Blues Under Fire: Fevola Suggests Good Friday Could Be Voss’s Last Stand
Carlton’s latest capitulation, a shocking 23-point loss to Melbourne after squandering a 43-point lead, has intensified scrutiny on coach Michael Voss, with club great Brendan Fevola suggesting that a loss to North Melbourne on Good Friday could spell the end of his tenure.
The Blues appeared to be in cruise control against the Demons, even holding Melbourne goalless until the dying minutes of the second quarter. However, a dramatic second-half turnaround saw Melbourne pile on 100 points, kicking 14 goals to four after halftime, leaving Carlton battered and bruised.
This pattern of second-half fade-outs is becoming a deeply concerning trend for the club, one that has plagued them for seasons and appears to be worsening. Earlier in the year, Carlton led Sydney at halftime in the Opening Round, only to be thrashed by 63 points. The following week, they surrendered a five-goal lead against Richmond in the third term, ultimately clinging on for a four-point victory after a dismal hour of football.
Even after a week’s break, the Blues replicated their early-season woes. They dominated the early stages against Melbourne, at one point holding a commanding 44-1 advantage in the second quarter. From that dominant position, however, they were outscored 99-33, a stark illustration of their inability to sustain performance.
The pressure on Voss, the only AFL coach out of contract at the end of 2026, is mounting. In the aftermath of the Melbourne loss, Voss expressed his frustration. “I’m pretty filthy. We’re putting ourselves in great positions and we’re handing it back,” he told reporters. “That sounds like I’m taking away something from Melbourne … but we’re also not helping ourselves. We have to own it, that’s the first thing we have to do. Today was really disappointing. I was expecting more than that and we just didn’t get the change we were after.”
Despite external calls for a fresh start, Carlton publicly backed Voss for the 2025 season.
Fevola’s Blunt Assessment: “I Would Just Quit”
Speaking on Monday, Brendan Fevola didn’t mince words, stating he would “quit” if he were in Voss’s position and the team’s fortunes continued to decline. “I was going to swear, but I thought, I better not. They’re no good,” he told The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick.
Fevola acknowledged the difficulty of solely blaming the coach. “It’s been three years… you don’t want to blame the coach and drive the bus over Vossy. When the players are out there, the players play. The coach has some say when the game goes on, but it’s up the players. It’s up to Cripps, he’s the captain, to go, ‘let’s lock it down for a couple of minutes and set up our systems’, but they just don’t know how to do it. Whether it’s the coach or the coaching staff – they’ve got coaching staff and I don’t know how good they go … I’m trying not to whack too hard.”
He questioned the team’s fitness and mental fortitude. “They mustn’t be fit enough. I was sitting with my daughter Lulu, and it was 44 to 1, and I go, ‘we will lose, you watch, we’ll lose.’ I think every Carlton supporter felt the same. When Kozzie Pickett kicked the goal with five minutes to go in the last quarter, I grabbed the kids and I left. I said I’m out of here. I walked outside and there was 50,000 Carlton supporters that had already left.”
Fevola believes the upcoming clash against North Melbourne is critical. “At the end of the day, we’re in round four, we play North Melbourne on Friday. You can’t sack the coach today because we play in four days. If they lose to North Melbourne, I would just quit. At the end of the day, it’s time for Michael … he’s a hard man, he’s not going to throw his cards [in]. We’re hopeless.”
King Questions Voss’s Path Back
North Melbourne champion David King echoed the sentiment that the latest loss could be a point of no return for Voss. “The fans’ anger towards the whole Carlton situation has just bubbled to a point now,” King told SEN on Monday. “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.”
King suggested a tipping point has been reached. “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 added, “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.”
Bartel and Hird Point to Mental Block
Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel expressed deep concern over the recurring nature of Carlton’s collapses. “It’s pretty concerning because they keep getting beaten in the exact same way,” Bartel told Nine’s Today. “Over the last 18 months, they keep getting a good lead to half time and then the concrete boots come on and they can’t get out of their own way. The opposition just put speed on the game and Melbourne were blistering.”
Bartel highlighted Voss’s struggle to find a solution. “Michael Voss, he’s always under the pump, but the concerning thing for him is he hasn’t been able to solve these second half fade outs. Voss pointed to it being a mental thing. First time I’ve heard a coach admit that it must be between the ears for his players. Their players are playing safe and the opposition are making the ground really big and exposing Carlton’s lack of foot speed and depth through the midfield. It’s a bit of personal and a bit mental for them.”
Former Essendon coach James Hird agreed with Bartel’s assessment that the issue extends beyond tactics. “In the first quarter, we saw them have the skill level to take the ball off the line,” Hird told Nine’s Footy Furnace. “I just think they freeze up. When the game gets a bit closer, all the memories come back, they get too straight down the line. There’s no doubt other sides have better capacity on the outside to run and carry, which Carlton doesn’t have this week.”
Injury Concerns Ahead of Good Friday
The Blues face a short turnaround, with just five days to recover and prepare for their Good Friday clash against North Melbourne. Their injury list has also grown, with draftee Harry Dean taken to hospital after a heavy hip knock and veteran Zac Williams likely to miss after a blow to the ribs. On a positive note, experienced defenders Nick Haynes, Nic Newman, and Adam Saad are expected to be available after participating in a VFL match on Sunday.
