I honestly don't believe they have checked out.
Disappointed, 100% - we all are.
Sooking it up, 100% - this is a negative culture we need gone from our club.
And I am pretty sure they all know they can give more, they did the year before.
We have been crippled by injuries for 2 years now, we have been missing a large chunk of our middle tier players for most of the year.
Other players, like Charlie have been playing all season with an injury.
We lost mature experienced talent last season and only added 1, that has a huge effect on depth.
We have also failed to react quick enough to the changes in game style at the draft/trade table.
There are a lot of factors to consider for our performance this year, the club knows this, so does Wright.
Adding some key players with speed and skill this off season and a decent run with injuries could make us win a lot more games next season.
Hell we might even see Voss's game plan from preseason executed correctly.
It's not all doom and gloom keeping the same coach, more support around him and we might have a stellar season.
He got us to finals before, he has runs on the board and it a complete professional both on and off the field.
That alone is a good base to keep building from.

Fair point.
Hopefully Wright has a bit more of a say at the selection table this year and that will be the key.

Why should the CEO have a say at selections of any type? FMD

While not directly selecting the side plenty of CEO"s have declared a youth policy .

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All my dangerous friends

Exactly, I am pretty sure Wright also knows what we are missing list wise.
And I am sure he has sat down with Austin and Voss and gone through their strategy for this draft/trade period and plan for next season.
Thinking he would have not passed on his suggestions or what he has seen over the last year would be a little naive.

Given his background, I'm happy for Wright to be a pretty hands on CEO

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#DonTheStash

I’m disappointed was expecting a change, seeing Voss bemused almost in the coaches box is uninspiring.
In the end they’ve taken the politically correct path and allowed him to see out his contracted term.
Less disruption and we just carry on . Not impressed with GW recommended, let’s hope he’s spot on and Voss turns out to be a revelation, I very much doubt.

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Go Blue Boys

At least a Carlton coach sees out his contract
Other than a couple games particularly the North game they have had a crack
Interesting Wilson and HOK are the ins
Maybe selection integrity has changed
No Fantasia
Despite tonight’s loss McRae has had a Leppitsch as his offsider
They have complemented each other
Voss needs a good tactician to support him
And we don’t need to play out his contract plus with the 750000 increase in soft cap it could be a good move
The onus is on the players
Hopefully Cripps isn’t captain next year

AI summary of today's HeraldSun article "Michael Voss survives - but not everyone at Carlton is safe"

Michael Voss will continue as Carlton's head coach into 2026, a decision reached after a five-hour board meeting where he was fully endorsed by incoming chief executive Graham Wright. The club has shown faith in Voss, likening the situation to successful periods for Mark Thompson in 2006 and Damien Hardwick in 2016, both of whom went on to win multiple premierships after enduring rocky seasons.

Despite Voss's retention, significant changes are anticipated across the club, affecting staff, players, and the overall game plan. Here's a breakdown of what's next for the Blues:

* **The Football Boss**
* **Brad Lloyd**, the current football boss, has been praised for his recent support of Voss, but he is under pressure for change despite his reputation as an honest and hard-working administrator.
* **Ken Hinkley** is being considered as a potential replacement or addition, given his strong connection with Voss from their time at the Power. Hinkley is seen as the "perfect man" to drive change and consult on tactics, especially since a game plan overhaul is needed.

* **The Game Plan**
* Carlton must **overhaul its tactical approach** to keep pace with modern football, which emphasises transition and possession retention, with fewer stoppages.
* Voss needs to implement a new game plan for 2026 that prioritises more run and ball retention. The return of key runners like Sam Walsh, Jagga Smith, Matt Cottrell, and Elijah Hollands will assist this. The club might also look to incorporate "IP" (intellectual property) from successful clubs like Geelong or Brisbane.

* **Assistant Coaches**
* Line coaches Ash Hansen, Tim Clarke, and Aaron Hamill are contracted but could be jettisoned with 3-6 month payouts.
* Development coaches, who are not contracted, will face quick decisions regarding their future. The AFL Coaches Association is working with clubs to ensure maximum notice is given for coaching availability.

* **National Draft**
* Ideally, Carlton would keep Jack Silvagni, secure a top-10 pick for Tom De Koning, trade that pick for a quick midfielder or small forward, and then draft father-son and academy talents like Harry Dean, Jack Ison, and Tyson Gresham.
* Harry Dean is highlighted as the national draft's best key back, Ison as a skilful half-forward, and Gresham as a short but dynamic player. These additions would provide a "fresh injection of talent".
* Cody Walker, a highly promising player, is also mentioned as being draft-eligible the following year (after 2025).

* **List Management**
* Despite external criticism, list boss Nick Austin has assembled a talented list.
* The team's underperformance in 2025 was significantly impacted by injuries to key players like Sam Walsh, Charlie Curnow, Patrick Cripps, Nic Newman, and Jagga Smith.
* While there have been list errors (e.g., the high price for Zac Williams, too many small forwards), there have also been successes. Graham Wright will have more time to judge the list when it's closer to full strength.

* **Tom De Koning**
* He is widely expected to depart, likely to St Kilda, which will free up **$1.1 million in cap space** and allow the club to pursue other ruckmen like Darcy Cameron.

* **Jack Silvagni**
* His potential departure was factored into planning, with Harry O’Farrell and Harry Dean eyed for the backline. However, O'Farrell's ACL injury means the Blues will "think very strongly" about increasing their offer to keep Silvagni. If he leaves as an unrestricted free agent, Carlton could secure an end-of-first-round compensation pick.

