A damaging small forward to complement Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Mitch McGovern will be a priority for Carlton during this season's trade period, according to CEO Cain Liddle.
The Blues have tried Michael Gibbons, (0.54 goals, 2.92 tackles per game in 2019) Alex Fasolo (0.67, 2.67), Ed Curnow (0.62, 3.77), Jack Silvagni (0.75, 3.50), and Cameron Polson (0.33, 1.67) in that role this season, with varying levels of success.
That quintet has just 24 goals from a combined 40 games.
Gibbons – a noted on-baller – is still adjusting to his new role, while former Magpie Fasolo has failed to make an impression at his new club.
Curnow enjoyed a fine start to the season in the forward line, but through necessity, the veteran has been sent back to the midfield in his customary tagging role.
After looking like he had cemented his spot alongside Carlton's talented tall forwards, Silvagni was a somewhat surprising omission for Carlton's Round 13 clash against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday, while Polson has played just three games this season and continues to struggle.
Carlton's highest-ranked small/medium forward is Silvagni, who sits 57th on the list.
"Very clearly, we've got the makings of a once-in-a-generation forward line through Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay," Liddle said on The Two Tones podcast.
"We now need to do some work in terms of that small crumbing defensive forward, I think most Carlton supporters can see that. But we can be very targeted now with that."
Targets could include brilliant Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott (unrestricted free agent), Essendon's Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (out of contract) Gold Coast's Jack Martin (has put contract talks on hold) and /or Hawthorn's Paul Puopolo (unrestricted free agent).