two pillars of the Blues' backline that is seen, at least prior to the Fevola trade, as the most vulnerable part of the team's make-up.
Have you picked the surprising omission yet? That's right, club captain and two-time best and fairest winner Chris Judd was rated just the 10th most important player to hang onto at 92 per cent. Where's the love?
Trade bait
Jordan Bannister, Adam Bentick and Brad Fisher. We're not including rookies or project youngsters here, so it will come as no surprise to the Blues' faithful that Bannister was the player most voters would like to see moved on with just 16 per cent wanting him to play his 10th AFL season next year. He has shown amazing resilience to last this long and may well reach that milestone in a different guernsey, but he certainly wasn't going to attract much interest at the trade table.
Next in line was out-of-favour Bentick on 18 per cent after he spent most of the year in the VFL. It wouldn’t have been a shock to see him find a new home for a late-round draft pick, but he'll have to hope for a lifeline at the pre-season draft.
Fisher was probably seen as Carlton's most tradeable, bigger name commodity prior to Fevola's big night at the Brownlow. Sixty-seven per cent of fans would have been happy to trade out the forgotten forward, but he remained a Blue after the trade deadline.
What you said
"There are a lot players I would like to trade, but I don't think any club would pick them up, eg. Fisher, Bentick, Hartlett, Bannister and a couple of rookies. Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland are in trouble, but they can be very important at times (we just can't choose when). We need a big forward. Boy wouldn't we love to have Josh Kennedy back?" – Jake
"I think we should get rid of Jordan Bannister and Adam Bentick. They haven't really made a big statement that they deserve to be in the side. They should be traded for some quality draft picks." – Lil Jon
"Need to trade for hard nut players. Too many soft players - albeit with class." – Juddmeister
"We will rue the day we picked up Judd and did not trade Fevola when he was worth more. We would have had a young Masten, Kennedy plus extra picks we would have saved in Judd deal and got in a Fevola trade. The Cats have shown you don't have to buy a flag in the modern game, just draft wisely and eventually it sorts itself out." - Mark
"I don't believe they got rid of Fevola - are they crazy? Now we are seeing the club redevelop, it made the finals for the first time in 8 years, and getting rid of Fevola will just make the team go downhill - once again! Crazy decision - I nearly started crying when I heard about it and I am so upset. Suspend him, fine him more, but don't dump him. Disappointed." - Christina
What actually happened
Despite widespread scepticism Carlton actually did move problem child Brendan Fevola on to the Brisbane Lions after his Brownlow night antics proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Pick No.27 went with him to Queensland and the Blues landed highly-touted junior forward Lachie Henderson and pick No.12 in return after a deal for Daniel Bradshaw and Michael Rischitelli fell through.
Brock McLean arrived from Melbourne with little fanfare for pick No.11, but could prove to be a shrewd addition to the Carlton engine room given his inside capabilities.
The Blues were sniffing around under-utilised Bulldog defender Andrejs Everitt prior to trade week, but nothing came of it.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
