“He’s heading in the right direction,” says Carlton football manager Brad Lloyd of forward Harry McKay. Photo: AFL MEDIA

Since making the finals in 2013 after Essendon was kicked out of the top eight due to the supplements saga, Carlton has largely been a non-factor in the AFL.

The Blues have failed to finish any higher than 11th in that time, and neither have they won more than seven games in a season. Indeed, with just 40 wins from its last 149 games, Carlton has offered its large fan base slim pickings for a long time.

But last year, with seven wins from 17 games, the Blues at least achieved their best percentage of games won (41) since 2013 (50).

Crucially, they drastically improved their win-loss ratio in games decided by a goal or less (4-2) after producing a terrible record in such games in 2019 (1-4), and while they were still guilty of costly lapses which ultimately saw them give up some matches from winnable positions, the signs are there that maybe, just maybe, a tilt at the finals could be achievable in 2021.

Carlton has gone out and recruited gun defenders Zac Williams and Adam Saad in the pre-season, but natural growth from some of the Blues’ highly-rated youngsters could also facilitate a climb up the ladder.

PADDY DOW and LOCHIE O’BRIEN

Fairly or unfairly, this pair has been intrinsically linked for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, they were both top 10 picks in the 2017 draft. Secondly, after entering the AFL system with big wraps on them, neither of them have really fired a meaningful shot.

Adding to the frustration for Carlton fans is the fact that other top-10 picks from that year such as Jaidyn Stephenson, Aaron Naughton, Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra, Cameron Rayner, Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield have already shown plenty to suggest they will be long-term players for their clubs (in Stephenson’s case, his new club North Melbourne).

While injury did interrupt Dow’s season to an extent last year, restricting him to just three games, O’Brien fell out of favour, managing just one game in round 17 before being dropped.

But the 21-year-olds have both trained strongly over the pre-season and look determined to become regular members of the best 22 again this season, as they were in 2018 and 2019.

“They’re covering the ground really well,” Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd told Footyology. “Development is about improving … the way they’re moving at training they’re really showing a bit.

“Lochie O’Brien is using the footy well and showing us what he can do so hopefully they can transfer that into the season.”

It’s no secret that co-captain Patrick Cripps has struggled for meaningful support in the midfield over the last couple of years, but Lloyd said it wasn’t solely the responsibility of O’Brien and Dow to step back in and carry that burden on their shoulders.

“I think across the board there’s players growing all the time – Sam Walsh is getting bigger and stronger as each week goes by, [Will] Setterfield is another one, Jack Martin can go through there, I think Zac Williams really adds through the middle of the ground,” Lloyd said.

“Plus you have guys we already have on our list that are growing naturally like O’Brien and Dow [and] other players that have gone through there [like David] Cuningham and so forth.”

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ZAC FISHER

After bursting out of the blocks when he was drafted by the Blues in 2016 and missing only 11 of a possible 66 games in his first three years, Fisher surprisingly fell out of favour last season.

He suffered a nasty syndesmosis injury in round one against Richmond, but after overcoming that still wasn’t able to break into the team again until round 11 some five months later.

But when he returned, he provided an instant reminder of the excitement and promise he exuded in his first three seasons, kicking a career-high four goals in a loss to West Coast.

And it’s that kind of form that Lloyd hopes Fisher will be able to produce a lot more of in 2021 after having “a really good pre-season”.

“He’s really excited about that small forward role and he’s very sharp with that sideways movement that he’s got,” Lloyd said. “He’s really dynamic with that step he’s got. He’s got himself really fit and looking good.”

HARRY MCKAY

After five years in the system, the 23-year-old key forward looks ready to explode.

In a struggling team last year, despite missing four games, McKay led the club’s goalkicking with 21, including a four-goal haul and three bags of three, and finished equal second for contested marks (22).

He was one of the main reasons Carlton was ranked third for contested marks in the AFL on differentials in 2020, and ominously for rival sides, he looks bigger and stronger after an impressive summer.

“The individual growth of Harry … and that connection with the forwards and midfield and the way we move the ball [inside 50], I think all those things will assist Harry with his role,” Lloyd said.

“He’s been building gradually over the course of his career, he’s a young tall and they do take a bit of time but … he’s heading in the right direction.”

SAM WALSH

The former No.1 draft pick showed absolutely no signs of the “second-year blues” in 2020, producing another superb season to go with his Rising Star-winning campaign of 2019.

The 20-year-old registered a club best average of 20 touches per match and led the Blues for inside 50s as well, while also finishing in the top five at Carlton for contested possessions, clearances and tackles.

His efforts saw him finish second in the club’s best-and-fairest and Lloyd said he has “grown again” with how well he’s been training over the pre-season.

“He looks stronger and he’s running even better,” Lloyd said.

“He had a really big second half of last year but he’s just going from strength to strength, Sam. He’s really developing and he’s a leader as well around the footy club with the way he goes about his footy.

“He consistently works hard, consistently does what he needs to do and more, so I think that gives you every opportunity to play well every week with the way he prepares. I think he’s going to keep growing.”