Cornes: Carlton have doubled down on a player we need to be honest about

When Carlton traded Charlie Curnow for Will Hayward and three first-round picks, it was a seismic shift.

It was a giant U-turn for a floundering club, an offer too good to refuse, and a move that finally signalled a long-term vision.

It was the right move which was quickly cancelled out by a wrong move just a few short months later.

The news that Sam Walsh has signed an eight-year extension locking him in until 2034 wasn't a shock. We’ve seen the reports for weeks - well played Cal Twomey.

It is, however, a massive list management blunder. It tells me one thing: This is a club that still doesn't know where it’s at.

If things go poorly this season, Carlton will likely be hunting for a new coach. Any smart coach walking into Blues headquarters would know the club needs to invest heavily in the draft. They already own Sydney’s 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. They have elite youngsters and top-5 picks Jagga Smith and Harry Dean entering their second and first seasons respectively.

Walsh was the only valuable asset left to cash in. He was the key to accelerating this rebuild before Tasmania monopolises the draft and shuts the door on the rest of the competition.

As a restricted free agent at year's end, Carlton held some leverage. We saw Hawthorn offer Essendon three first-round picks and a fringe player for Zach Merrett - Walsh is four years younger than Merrett. The Blues could have demanded more.

Imagine a Carlton rebuild built on Jagga Smith, Harry Dean, and potentially five additional high end first-round picks, paired with the experience of Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay and Will Hayward. All of that, plus a cleared salary cap no longer burdened by the multi-million dollar weights of Curnow and Walsh. That is how you do a proper rebuild.

Instead, they’ve doubled down on a player we need to be honest about.

We all admire Sam Walsh. He’s tough, his character is elite, he's consistent, hardworking and he’s the captain-in-waiting.

But he is always banged up. He’s playing on a rebuilt back. He’s been plagued by soft tissue and ankle issues. Look at the games played: 18, 20 and 14 over the last three seasons.

His pre-seasons are a constant struggle. On-field, he has limitations, he turns the ball over by foot too often for a premium midfielder, he's only kicked 10 goals or more in a season once and in seven seasons he has a solitary All-Australian blazer.

Is that the profile of a man you commit to for eight years?

By 2034, Walsh will be a veteran with a decade of heavy-contact injuries behind him.

Carlton had the chance to reload, to make a hard and ruthless call, and to build a war chest that would make them Tassie-proof. Instead, they’ve hamstrung themselves. They’ve chosen sentiment over strategy.

Sam Walsh is an exceptional football person, but this contract is a shocker for the Blues, one that they will shortly live to regret.