* **Other Uncontracted Players**
* The Blues desperately need an elite small forward, as many of their current eight small forwards are not durable, effective, or reliable goal-kickers.
* Brodie Kemp is expected to sign a new deal, Motlop is considered a "keeper," and Alex Cincotta is handy back-up.
* Nick Haynes, despite being 33, will likely receive a one-year deal due to Silvagni's potential departure and O'Farrell's injury. Orazio Fantasia has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled with durability.

* **Dealing with Grumpy Players**
* The club needs to "mend some bridges" with several unhappy players, as 2025 has not been a particularly happy season.
* Graham Wright's backing of Voss suggests he believes the situation is "salvageable". If Ken Hinkley joins, his reputation as a "best man-manager" could help galvanise the group.
* Charlie Curnow, despite being contracted until 2029, is expected to "look around" during the postseason.

* **Hail Mary Offers**
* While Carlton has stated its big-name contracted players are off-limits for trade, the club will remain flexible and "listen to what’s out there" if an offer is "too good to refuse". An example given is Melbourne potentially offering Christian Petracca for Harry McKay.

* **Board Solidarity**
* The board showed solidarity by standing firm and ratifying Voss's coaching tenure for next season, which is a positive sign for first-year president Robert Priestley. The club also successfully communicated the decision to its members first.

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"IF YOU FAIL TO PREPARE, YOU'RE PREPARED TO FAIL" - Mark Spitz

It's got zero to do with “political correctness” and everything to do with pragmatism. in the past we've dropped young coaches like Ratten and Brittain, simply to take on a has been like Pagan and Malthouse respectively. And Bolton was dropped simply due to his unfortunate W/L ratio and interim coach Teague moved the needle so was kept on for another couple of seasons. Who are you after? Longmire? Godwin? Hinkley? no offence to those lifetime great coaches, but no thank-you.

Voss's W/L ratio at 54% is better than any recent Blues coach going back to Robert Walls, (my old primary school cricket coach, legend!) although lower than all other post-war Blues coaches prior to Brittain. You don't build AFL success these days by throwing away everything, even if that's what people thing Sam Mitchell and Hawkes did. You need to become successful enough to attract good trades, look at North and other seller dwellers and the riches they pull in the draft and how that doesn't necassarily lead to overnight on-field success.

Speaking of Hawkes look at what happened to Pies in the last few weeks and tonight, from flag favorite to a state of weakness where even their own players putting questions marks on their potential this year. It doesn't take much for the wheels to fall off if the list depth isn't there or the game plan either doesn't hold up or cannot be executed consistently by the players.

Clearly the players were having a crack against Freo — even in the second half ! — in a way that wasn't obvious in many other games this year. Saad seemed to be playing for his spot with a crunching tackle I'd like to see repeated every week. Same for many of them.

Yes CK , Wright is a highly respected person in AFL circles . There is no way he is going to do something that will lead to the destruction of his very own reputation . He has worked hard to get where he has , he aint gonna blow it by listening to coat pullers and urgers .

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All my dangerous friends

emphasis mine. very odd to liken Voss's coaching career to successes of Thompson and Hardwick, perhaps your LLM means likening his coaching at Blues to a couple of coaches who endured lack of success and then went on to win multiple flags?

That post-game airport presser Lloyd did this year was probably one of the worst off-field performances I've ever in the AFL. He might be great behind the scenes but that reminded me of inarticulate 70s Aussie men who couldn't put two words together if their life depended on it — and his career probably did depend on it which is why he agreed to do it. At least his brother learnt how to speak in public after a few years making a tool of himself in the media to the point he's not just another jingoistic (at times bitter) ex-player doing media.

These were the printed words ..... It positioned Michael Voss as a senior coach capable of doing what Mark Thompson and Damien Hardwick were able to achieve when their boards decided not to blink.
Both men won multiple premierships when shown faith after rocky seasons - Thompson in 2006 and Hardwick in 2016.

Put that through other LLMs ........ You may find an Agentic one which comes back with ..... This is the guy you really want

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"IF YOU FAIL TO PREPARE, YOU'RE PREPARED TO FAIL" - Mark Spitz

gotta love that Chicago style Bold font face even if the sentiments are all horse sh!t. that post is livin in the 70s!

possibly but if there's a race for a particular free-agent coach they need to be on the ball. I wouldn't choose any of the recently sacked AFL coaches to replace Voss. I think the issues go way deeper than Voss, even if he does seem to be strategically and tactically a bit limited for ideas (until last week maybe with more younger players running through the middle).

In terms of media and all that malarky, I think Voss has finally adapted to be reasonably good at one of the hardest off field jobs in AFL, coaching a major Melbourne club like Blues/Pies/Essendon**/Hawks whose members feel entitled to success. Gone are the cliches and he is pretty transparent without giving away all the inside knowledge about our players' weaknesses etc.

exactly this. three weeks does nothing except quell fan ire.

I think we can only say for sure that some coaches don't have immediate success but go on to have huge success. Fagan is another example.

Very happy with the decision.

Even though it's likely we let him go after his contract expires next year, at least we are FINALLY letting a coach see out their contact. No more knee-jerk reactions without a clear plan in place.

My theory is Wright and the board have realised that sacking Voss is unlikely to lead to a miracle turnaround next season, so let him finish his contract and work on fixing other issues in the interim.

And if it turns out Voss wasn't the problem after all, great, they can renew his contract towards the end of next year. No rush.

Exactly Bammers . I"m cooling my jets until all is revealed . We havent got the full picture yet . People need to remember Wright as a footballer was a cool calm character in heavy traffic . He wasnt a panicky turnover merchant . As he was on the football field he is off field . He aint the rush of blood to the head type .

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All my dangerous friends