What would Curnow and McKay attract? A rival club’s list manager said he would pay Curnow more,despite his history of wounded knees. “Curnow could get more than $1 million a year for six years. In fact,they both could because it depends on how desperate a club gets. If Essendon still have a pile of cash next year,they will offer whatever it takes.”

North have space aplenty,too,as do the Crows. Hawthorn and doubtless others would be willing to offload or retire players to get one of Charlie and Harry,whose share price will be inflated by the scarcity of key forwards. In a market in which Daniel McStay can get up to $600,000 for five years,what’s the younger Curnow worth?

Having splurged on Williams and Saad in 2020 and then acquired Adam Cerra and George Hewett on cheaper rates last October,the Blues expect to be heading back to the draft and focused on retention,eschewing their natural predatory ways.

Curnow is already paid about $800,000 and McKay is in that postcode,too. The Blues,thus,would be banking on not forking out huge raises.

Old Carlton of more than two decades ago would have solved any salary-cap conundrums via what one might term “undisclosed” payments. Since this has not been a Carlton solution for quite a while,something – or someone – has gotta give.

Players will either give up dollars,or give up being Carlton players.

For Curnow and McKay,the bonds of mateship at the club are strong,as they are for Cripps,Walsh and Weitering. Why would any of those guys leave? I doubt they will. But for Curnow and McKay,the question is more what they’re willing to accept for the cause of keeping the band together?

The Blues will likely need to offer both key forwards at least six-year terms,having done so for Cripps and Williams. Key forwards aren’t as easily found as midfielders or half-back flankers.

The Giants lost Cameron to Geelong and haven’t recovered. They are one cautionary tale,Collingwood are another.

Less than three years have passed since the Pies affirmed that Darcy Moore,Jordan De Goey and Brodie Grundy were the club’s priority signings.

Unfortunately,Collingwood were already burdened with a bunch of excessive contracts – including Adam Treloar’s back-loaded deal – when they signed Grundy to a seven-year deal worth $6.5 million.

Today,the Pies are weighing up whether Grundy can be traded – which would necessitate paying a portion of the five years left,whileDe Goey’s contract offer has been pulled,and he will be courting offers in his free agent season. Of their priorities of 2019-20,only Moore is certain to remain in 2023.

It has taken until now,after the firesale of 2020 and a precipitous fall,for the Magpies to regain their footing following their self-inflicted trauma.

If those are unpleasant outcomes for Carlton to avoid,there’s one worth emulating – the club that their new chief executive,Brian Cook,ran for 23 years.

Geelong’s capacity to keep players,and to keep refreshing and filling holes like the magic pudding,has been predicated on the Cats’ disciplined approach to contracting and the willingness of players,headed by Tom Hawkins (surely worth a million over the past five seasons) to take what they need,rather than take what they can.

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