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Have Carlton fixed their culture issue? Voss speaks out
Nicholas Quinlan • February 23rd, 2026 11:42 am
After what was a disappointing 2025, Carlton coach Michael Voss has spoken about his attempts to help shift the environment and culture in the club following their poor performances last season.
Starting the season 0-4 in 2025, the Blues would end up missing well outside the finals in 11th spot, which saw plenty of calls for Voss to depart.
But new CEO, Graham Wright, would hold firm and decided to stick by the 50-year-old into 2026.
With this season currently the last year of his contract at Carlton, Voss has publicly declared his desire to turn the ship around.
During the John Nicholls Medal (club best and fairest) night, Voss made a point to recognise his own struggles, saying that he “fell short on what was required” and that the club needs to “reignite the spirit of Carlton”.
Speaking on why he decided to mention those themes during his address to the club, the three-time premiership captain acknowledged that he couldn’t have left the night without doing so.
“When you sift through the remains of a season, you’re looking at how it transpired and how it’s unfolded,” Voss remarked on SEN’s Fireball.
“Clearly, it didn’t go the way we wanted it to, and there was some ownership that we needed to accept, and some things needed to be said.
“We couldn’t afford to walk out of that night without it being said.
“The first thing that needed to be said was taking the responsibility at the start as a leader, but more importantly, is understanding that we all have a role in this.
“So, what’s my part as the leader? And obviously, (it) starts with me.
“But then ultimately, as a playing group, how do we accept and what’s my role in that?
“As supporters, what’s our role in that?, As a board, what’s our role in that?
“And when you can come to that total alignment and raise that awareness, then you’ve got something to action. You’ve got something to solve.”
But as Voss acknowledges, the club’s culture cannot be fixed in just one pre-season.
“Most of our pre-season has been about having the courage to begin again, to remove the disappointment into finding joy in the journey again,” he continued.
“We have to do that through a club first mentality; it has to be everything about the club, not the name.
“That’s what we’ve tried to do and we’ve tried to energise that as best we possibly can with real positivity.
“We’ve shifted the environment, but I’m not here to say that we’ve shifted the total culture.
“Because culture is (built) over time, but we’ve made some really promising first steps.”
The Blues play one more match before they open the 2026 season against the Swans at the SCG on March 5.
They’ll host the Geelong Cats at IKON Park on February 25.
