Carlton’s sharp rise since the departure of coach Michael Voss has been staggering, winning seven games in a row under caretaker coach Josh Fraser, including wins against Geelong, Western Bulldogs and GWS in Sydney.
They’ve risen from the bottom four to back in the finals hunt, which has put Fraser firmly in the conversation for the job long term, even though he has consistently stated he does not want the role.
Josh Fraser addresses the Carlton playing group. AFL
However, while it has been all smiles at Princes Park for two months now, things are about to get tougher.
Back in the hunt for a wildcard spot or even a place in the top eight, the pressure is well and truly back on Carlton to continue performing.
They have a difficult fixture to close the season, playing Hawthorn, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Brisbane, St Kilda, Bulldogs and Fremantle from here.
The Hawks, Lions and Dockers are genuine premiership contenders, while the Pies, Suns, Saints and Dogs will all be fighting for their own spot inside the top 10.
Hawthorn great Isaac Smith believes the Blues’ bubble may be about to pop, predicting them to only win two of their final seven games.
“If they play the way they played against Richmond, I reckon they’re all danger games coming up,” Smith told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“I say they win two of their last seven games.
“I can understand why Josh hasn’t put his hand up (for the job). I reckon he’s sat back and analysed the fixture when he first took over … he didn’t know he was going to win seven in a row, but he would’ve thought ‘these last seven games are dangerous and I don’t want to put my hand in the race yet, I’m just going to sit back and see how it unfolds’.”
Carlton held on to narrowly beat Richmond by two points in an ugly affair in round 17.
Former Western Bulldogs star Nathan Brown believes Fraser might just become an unbackable favourite for the coaching job if the Blues take down Hawthorn and Collingwood across the next fortnight.
“I think it’s the storyline of the year. The Blues under Josh Fraser are 7-0 and now they’ve got Hawthorn, Collingwood and then Gold Coast and they don’t leave Victoria for the rest of the season,” Brown said.
“It’s going to be hard to see how Josh Fraser doesn’t get this role if he beats Hawthorn and Collingwood in the next two weeks.”
Smith disagrees however saying pure win-loss results won’t “necessarily” be the deciding factor for Carlton.
Essendon legend James Hird agrees, saying there are too many other factors when hiring a head coach to just look at win-loss over a small sample size period.
“I don’t think it is a tipping point. I think if you win every game, it probably is, but I don’t think just winning and losing decides whether he gets that job,” Hird said.