Geelong’s football operations manager, Andrew Mackie, has acknowledged the challenges of acquiring Charlie Curnow from Carlton during the upcoming trade period. Mackie stated that while the Cats are keen on bringing in St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall, securing Curnow, a dual Coleman Medallist, would be significantly more difficult.
Carlton has made their position clear, emphasizing that they are not willing to entertain offers for Curnow. On Monday, the club reiterated its commitment to keeping the forward, who is under contract for the next four years. Mackie noted that Geelong’s limited draft picks may hinder their ability to make a competitive bid for Curnow, but he remains hopeful.
“There’s a bit to work through with that,” Mackie explained. “It is a balance; no players have come and said they want to leave, so that’s a positive. We’ll thrash out exactly what it looks like, but the Charlie situation realistically is going to be hard to do.”
Marshall has officially requested a trade to Geelong, making him the club’s primary target for this trade period. While Mackie confirmed the intention to pursue Marshall, he also acknowledged the complexities surrounding a potential deal for Curnow.
“Rowan wants to come to the club, so the intention is to bring him in,” Mackie added. “The Charlie one is a bit more complex.”
Carlton’s general manager, Chris Davies, who recently transitioned from Port Adelaide, echoed the club’s firm stance on retaining Curnow. “The club has made it really clear from our perspective that Charlie has four years on a deal and we expect him to be at Carlton for those four years,” Davies stated.
He emphasized that no offers have been received that would prompt the club to reconsider Curnow’s future. “I don’t think it’s going to be helpful for me to go into the hypotheticals right now… if Charlie has a contract, there’s nothing that has come to us to reconsider that. We’ve been really clear, and I can’t be any more clear that Charlie is a highly-valued member of our playing group, and we want him to be at Carlton for the next period of time.”
As the trade period approaches, Geelong’s pursuit of Marshall remains the focus, but the shadow of Curnow’s potential availability looms large. With the complexities of both situations at play, the Cats will be navigating a challenging landscape in their efforts to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season.
