SOPHIE GANNON: Carlton should consider trading Patrick Cripps to Fremantle for AFL draft picks

It’s become blatantly obvious that it’s time for Carlton to make some tough calls.

Patrick Cripps is a club legend, a dual-Brownlow medallist, and the heart of the mighty Blues, but if the Baggers are serious about winning a flag, they need to consider trading him.

And if Patty is just as serious about adding a premiership to his sparkling resume, he should consider taking up the offer.

Yes, Cripps is extremely loved. Yes, he bleeds blue.

However, Carlton can’t keep all their stars, this isn’t Ocean’s Eleven.

You can’t stack your lineup with nothing but headline names and rely on those players to perform to a high standard each and every week with little support, after all the game is played with 23 not 11.

It’s well-known that Carlton’s salary cap is bursting at the seams. They’ve cast an expensive line-up that looks brilliant on paper, but footy’s not played on paper, it’s played on grass.

Recently, names such as Tom De Koning, Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay have been floated in trade rumours. But not Cripps, because that would be preposterous right?

If the Blues don’t believe that a Cripps will be a central part of their next premiership team, then why not use him to attain new top-end talent?

The only question is who has the picks? and who would pay overs for a 30-year-old Cripps?

I reckon I know.

The Fremantle Dockers need Cripps, and Carlton need Fremantle’s picks.

Freo are stacked for youthful talent, they are ready to pop. They don’t need anymore young guns, and yet they still hold their full suit of picks this year and next.

However, Freo are about to lose Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters, and while they are not contributing on the field, their list is about to lose a whole lot of star power.

Cripps would be the ideal replacement – bringing size, leadership and an impeccable aura to a club that desperately needs it.

Freo have recently struggled with congested numbers around the contest and stoppage, Cripps’ size and contested ball winning would be monumental in helping this part of their game.

And let’s also not forget, Cripps is also a WA boy. He played for East Fremantle before getting drafted.

Cripps has to face the reality that he probably won’t be winning a premiership in the navy blue and his form this season hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect.

It looks to me as if a fresh start could rejuvenate the four-time All Australian.

From Carlton’s perspective, the logic should be just as appealing, this could solve their desperate need for draft picks, salary space, and the need for young emerging talent.

If the draft were held tomorrow, Fremantle would have pick 13 and 31 and Carlton wouldn’t get a look in until pick 35.

While the Blues are likely to attain a couple of promising youngsters through father-son and academy selections, this is a list that looks like it could do with even more.

Who is Carlton’s best player under 24? Honestly, probably Jagga Smith, who hasn’t even stepped foot onto an AFL field yet.

This should be enough to set off some serious alarm bells in the Blues’ front office.

There is no way from hiding the fact that trading Cripps would be a difficult decision, but the best clubs make the tough calls and there is only one currency in our great game, flags.