Carlton CEO Brian Cook admitted this week that the club faces a “challenge” in regards to their list and salary cap management.
The likes of Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow and Tom De Koning all come out of contract in 2023 and it is expected by some that they will need to be paid handsomely to remain at the Blues.
Cook said despite it being a challenging task, it is “very doable”.
In response to those comments, Kane Cornes wondered if the Blues could find themselves in a “tricky” situation if they don’t achieve success this year or next.
“A tricky spot to be though when you’re the Blues and you haven’t won anything,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“It’s fine to be in salary cap difficulty if you’re Richmond or even Geelong who have missed finals once in the last 10 years. Or if you are Melbourne and you’ve got the younger players who are looking to get paid.
“It’s not a great spot to be if you’re Carlton and you haven’t won anything.”
Cornes added: “Which difficult decision he (Cook) is alluding to, I’m not sure.
“But when you’ve got McKay, Curnow and De Koning out (of contract) at the end of next year, as Melbourne are finding out this year with (Luke) Jackson, it becomes a challenge.”
David King is not quite on the same page as Cornes when considering what Carlton must do to keep its current list of quality players together.
He sees it as a different challenge to what Melbourne faces given that the trio in question are Victorian natives.
“Jackson is different because there’s the go-home factor there as well,” King said.
“I don’t know if that’s pulling at the Carlton guys, (if they need) to satisfy them with a financial arrangement.
“It’s never a problem to have too many good players. I’ve found that there’s always a way to work it out.
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“You very rarely lose a player when you’ve got a few who have been underperforming in the background that may have to pay a price, whether they re-negotiate and smooth some money out, or they get the lemonade and sars, I don’t know.
“There’s plenty of scope to juggle things at Carlton. I don’t think it will cost them a player.”
King asked Cornes - Do you think it will cost them a key player?
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“All I’m saying is it’s a tricky spot to be in when you’ve won nothing.
“Even West Coast’s situation is on the back of them getting close (after the flag) in recent years, then going again, and it tips out and doesn’t work.
“Carlton have actually done nothing, so I found it strange that they could be in list management, salary cap challenges at this stage.
“That’s as a result of them having a crack and I think Carlton supporters would respect the fact that they’re all in with (Adam) Saad and (Zac) Williams and (Mitch) McGovern in the past and (Adam) Cerra and (George) Hewett. Then you’ve got to keep your good ones that you’ve drafted.
“I just think this year and next year is really important for Carlton. They’re probably going to have to get really close in the next couple of years.”
King acknowledged that the presence of high draft picks like Jacob Weitering and Sam Walsh alongside McKay and Curnow could make life somewhat burdensome for the Blues, but expects the current crop to stick around and build under Michael Voss.
“This is what happens when you got those elite level picks in Weitering, Curnow, McKay, Walsh, you have to satisfy them because they’re guns, they shape games,” he said further.
“They way they’re tracking, if you’re a Carlton player you’re taking unders and staying. That’s the way it’s looking.
“If they’re sitting 9th or 10th on the ladder, I understand your point, but when they’re sitting in (near) the top four, you can easily have the conversation, ‘You’re worth X, we can only pay you Y, let’s get it done’.”
The fifth-placed Blues will look to further enhance their top-four credentials when they meet St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
Charlie Curnow has already expressed his desire to remain at Carlton, saying in June he was “not going anywhere” and would re-sign with the club.