After narrowly missing the finals last year, by one point and after losing their final four games of the year, there was no doubt that Carlton was expected to play finals in 2023.
That looked almost a certainty when the Blues started the first four rounds with three wins and a draw. We are now past the halfway mark of the season, and remarkably the Blues have lost six of their last seven games to drop to 13th place. Their fans are getting fed up. They have been starved of success for years and it seemed to be impossible for the Blues to miss the finals, considering they didn’t lose in the first four.
But they have had a horror run of humiliating losses that all began with the Adelaide Crows, and the only win that has come in this time has been against a depleted West Coast. Friday night’s loss to the Sydney Swans was the Blues’ fourth in a row. With games coming up against Melbourne and Essendon, it is likely the Blues will be out of finals contention by the end of these next two games.
(Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
This is quite simply an unacceptable position for the Carlton Football Club to be in now and finals seem out of the question as the club is struggling on field and struggling to get any kind of competitiveness. Finals were the minimum expectation for the Blues this year who have been building under Michael Voss, but the clock is running out for him and the president no question. The club clearly needs a reset, which means clearing out some staff in order to get better leadership. There are also definitely players that need to be reviewed on if they are reaching their potential and if trading them for better draft picks come season end.
They have a list that is capable of making the top six, but right now they are playing a bottom four side brand of football. This is not a position the club should be in, considering how many years they have built. Their rebuild started in 2016, they still were wooden spooners in 2018, struggled up till 2022, where they narrowly missed finals by percentage and were expected to be top four-six contenders this year. But the on-field failures are starting to create tension within the club. President Luke Sayers came out last week and said that Michael Voss was safe until the end of 2024 when his contract expired.
Craig Mathieson resigned as director. This will not be the first board member that leaves given where Carlton is at right now, on the decline and very likely to miss the finals for the 10th straight year. Things are looking dire.
How can Voss possibly survive this? The supporters are growing impatient, and the club is clearly looking very unprofessional in how they are handling things. They are the centre of the media attention because this is a side that was supposed to be playing finals long ago. Now they are looking like they will go backwards in order to go forwards because with what they have right now they are not getting anywhere.
They have a forward Harry McKay, contracted until 2029, who can’t even kick one goal in a must win game and he’s not improving his game. Everybody else has worked out Charlie Curnow and Patrick Cripps. They have a Brownlow Medallist in their side plus a Coleman Medallist. But it just seems that all the talent is not reaching its potential by a long way.
How can the club let Voss and the president, Luke Sayers survive this sinking ship? It seems only a matter of time before the two of them are out of the door and Carlton replaces yet another coach. It seems the reality is that it is going to get worse for Carlton before it gets better. It seems that this year it is unlikely that they will be breaking a decade-long finals drought and it is starting to come into question just how much longer they will wait. It could even be up to 2026 at this rate.
Sam Walsh of the Blues looks dejected after a loss. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
They have the list, but it is just clear that the talent is not being managed by the right people. It appears that the end of the year cannot come quickly enough for Carlton. Carlton needs to use this off-season to do a massive reset again and clean out of the club, find better people to manage the talent, get some talented draft picks through the door and just figure out what is going on at the club. Whether that means replacing the head coach, or key personnel, such as the president and board members. Also could mean they make some big list decisions for who stays and departs. For example, is McKay worth trading for a better forward option, or draft picks?
The questions that need to be asked include, why is the club still struggling when they can be playing finals football? Is the club still suffering from what Michael Malthouse put them through years ago? Why does that affect them now? Why is it that they have only two main forwards who they can rely upon? Do the professional standards at this club need re-developing?
One thing is clear. The time is becoming limited for Voss and Luke Sayers. The club is not in an acceptable position and needs a serious clean out because with the talent they have, they are clearly not getting there and need better management. The next two weeks will decide this fate unless Carlton can somehow pull their finger out and start to win games of football against the odds against sides who will likely feature in September. They need to change up the defensive game style and fast! Everyone has worked them out and are cutting them off at their knees.
Right now, it appears they are nowhere near finals competitiveness and the club is a disaster zone and a lot of board members are considering leaving. The next two weeks are vital if Voss wants to keep his job and there is no question that something is wrong if Sayers comes out and says he is unhappy with what is happening on field, but will not be doing anything about it until the end of next year (saying Voss is safe in his job until his contract until the end of 2024). His time as president is surely limited as well. There is no way that either of them can survive much longer with the direction that Carlton is heading in and things need to change very fast.
Fans are fed up and rightly so are not to blame for not continuing to show up to watch this standard of a club, the way it is going. Serious change is needed and fast, the professional standard needs to change 1000% and the club needs to revitalise this very quickly and address it. Carlton has the talent for on field success, but is clear the management needs to be better.
AdamDilligafThompson
Roar Rookie
I t hink so too and at the saints as well. I still can't get over how quickly teams can fall in live and then out of live with a coach these days. I wonder are they too old school for some players and have their feelings hurt or lack of wanting to work hard who knows.lol.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Hi Polly, l think Keith should return against Port also like to see Bruce the Juice we certainly need some guidance. All the best for the blues :thumbup:
Country
Roar Rookie
I thought Ratts got overs from the players he had at his disposal. You have to wonder what he might have got from the current list. Ratts was the scapegoat for a very poor list.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Voss the Enigma
Country
Roar Rookie
The Blues should have gone after him with an open cheque book. I cannot see Voss gaining traction after the slump in 2023
Jamie Samuel
Roar Guru
You are right. It is down to the players to decide if they are a top 8 contender and right now they are playing that way. Right now they are not playing motivated football and it feels like the club is consistently rebuilding. They always sell hope but never deliver. It’s hard to see us continuing with the same list. It seems like a rebuild is inevitable again and it’s gonna take longer to get better and it will get worse before it gets better unfortunately. The board needs a change over, especially the president and the coach.
