After yet another humbling defeat at the hands of arch-rival Collingwood, the reality has never been clearer – Michael Voss is not the man to take Carlton forward.
2025 was supposed to be the year the Blues pushed deep into September. Instead, they’ve been exposed week after week as a team without structure, without intensity, and crucially, without a plan.
Friday night’s loss to Collingwood wasn’t just a defeat – it was a dissection. The Magpies toyed with Carlton for four quarters, dismantling them with ruthless precision while the Blues fumbled, panicked, and flailed their way to yet another morale-sapping loss.
This wasn’t just another bad game. This was a damning verdict on the entire Voss era.
It’s now painfully obvious: the gap between what this list should be and what it is under Voss is enormous.
Carlton isn’t short on talent. Patrick Cripps remains one of the league’s toughest competitors. Sam Walsh runs like he’s powered by Duracell batteries. Charlie Curnow is a two-time Coleman Medalist. Jacob Weitering, George Hewett, Blake Acres, and Adam Cerra are all legitimate A-graders.
There are no excuses left. The talent is there. The results aren’t. And that falls squarely on the coach.
Voss’s game plan – or what’s left of it – has been completely found out. There’s no clear identity to how Carlton plays. At their best, they’re reactive. At their worst, they’re statues.
It’s a style of footy built on hope more than strategy. Opponents know that if they apply enough pressure, Carlton will crack. And crack they have, again and again this season.
There’s a distinct lack of adaptability in Voss’ coaching box. When things start to unravel, there’s no Plan B. Sometimes there doesn’t even seem to be a Plan A.
Midfield matchups are lost before the first bounce. Forward structure disappears once Curnow gets double-teamed. Defensive transitions are slow and confused. The team looks like it’s running in quicksand while modern outfits like Collingwood, Sydney, and GWS play with speed, flair, and tactical clarity.
In the loss to Collingwood, Carlton looked like they were stuck in 2010, while the Pies were in 2030.
Michael Voss looks despondent during Carlton’s loss to North Melbourne. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Voss’ coaching record at Carlton is now beyond defending. Three seasons. Two finals appearances – and one of them by the barest of margins. No signature wins save for a two-month purple patch at the end of 2023. And now a complete collapse.
There has been no sustained growth, no tactical evolution, and worst of all, no consistency. When a team starts getting flogged in games that matter, it says two things loud and clear: the message isn’t getting through, and the players have lost belief.
It’s not just on-field either. Confidence has eroded across the board. The players look confused and, frankly, flat. Leadership feels hollow. There’s no fire, no venom, no edge. This is a group that should be storming into premiership contention – not playing like a team hoping to dodge wooden spoon jokes.
Keeping Voss for the rest of the season feels like delaying the inevitable. There’s no salvaging 2025. Finals are out of the question, the list is stagnating, and morale is nosediving.
The only thing left to do is reset the coaching position and begin the search for someone who can take this group – this gifted, expensive, ready-to-win group – and give them direction, urgency, and modern tactical nous.
There are coaches available. Hungry ones. Tactical ones. Progressive ones. Whether it’s a seasoned veteran with finals success or a sharp assistant with innovative ideas, Carlton must act. Because if they wait, they risk losing not just games, but players, members, and what little faith the fans have left.
Voss gave it a crack. No one can question his commitment or class. He carried himself with dignity and belief.
But belief alone doesn’t win premierships. Performance does. And Carlton, under Michael Voss, has underperformed at a staggering level.
The loss to Collingwood should be the final straw. Not just because it was ugly. But because it was predictable.
And once a loss becomes predictable, that’s when you know change is no longer a matter of if – it’s a matter of when.
For Carlton, that when is now.
