Blues to target top-line talent

CARLTON says it will aggressively chase “A Grade” free agents including Andrew Gaff and Jeremy McGovern as part of its list build this year.

The Blues were wiped off the map by a young Fremantle side on Saturday.

Carlton captain Marc Murphy will meet his management in coming days after spending the bye in Byron Bay pondering his future. A list already vulnerable through Bryce Gibbs’s departure and Sam Docherty’s ACL rupture has also been ravaged by injury.

Blues football boss Andy McKay said yesterday the Blues were on track in their rebuild despite a one-win season full of heavy defeats.

The Blues have been linked to Dogs midfielder Mitch Wallis but clearly they have bluechip stars in mind.

“We will be looking hard in the free agency window at the end of the year. We want to do that with really good A Grade talent and we are in a position where we can do that.”

Asked if the Blues would be chasing players like West Coast’s McGovern and Gaff, he said: “Absolutely, absolutely.”

McKay said the Blues would heavily review the goalless first half against Fremantle, admitting the club lacked leaders on the field due to injuries to its leadership group.

But he would not accept the criticism of the club’s culture, after one-game Blue Rhys Palmer tweeted cultural issues were the real problem.