Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
King: There is always ‘the game’ - this could be Vossy’s
SEN • March 30th, 2026 9:42 am
That could be ‘the game’.
There’s always ‘the game’ that acts as the straw that broke the camel’s back for a senior coach.
Carlton’s Michael Voss has been under the pump for a while now and that’s not going to change anytime soon after Sunday’s disastrous defeat to Melbourne.
The Blues led by 43 points in the second quarter at the MCG bit capitulated in the second half to go down by 23 points in yet another dismal display under Voss.
The nature of such a defeat could have dire consequences.
David King believes this could be ‘the game’ that potentially spells the end for Voss, while wondering why there was nobody in Carlton colours who actually made a stand as the Demons went berserk in the second half.
“The fans’ anger towards the whole Carlton situation has just bubbled to a point now,” King said on SEN’s Fireball.
“I think Carlton have had ‘the game’. When the coach is under all sorts of pressure coming in to the season you can’t afford to have ‘the game’ like this.
“There’s a moment in time when you go, ‘You know what, this is probably not going to recover, this is probably not going to serve any purpose’.
“After witnessing what we’ve witnessed in the second halves of the last three weeks - they either can’t perform the way they’re asked to play for 120 minutes; or he just can’t get it out of them anymore.
“He just can’t get the guys to commit to the cause. I don’t necessarily blame him for the lot because there’s a whole host of things to chat about. But they didn’t really have a player that stood up and said ‘this is not happening’.
“I think for years we’ve just expected that to be Patrick Cripps. It wasn’t Paddy on the weekend and I’m not having a go at him at all. But once it wasn’t him it was no one else.
“Who actually put up a resistance that you’re proud of? If you talk to a Blues fan and they say, ‘At least this guy did this’. I didn’t see it from anyone.”
King identified a few new Blues who simply did not stand up when it mattered most.
“We talked about the acquisitions and I told you that (Ollie) Florent, just be careful what you wish for, you know what you’re buying,” King added.
“Some of his turnovers in the second half, my god. He put them into more trouble than he was worth.
“I’m looking at (Will) Hayward. Did you really stand up? Were you the guy they needed when crunch time comes? It’s good to have senior players come in but that is what you get them for - those times when you’re battling you just need a senior body to stand up and they couldn’t do it.
“It makes you question those individuals immediately.”
Voss is contracted with Carlton for the remainder of the 2026 season. Will he see it out?
The under-fire Blues, in desperate need of a win, next face North Melbourne in a vital fixture at Marvel Stadium on Good Friday.
It will be another massive week for the club.
