Host of SEN’s Time On Sam McClure has revealed the player Carlton were looking at with pick one before a serious knee injury changed their mind.
Sandrigham’s Max King is expected to be taken in the top 10 of the draft, but McClure believes he was a chance to go even higher before suffering an ACL tear in April.
“Stephen Silvagni is a big fan of two players in the draft apart from Sam Walsh,” McClure told SEN.
“One of those is Jack Lukosius, who we think will go at pick two to the Gold Coast Suns.
“The second one is Max King who is maybe going to drift even outside the top five.
“He would’ve been taken at pick one by Stephen Silvagni had he not done his knee in schoolboy footy for Haileybury.
“If you don’t know heaps about this draft, Max is one of two King twins. They’re expected to both be taken in the top 10.”
The Blues have been linked to a trade involving the number one pick and McClure believes it’s still definitely on the table.
“Carlton has never, ever ruled out trading pick one,” he said.
“As of yesterday, Carlton is still open to offers for pick one and there have been numerous reports that Gold Coast would be willing to offer picks two and six or three and six for that.
“One of the things they love about Sam Walsh is that there’d be very little go-home factor as opposed to Lukosius and Izak Rankine.”
Carlton goes into the National Draft with picks 1, 69, 71 and 77.