Chris Fagan has described “death threats” directed at under-pressure Carlton counterpart Michael Voss as an unfortunate constant of the AFL coaching caper.
The AFL’s integrity unit is reportedly investigating a message directed at the Blues coach referencing a brutal end to his life.
It comes after vandals targeted Blues headquarters with graffiti last month.
The Blues will host defending premiers Brisbane at Marvel Stadium on Thursday, Voss’s men (6-10) 12th and out of the finals picture.
Voss, a three-time premiership captain with the Lions, was assured of his job until at least the end of this season, before the side limped to a 56-point loss to Collingwood last Friday.
“We’ve all been through that,” Fagan said of Voss’s predicament.
“It’s tough. I see there was some death threats … that’s pretty average.
“I’ve got no doubt he’d be doing the best job that he can, but that’s just the world AFL coaches live in.
“Faceless people, lack of courage. As coaches, we try to brush those things off, to be honest.”
The second-placed Lions all but ended Port Adelaide’s finals hopes with victory at the Gabba on Saturday and have lost just twice from 17 away games since last year’s bye.
Victory at Marvel Stadium would be another blow to the Blues and Voss, who had led his side to back-to-back finals appearances.
“They’ll be confident they can play well at that venue, but that (away record) sort of means nothing,” Fagan said.
“If you get caught up in that, it’s the wrong thing to get caught up in.
“It’ll be a fierce game … they’ve been under a lot of pressure, we’ve got high ambitions. It’ll be on.”
Fagan said ruckman Oscar McInerney was a chance to return to the AFL side for the first time since Round 10 in May.
(AAP)
Carlton coach Michael Voss. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
‘Absolutely makes sense’: Moore backs radical AFL in-season tournament idea
The controversial idea to implement a mid-season tournament separate from the home-and-away season has a key backer in the AFL world.
Days after The Age‘s Sam McClure reported the AFL are seriously considering creating the tournament once Tasmania enter the competition in 2028, with prizemoney and even finals spots on the line, in a bid to shake up any mid-season torpor around the league, Collingwood captain and AFL Players Association president Darcy Moore says he and the union are ‘open to’ the concept.
“We think innovation from the AFL or just in general is something we will always support,” Moore told The Age.
“If there’s a better way we can adapt and serve the fans, we are all for that, provided the conditions are right for players.
“The more we can have a season that serves every team’s fan base in terms of interest and engagement, we should look at. If there is a way to do that, then that absolutely makes sense.
“If it’s a team that is mathematically a low percentage chance of making finals … some sort of mid-season comp where there is something to play for, whether that’s prizemoney or a spot in the finals, intuitively it seems to make sense.”
However, Moore also said that the tournament would need to ensure the home-and-away season isn’t compromised in order to succeed.
Darcy Moore has backed the AFL’s radical idea to launch an in-season tournament. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“I think the key with it is it’s not isolated, it’s connected to competitive balance, travel for interstate clubs, home-and-away games, Gather Round, State of Origin, timing of the finals,” he said.
The radical proposal has been widely criticised around the footy world, with former great and premiership coach Paul Roos staunchly against the concept.
For Roos, the idea is symbolic of the AFL’s desire to copy American sport, with the in-season tournament bearing many similarities to the NBA’s current set-up – which he believes is potentially disastrous.
“The NBA ratings have absolutely plummeted. It is unwatchable now,” Roos told the ABC’s AFL Daily podcast.
“They have destroyed their league by doing dumb stuff like play-in tournaments and mid-season games and changing rules offensively so you can’t touch anyone. Scores are 150–140, and you’ll see the ratings have reflected it.
“I just don’t understand Australian sports administrators’ fixation with American sport … we do not want to go down the path of a lot of what America represents now.
“It’s all about the individual, players changing clubs, it’s all about money and all about less time at the club and more time on holidays, and this is where we’re heading.
“I don’t understand it. It’s not in my realm of thinking.”
