Carlton has increased its offer to key forward Jarrad Waite, with a Paul Chapman-style deal now on the table.
The Blues recently revised their offer to Waite by indicating a willingness to give the veteran forward a "trigger" clause in which he would have the opportunity to earn a second year in 2016.
Waite has been seeking a two-year contract and has met with North Melbourne, which informed the Blues of the meeting but otherwise has not commented on its level of interest in the key forward.
Carlton's offer of a conditional second year would hinge on the number of games Waite played in 2015. This is precisely the type of deal Essendon used to snare Chapman, who has reached the minimum games required to extend his contract into next year, having played 18 games.
Typically, trigger clauses, which are usually given to players late in their careers, involve a double-figure tally of games, depending on the player's situation.
Waite has played 16 games this year, despite spending time in the VFL, and Carlton's decision to increase its offer and give a trigger for a second year is an indication of its wish to keep the forward, who has long been among the club's most important players but who has frustrated due to injury.
The Blues had previously only been willing to offer Waite a one-year deal, given his record of missing games through injury. But while he spent time in the VFL, Waite returned as a late change for the North Melbourne game and was the catalyst for arguably Carlton's best victory of the season.
Waite is among the major question marks at Carlton, which has also told miscreant pair Jeff Garlett and Mitch Robinson it will trade them for the right deal.
Garlett and Robinson were involved in an early-morning fracas at a city nightspot that saw Garlett charged and Robinson sustain a fractured cheekbone. The Blues have opted to take a tough stance, in part because the pair lied to the club about their involvement.
However, Carlton doesn't want to simply cut the pair without receiving some return in a trade. At this stage, they are simply on the trading block.
The Blues had expressed some interest in Bulldog free agent Shaun Higgins, who has put off contract talks with the Dogs until season's end.
