Carlton great Robert Walls has named who he believes are four “really disappointing” players the Blues have recruited from opposition clubs.
Coach David Teague is currently under pressure, in a year where his side has only won four of 13 matches.
Walls turned up the blowtorch on several players who Carlton has recruited in previous years, saying the likes of Mitch McGovern and Zac Williams haven’t been “value for money”.
“The players that they have brought in over the last couple of years from other clubs on pretty good money, you would have expected them to have performed a lot better than they have,” he said on Sportsday.
“It’s really disappointing that players like Mitch McGovern, (Jack) Martin, (Zac) Williams…I think Adam Saad has been OK, but he really is a full-on attacking defender and he doesn’t have a lot of defence in his game and that’s fine when the team is going well.
“Those four players in particular have not been value for money as a collective and that was very much the hope that it would happen (when they were recruited).”
Walls also called out co-captain Sam Docherty for what he believes is a “lack of leadership”, saying he would prefer to see the experienced defender take more responsibility in the back 50.
“Sam Docherty is an All-Australian defender from a few years back and they’re playing him wide open on a wing,” he said.
“They’re giving the really responsible jobs in defence to some kids like (Liam) Stocker, I think Docherty has got to put his hand up and say ‘I’ll take Toby Greene and the opposition’s medium-sized forwards’ and that doesn’t happen.
“To me, that’s a lack of leadership.”