Wayne Meddings
Roar Rookie
You are wrong. Categorically wrong. Carlton do not have a list capable of playing finals because they can't kick and they make poor decisions with ball in hand. Last night Cerra, arguably our best player on the night, missed two easy passes into the forward fifty and caused easy turnovers. Charlie Curnow couldn't hit a target fifteen metres away and that is not the first time. He is a horrible field kick. Carlton's midfield is too slow, often allowing the opposition to run away and kick under little pressure. People keep saying it's not Vossy's fault but he either chose or okayed that midfield arrangement, they are also very ordinary disposers of the ball. Just bomb it high seems to be their slogan and the results speak for themselves. We rarely have anyone front and centre at marking contests and hardly anyone with breakaway speed. The modern game is all about speed and precision and Carlton has neither. We need to kiss this year goodbye and start looking at a partial rebuild concentrating on speed and disposal skills. Some brave, painful decisions, in the Collingwood mode, need to be made but every week it seems it is just the status quo with great expectations that are never fulfilled. Insanity. Remember when Ratten got the flick because the hierarchy couldn't accurately assess the list, that went well and here we are again. Same guys in the midfield week in week out and the same result-AMAZING. Walsh is obviously good and Cripps is the captain, after that there are options. Why not try Honey, he's quick, has fast reactions and surprisingly can kick. He was recruited as a Midfield forward. Then there is Kemp, another who has played junior football in the midfield, surely it's time to give him a go. Then there is Cowan, another who can play midfield, is fast, tough and more importantly is a good kick. There are options but they are being ignored. If we continue like this we will waste the careers of players like Curnow, Weitering, Walsh and Docherty, to name a few. Change focus, get real about the cattle and look to the future.
Diesel-747
Roar Rookie
Wait n see-demons are very beatable. Carlton nothing to loose. Season is over.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
A really loose an unaccountable Lever and May have no chance against Charlie and Harry. If one of them kicks a few, you’re home. They’ll get plenty of chances. The Melbourne attack poses no threat so your weak link, your defence, won’t be overly challenged. Carlton has the better midfield.
Jamie Samuel
Roar Guru
Yes but that is a very hard ask though
C
Roar Rookie
This is nothing new at Carlton. Four coaches have been around the same merry-go-round. What is incomprehensible to me is how little growth there is any of the players - also not new. The self-motivated brilliant players are ok - though lacking in support (Cripps, Curnow, Saad), but the club seems unable to assist those one or two steps down who have real potential to grow, and it also doesn't some to know how to encourage and aid top talent when they are in a rough patch - cf. Harry but also Jacob Weitering and even Sam Walsh, who is playing well on return from injury but without a spark). And then there is a the constant lengthy injury list (who knows what difference a fully fit Martin, McGovern, Plowman, Marchbank, Williams, Cunningham etc etc would make - no one knows, cos that's never happened). As I said, this is not new. Then there's the number of players who have come into the club and never been given an opportunity, or have been given a short one and then dropped and forgotten (how many VFL possessions does Paddy Dow need to get a try out in the seniors again? And what about McDonald, Philp, Ramsay, Schumaker, Garlett etc etc etc). This is not Voss. This was the case under Malthouse, Barker, Bolton and Teague. There's something wrong with the football programme. Until it's fixed. no coach has a chance.
Diesel-747
Roar Rookie
Jamie you say” how can Voss possibly survive this”” Easy- beat Melbourne tomorrow night & back it up against Essendon. It’s a possibility. Be interesting to see how the players respond after some serious character scrutiny this week. I’ll tip Cripps gets 3 votes tomorrow night . Red hot game coming up. Demons are vulnerable.
Diesel-747
Roar Rookie
Agree .
Diesel-747
Roar Rookie
Don you suggesting Carlton beat Melbourne tomorrow?
Polly
Roar Rookie
Hi Chanon, might as well take Keath, another huge problem in most parts of the field, Carlton took Young after all from you blokes. I actually had a Bulldog fan tell me Keath would play forever, because he played another sport first, I laughed but was confused by the logic. Keath to the Blues, on big money, front loaded of course
Chanon
Roar Rookie
At least he could teach your lads how to play cricket in the off season :stoked:
AdamDilligafThompson
Roar Rookie
Not sure if anybody would take Harry, well not for too much anyway, you'd have to see alot of improvement between now and the end of the year to want to give up too much as a club otherwise in 12months time its going to be their supporters wondering why they've got a key forward that can't kick. But he does have time, Cripps is probably the one you can get most for and turn him into two or three players with what you could get for him and combining some 2nd rounders etc for one of gold coasts higher picks who need em for Academy players. The other scary thing for you guys is, if you need to clean out again and do get high end picks to turn things around, you'd want to get em right because tassie will be just around the corner so get it wrong again now, you'll almost be competing with them next time you go hard. I swear you guys have been doing the samething on repeat ever since Ratten was sacked because he didn't get enough out of the list even though he'd made finals. Ever since you've been going to make finals and are.coming etc yet it never seems to actually happen. Who is the development coach and how long have they been there because like u said there seems to be an issue of people getting better and improving. It'd be a harsh call to move Voss on already, again maybe the club need to look back and think maybe its not the coach, 5 coaches in ten years and nothing's changed. Surely you guys haven't employed dud coaches over that time and if so who keeps hiring them and if it's not them what is it.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Not the first thing we need
Polly
Roar Rookie
No more Dow and O'Btien on the list will be great changers next year. Plowman is ordinary, and will be no loss, but he kind of served a purpose for a couple of years. Played some pretty ordinary footy, but less ordinary than some of his colleagues.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Bunkering in. Take it out on the opposition.