Two Carlton players have been trying their hand at new roles in the VFL – with some exciting outcomes.

Defender Matthew Watson and Irish forward Ciaran Byrne have moved to the opposite ends of the ground and it seems to be paying off. 

Watson, who turns 22 tomorrow, has spent the majority of his 18 games for Carlton in a key defensive post.

But with Jarrad Waite often being double or triple-teamed for the Northern Blues, the call was made for Watson to go forward. The move has yielded immediate results, with Watson booting six goals in the past fortnight.

With contested marking a key feature of his game, Watson followed up his three-goal haul against Collingwood last weekend with a return of 3.4 against North Ballarat. He was subsequently named in the top two best players for the Blues.

At the other end of the spectrum, Byrne has been swung into defence and looks more at home, after starting the season as a forward.

Byrne booted three goals in his first ever game of AFL for the Northern Blues Development side, and after an extended stint up forward at VFL level, has found himself in defence alongside fellow countryman Ciaran Sheehan.

The move has seen him look more at home than ever, with a propensity to not only negate his opponent, but also to show some flair and take the game on.

Speaking post-match after the Blues’ 40-point loss to North Ballarat, Northern Blues coach Luke Webster said the positional change had paid off.

“You’re always looking to challenge players …  and I think you could say that the move has been positive for both men,” Webster said.

“A kid like Ciaran Byrne - who hasn’t played much footy at all coming from Ireland - showed signs as a forward, and giving him a look as a defender in the past weeks has seen him do some really nice things.”

On Watson, Webster commended his performance against North Ballarat, where he was the team’s most dangerous forward on an otherwise disappointing day.

“Watson again did some really positive things for us up forward – he kicked three goals from seven shots and in the last two weeks as a forward he’s looked really dangerous,” Webster said.

“If he continues to play up forward, he’s got to continue to show what he has done in the past few weeks.

“He’s given us good presence along the line and a good leading target down the ground, and he’s been kicking goals, so he just has to continue with the way he’s going.”