SEN Chief Reporter Sam Edmund has moved to clear up some of the debate surrounding the four-year contract handed to Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet.
The deal has come under criticism for its length, particularly given the Blues are in contract talks with Tom De Koning, and with the volume of ruckmen around the league.
However, Edmund revealed that significant outside interest in the 26-year-old ruckman forced them to up their offer.
“Just as an aside, the four-year deal that raised the collective eyebrow: What may very well surprise you is the interest in Pittonet from rival clubs was nearly double that of De Koning,” Edmund told SEN’s The Captain’s Run.
“There was significant rival interest in Pittonet, particularly in the form of long-term contracts offers.
“The Blues would have preferred to offer Pittonet a shorter term deal, but in this caper sometimes you have the whip hand and sometimes you don’t.
“Of the legitimate ruckmen as well, Pittonet has the highest percentage of hit-outs to advantage from his taps. He has stuff to work on, but he is a stable and hard-working player said to be great for club culture.
“Now, he only wanted to speak to the Blues in terms of a new deal, but that was only going to last so long and come the bye rounds, should a deal not have been struck, then other clubs would’ve been getting in front of him.
“And the Blues couldn’t have expected him to sign a shorter deal when longer ones were lying in wait elsewhere.”
Edmund also provided an update on the De Koning contract situation, with the likes of Geelong, St Kilda, Sydney and Essendon linked to him.
“Now, the Blues could lose De Koning – that one is going the distance and there’s no decision on that any time soon,” he said.
“Carlton have had a two-year deal in front of him for some time. Some water has since gone under the bridge there. Geelong value him the same as Carlton financially.
“The Blues envisaged a scenario where they could have lost both ruckmen. This way, Pittonet’s four-year deal gives the club some flexibility to push money around.
“They want De Koning to stay, they’re happy with the two-year contract for him. If he fulfills his potential, then great, and if he fulfills his potential and leaves under free agency in a couple of years, then the compensation will be significant.
“For now, they’re hoping he sees enough to stay in navy blue.”
Pittonet has consistently served as Carlton’s number one ruckman over the last two seasons, with the exception being the games he missed with injury in 2022.
De Koning has been named to take on Sydney on Friday night, after a stint in the VFL with the Blues struggling to balance playing both of them.