Carlton supporters are understandably feeling glum following a trade period where they missed out on both of their key targets – Jack Martin and Tom Papley.
The Swans opted to hold Papley to his contract, not allowing him to return to Victoria, despite his desperation to be closer to his family.
Gold Coast and Carlton meanwhile could not come to an agreement on a deal for Martin, leaving him in limbo.
He will now likely enter the draft, hoping to get to Carlton via the national or pre-season drafts.
This potentially leaves him open to being picked up by a team other than the Blues, which is the risk Stephen Silvagni and his team have taken by not completing a trade.
Carlton has pick three in the Pre-Season draft and SEN Breakfast’s Sam Edmund believes the teams with picks one and two – Gold Coast and Melbourne – won’t touch him.
“No (Melbourne) won’t (swoop on Martin),” Edmund told SEN Breakfast.
“The homework has been done. That means this was always raised as a possibility by Jack and his management.
“They’ve gone through the process. They know Melbourne can’t afford him.
“The deal is around $700,000 per season. They know that Melbourne can’t afford that. They know even potentially the Suns can’t afford that, on top of the fact that drafting a player who is desperate to get out of your club is lunacy and he still wants to get to Carlton.
“I think it’s going to happen. They’re going to get him for nothing.”
Garry Lyon has called for Carlton supporters to take a deep breath, despite the disappointment.
“I understand they thought they were going to get Tom Papley and thought they were going to get Martin and therefore Silvagni hasn’t done a good job,” Lyon said.
“They are going into a season with Charlie Curnow, with Harry McKay, with Patrick Cripps, with Zac Fisher, Sam Walsh. They are in good nick. They have put a good list together. Sam Docherty comes back.
“There’s no question Carlton supporters have bought some of the special draft ehnahcing formula here (with Papley). You haven’t missed out on Leigh Matthews here or Cyril Rioli.
“You’ve missed out on a good, talented, bubbly goal kicker.”
Tim Watson believes second-year player Michael Gibbons has the upside to eventually match Papley’s output anyway.
“How much better a player is Tom Papley than Michael Gibbons?” he said.
“You put another pre-season into Gibbons. He got better the longer he played at Carlton. I think he’s capable of doing a very similar job to the job Papley can do.
“Maybe not kick as many goals as Papley, but in terms of the work he can do.
“I think he’s capable of producing as much overall as Papley can.”
Lyon disagrees, suggesting they will play completely different positions in 2020.
“He’s a midfielder and he blossomed with the change of coach who straight away put him into the midfield,” he said.
“He’d been beavering away in a small forward role, but he’s a midfielder. Papley is a goal kicking forward, which isn’t what Gibbons is in my mind.”