THERE are questions which are posed at every single football club in pre-season: the ones which supporters spend months trying to figure out the answers of.

On the verge of Carlton’s senior players returning officially on Monday, arguably the biggest question for those of a Navy Blue persuasion is this.

‘Where will Levi Casboult play his footy in 2020?’

Re-signed for another season (which will be his 11th year as a Blue), Casboult enjoyed what was clearly a career-best season in 2019.

And he did it all.

Combining his customary role up forward with stints in the ruck and - most notably - down back, he ended the year with a top-five finish in the John Nicholls Medal.

Speaking on The Data Game, Daniel Hoyne - the Chief Data Analyst for Champion Data - outlined just how well Casboult performed in his new role.

“He had two periods down back: if we combine those periods and look at what he actually produced in that time, he rated as an above-average key defender across all those matches,” Hoyne said.

“He was elite for intercept marks and elite for spoils.

“We know that with Casboult’s game as a forward, his strength has always been in the air. We’ve seen that as a defender.”

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@calebmarchbank without the neck brace. You love to see it. ⁠ ⁠ #BoundByBlue

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What creates an even bigger cause for conversation is how Carlton’s spine will shape up given the injuries which affected it in 2019.

Charlie Curnow, Liam Jones, Matthew Kreuzer, Harry McKay and Jacob Weitering didn’t play a single game as a collective in the season just gone.

The beauty of Casboult, however, is that he gives Senior Coach David Teague options in every area of the ground.

“Where Levi fits in 2020 is going to be interesting,” Hoyne said.

“Levi has the attributes to be a relatively consistent key defender for the Blues.”