A New Era for Carlton
Since parting ways with coach Michael Voss, Carlton has experienced a positive shift in performance. The team has managed to win consecutive games, marking a significant turnaround. However, the current caretaker coach, Josh Fraser, has made it clear that he does not intend to take on the role permanently beyond 2026.
Throughout AFL history, there have been several instances where caretaker coaches have taken over and eventually earned the top job due to their strong performances following a sacking. For example, Carlton itself saw a similar situation when they dismissed Brendon Bolton in 2019. David Teague took charge for the rest of the season and was ultimately appointed as the permanent head coach.
Fraser, who joined Carlton from Collingwood at the end of 2025 as an assistant coach, made his stance clear after Voss’ sacking. He stated that he would lead the Blues through the remainder of the season but would not pursue the long-term coaching position. The former star ruckman admitted he doesn’t believe he’s ready for the senior coaching role: “This is not my job,” he said.
Despite this, Carlton’s season has shown a noticeable improvement in the last fortnight. Under Fraser’s guidance, the team defeated the Western Bulldogs and then Port Adelaide on the road. Although both victories were by significant margins, they could have been even more decisive if not for some inaccuracy.
The Blues are clearly adopting a new game style, which contrasts with their 1-8 start to the season under Voss. This change includes taking the game on through forward handball and ball movement, aligning more with the modern game. They are also focusing on controlling the ball by foot when necessary.
After the win over Port Adelaide, Fraser remained consistent in his position. “No, no. I’ll be pretty consistent with my answer in that regard,” he said on Saturday night. “I’m learning a lot. I’m determined at the end of this opportunity to be better placed than what I am now. But my focus is pretty narrow: I’m looking forward to reviewing the game and getting back to work.”
Following their match against Geelong in round 12, the fixture opens up for Carlton as they face Essendon, GWS, West Coast, and Richmond around their bye. However, even in the best-case scenario where they build momentum towards the wildcard round, Collingwood champion Tony Shaw believes the Blues cannot appoint Fraser as head coach.
Shaw feels the job is too demanding to entrust to someone who isn’t certain about their readiness for it. “I’ll tell you right now, and this is no disrespect, I know Josh well, but he said he doesn’t want (the job),” the Magpies legend told 3AW on Sunday. “No matter what happens across the rest of the year, they cannot (give him the job) because the bloke himself has said he’s not ready for it.”
Shaw believes the recent wins by Carlton are partly due to the freedom that comes with the removal of an under-pressure senior coach. “The senior coach, who has a big say in whether you’re going to be at the club next year is gone, and with an interim coach you don’t have that fear,” Shaw said. “And let me tell you there’s probably eight to nine players on every list in the AFL right now who think they won’t be on the list next year, who don’t like the coach, there’d be another eight or nine in and out all the time who also don’t like the coach.”
“You’ve got this balance now where that is gone. That’s the freedom they’ve got a little bit more now, like George Hewett.”
Richmond champion Matthew Richardson agreed, expressing his interest in seeing if the Blues can maintain their momentum against a quality team like Geelong. “The shackles have been released and the weight of the world comes off your shoulders (after a coach is sacked),” Richardson said. “It’s been a big cloud over the club for at least 18 months with speculation weekly after every loss about Voss and it does weigh down the players, there’s no doubt about it.”
“They would be feeling somewhat relieved the last couple of weeks with a bit more freedom. But let’s wait and see how they perform Friday night against Geelong. If they match the Cats for four quarters you can probably say they’re turning things around.”
“On the form ladder for time in front under Voss, they were third. They were in front a lot, it’s not like they were playing horrible football, they just couldn’t win.”
