Robert Walls predicts Carlton will be in finals contention for the next five years, saying there remains considerable upside about their young list.
The Blues are surging under new coach Michael Voss, sitting in the top four having won seven games from nine to start the season.
While Walls has been a critic of Carlton in the past, he has heaped praise on the club after a period “in the wilderness” without much on-field success.
The Carlton great said football was better when the big Victorian clubs were firing, saying the “quite young” Blues were primed for a sustained period of success.
“It’s been so long since Carlton has been anywhere near (contending for a premiership), it’s been a couple of generations in football they’ve been in the wilderness,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“You need your Richmond, Carlton and Collingwood’s (high up on the ladder) to have a really strong and vibrant AFL scene. I think a lot of people are happy that the Blues (are playing well).
“The thing that I think is really good about them is there’s an upside to most of their players.
“They are quite young – I have a feeling that in the next five years they’ll be in the top half of the ladder and with a bit of luck they could pinch (a premiership).”
Carlton will be looking to knock off Sydney at a sold out Marvel Stadium on Friday night, in a game that shapes as one of the highlights of Round 10.