Carlton’s star system ended in October when they traded Charlie Curnow to Sydney in a move that settled the Blues as much as it had the potential to unsettle their opponents.

The forward wanted out, so the Blues put a price on his head, which forced Sydney to push out solid players Will Hayward and Ollie Florent in unceremonious fashion, and draft capital.

Jagga Smith was excellent on debut.Credit: AFL Photos

The Blues didn’t try to match the offers St Kilda made to free agents Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, and waved them goodbye.

While that was happening, they dropped the ego and went shopping for players more likely to be found in Aldi’s middle aisle than at an inner-city delicatessen.

They secured Gold Coast’s Ben Ainsworth, the aforementioned Swans pair, West Coast’s Campbell Chesser and Fremantle’s Liam Reidy in trades, and hoped No.3 pick Jagga Smith would have more luck in his second season than his first, which he missed with a knee injury.

The talented Elijah Hollands was made to prove he wanted a spot on the list and was sent to football purgatory for the pre-season.

It all seemed eminently sensible, a considered series of moves that shifted, rather than reversed, their trajectory.

On Thursday, in opening round at the SCG, the new-look Blues went to market.

© Brisbane Times