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Live sport on SN this weekend"Element of guilt": Weitering expresses regret for dismal form under Voss
Nicholas Quinlan • May 30th, 2026 4:42 pm
Jacob Weitering has expressed guilt towards former coach Michael Voss following the side's rejuvenation in recent weeks after his departure.
After the departure of the 50-year-old following one win in their first nine games in 2026, the Blues have enjoyed the new coach bounce under Josh Fraser.
In the three matches he’s been in charge of as an interim, Carlton is yet to taste defeat, having beaten the Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Geelong, bumping them up to 14th on the ladder.
And in two of those three matches, they have won after being down at halftime, helping overcome some of their second-half demons from earlier in the season.
Reflecting on their change in form, the co-vice captain admitted that the change in coach was the circuit breaker for the side.
“It certainly was a mindset of (a) psychological barrier that we were experiencing,” Weitering told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I guess in my time in football, that changes. You don't want to look too far back in history, but 2023, that back end of the season, teams probably just didn't want to come up against us, because of the way we're rolling on in that second half.
“The opposite was true at the start of this year, where we were playing some really good football, playing the way we wanted to play and then going into half-time, I reckon teams were thinking, ‘OK, we're down by a couple here but they're gonna break or things are gonna change slightly’ and that sort of became a reality because we were losing games off the back of it.
“I did mention the change, sort of three (to) four weeks ago, and I think it's been commented on a few times now, that the selfless nature of Vossy's decision has given us that circuit breaker.
“I don't know why that's the case with teams when coaches move on but I think there's a bit of credit that needs to be given to Vossy to allow the group to re-energize and get after it and we've got the results off the back of it.”
Then, when asked by Kane Cornes if he felt any guilt about not being able to perform like this under Voss, the key defender expressed some regret.
“It's a tough one to put a finger on,” Weitering added.
“There is an element of guilt for me, personally, I won't speak for the other leaders.
“But when you're not getting a job done for a guy that took you to finals for the first time, he was a wonderful mentor, an excellent leader of men, and to the very end, he carried himself, the exact same as when he walked in. He didn't burn bridges.
“He never spoke bad on anyone within the club, and I thought he was all class on the way he exited.
“There's certainly an element of guilt from my perspective as a player.
“But it's a savage game that we play, and I'm sure he's on the couch watching us and supporting us, just as hard as he was when he was in the coach's box."
The Blues will look to make it four from four under Fraser with their next match taking place on King’s Birthday Eve (June 7) against the Bombers at the MCG.
That begins from 7:20pm AEST.
