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Sport Nation
Duffield: Is Voss the problem, or is Carlton the problem?
Mark Duffield • June 24th, 2025 2:30 pm
In his playing career at Brisbane - Michael Voss was a man for the big moment. He was the club’s first home grown champion – emerging as a star in the 1995 season as the Lions broke through to play finals for the first time.
He was the club’s talisman in their premiership three peat – to get past the Lions – you had to get past Voss – their captain and standard setter. Collingwood’s Scott Burns knocked him over in the 2002 grand final – Voss got up and laughed in Burns face.
The Lions – having been set back on their heels by a fierce Collingwood on a damp grand final day – followed suit, seeing off a Magpie threat to win back to back flags.
The following season, when the Pies dared challenge them again and even beat them in a final, Voss’s Lions crushed them vengefully on grand final day and so knocked the stuffing out of them they weren’t seen in finals again for three seasons.
What would Voss do to harness some of his player super powers as a coach now.
In two stints in the AFL as a senior coach Voss started with so much Promise at Brisbane with a sixth placed finish in his debut season in 2009 – which was followed by four seasons of failure before he was replaced by caretaker Mark Harvey midway through 2013.
He succeeded David Teague as Carlton coach for the 2022 season – after a decade in which the Blues had played finals just once in 10 seasons and that season – in 2013 – they had only been inserted into the eight because Essendon were banned from September because of the supplements scandal.
Voss’s tenure at the Blues, after valuable experience gained as Ken Hinkley’s assistant at Port Adelaide – started with much promise. They narrowly missed finals in 2022 after close losses at the end of the season.
They surged to third in 2023 and put up a hell of a fight in a preliminary final at the Gabba against Brisbane before going down by 16 points.
They won 11 of their first 15 games in 2024 – and then came the crash. Hit by injuries and loss of form – the Blues won just two of their last nine games last year – limped into finals, then crashed out.
They then surrendered a 31 point half time lead against a Richmond team that had many had tipped to win the wooden spoon in round one this season and the crash became the rot. They lost their first four games – they have now won six of their first 14 and a demoralizing loss to North Melbourne at the weekend has the masses calling for Voss’s head despite a 53 per cent win loss in his time at Carlton.
So is Voss the problem? Or is Carlton the problem. Is the Blues list the problem.
When we strip it back – how many A grade players does Carlton have: Jacob Weitering in defence is a tick, Patty Cripps midfield is a tick and Charlie Curnow in attack is a tick.
The Saints reckon Tom De Koning is and so have thrown a huge deal at him – but if you ranked De Koning against other AFL ruckman where does he fit – surely behind Max Gawn and Tristan Xerri and possibly behind Freo’s in form Luke Jackson.
Harry McKay? He has nine goals from seven games this year. Sam Walsh? The numbers look okay at 26 disposals a game but the effectiveness is down. Ditto Adam Cerra who has always looked like he would be an A grader but hasn’t got there yet.
Right now, with Walsh injured, Cripps looking injured, important rebounder Nic Newman injured, McKay injured and a host of others out of form – the problem may rest with the list – not the coach.
