For three decades, the ultimate success has eluded Carlton.

But while fans grow exponentially frustrated about its stagnancy, the club is in the midst of a transitional phase that will require more patience from its hungry supporter base.

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Because after a disappointing nine-win campaign capped by the departures of stars Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, it’d take the most optimistic of diehards to project a big bounce-back into contention.

The expanded finals format will have fans dreaming of a September return after forays in 2023 — which produced a preliminary final berth — and 2024, but most believe this isn’t a side that’ll contend for the silverware in the short term.

However, after cashing in on the departures of the aforementioned trio, the blueprint for the future is crystallising.

Top draft picks from the past two years, Jagga Smith and Harry Dean, plus impending father-son gem Cody Walker, are set to buoy the Blues for the next decade-plus.

For now, Smith partners with star Sam Walsh — who’s recommitted for another eight years — in the midfield, Dean will combine with gun stopper Jacob Weitering, and off-season additions Will Hayward and Ben Ainsworth bring forward-half variance in a unit now spearheaded by Harry McKay.

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And at the helm, entering his fifth season at Carlton, remains Michael Voss, who was allowed to coach into the final year of his contract — but could quickly come under fire if things go awry in the early stages of the season.

The 50-year-old, who holds a 46-43 record as Blues’ boss, is evidently working with an overhauled list, with Ollie Florent, Liam Reidy and Campbell Chesser also among the new recruits.

It comes after a campaign that didn’t come close to meeting expectations, and, speaking at the club’s best-and-fairest awards night late last year, Voss was sharply critical of his ability to cultivate a winning formula at Princes Park.

The two-time senior coach said the club culturally defeated itself in 2025, with Voss putting himself at the forefront of that brutal reality in a candid explanation.

“Ultimately, our job as coaches is to provide the environment that gets the best out of everyone, and I clearly didn’t do that,” a reflective Voss told Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon in a pre-season sitdown.

“There’s a multitude of ways (why that didn’t happen) — there’s a bit about playing group, maybe there’s some things around how we enjoy our environment more as we’re demanding more from each other. There’s a lot about that.

“There are some things around our pre-season — we thought we had a really robust pre-season (last year), I look back at that now on reflection and think ‘we had a really strong pre-season, but obviously we missed a key part of some things we needed to get better at’.

“So, as a leader, you always feel like you’re the first point of call. If change is going to happen, it has to happen from you, down.

“That was an important statement to make. And then the culturally defeated ourselves (part) was just more around the heaviness we all felt.

“We were all feeling this weight of responsibility, maybe a weight of history, the need to want to be good now, and not fulfilling what those expectations were.”

FULL CHAT HERE: Voss explains why Blues were ‘culturally defeated’ in 2025 — Fox Footy Face to Face

Dillon pays tribute to Dennis Cometti | 00:48

Curnow’s high-profile exit certainly leaves a void in the forward half, but it also creates a great opportunity for a more diverse contribution at the Blues.

Voss explained that his side will have more options at its disposal this year, not only because of those that have arrived at the club, but also names that weren’t always readily available in 2025.

“Harry (McKay) played half the year last year, Brodie Kemp played five games, Elijah (Hollands) played five games, (Matt) Cottrell played six games,” Voss said.

“Then we add Hayward and Ainsworth into that mix with a young Hudson O’Keeffe and a (Ashton) Moir … so it’s very, very new.

“What we hope we’ve got is a very dynamic group, a few different attributes, and we’ve got a few different ways we can score.

“So, if we’ve had some criticism about the way we’ve played … (that) it’s being channelled through a couple of people – that won’t be the case this year, we’ll be looking for different avenues to be able to score, and we feel like we’ve got the scoring power to be able to do that.”

Jagga Smith set for Carlton debut | 02:10

While the dangerous Swans await first up in Opening Round, the Blues can get off to a positive start with ensuing clashes with Richmond, Melbourne and North Melbourne.

Nobody knows more than Voss that scrutiny is headed his way if Carlton starts the season poorly, especially with the shrewd Graham Wright now at the wheel.

But despite the merciless nature of the job, the former champion player still loves coaching.

“I absolutely love it. At times, I don’t, so it’s like a love-hate relationship at times,” laughed Voss to Lyon.

“But, look, I think when you step into coaching … is that when you walk into a game, there’s this feeling that you have before a game — you can’t describe it — you could win, you could lose. I love that feeling.

“That sort of gets me back, as well as trying to win games and trying to make players better. That feeling I have before a game that I guess is anxiety, a little bit of stress, maybe some nerves — but whether you win or you lose, and being on that edge, I don’t know.

“There’s something that’s just … it’s an addiction that keeps bringing you back.”

Hawthorn get perfect result at tribunal | 04:14

STRENGTH

Contest. Under Michael Voss, the Blues have established a long-term brand predicated on contested ball, and they were at the very top end last year. Led by Patrick Cripps and George Hewett, Carlton topped the competition for contested possessions per game with 137.7. The Blues were also fourth for pre-clearance equity points, according to renowned model Wheelo Ratings — which implements AFL Player Ratings — behind the Bulldogs, Gold Coast and Brisbane. They were also a top-five clearance side in 2025 and third for clearance differential, notching a league-best first possession rate.

WEAKNESS

Ball movement. Carlton was hard-pressed last year trying to string together offensive chains. In particular, the Blues struggled moving the ball from the backline, ranking in the bottom five for defensive-half scores — better than only Port Adelaide, Richmond, Essendon and West Coast. Instead, the majority of their scoring came from the forward half source. “If you want to play fast, and you haven’t got players who can run fast, you’ve got a bit of a problem,” Voss said. “I think it’d be fair criticism to say that we’ve played too safe at times. And I don’t suppose that we’re not going to make mistakes in that, but you’ve got to have humility in your offence as well.” The Blues will regain precise ball-user Nic Newman after his 2025 season was cruelled by a ruptured patella tendon, while rebounder Florent crosses over from the Swans. “Know the moments to take it on through the middle, (and) the licence of certain players to be able to do so. So, we’ve spent a fair bit of time on that throughout the pre-season — that’s certainly where we’ve spent a lot of our minutes,” Voss continued. “Understanding each other, what we bring to the table, how we’re different to others … that’s the education, but the system has to match the personnel, and I feel like we’ve spent a lot of energy in that space, getting that right.”

Miller: ‘I don’t know about nightmares’ | 00:47

PREMIERSHIP CLOCK

6pm: The backwards step the Blues took last year was undeniable and concerning, and the loss of three star contributors doesn’t help their list stature. However, there is justified excitement around the names they’ve brought in to offset that, plus Smith’s highly likely emergence as one of the game’s premier young midfield talents. And while times have changed, 16 players from that 2023 preliminary final side remain at the club. Voss goes into this season as the coach under the most pressure in the competition, so we’ll soon find out just how much this group is invested in the Brisbane Lions champion as their leader.

PREDICTED LADDER RANGE

10th-13th

OPENING RD TEAM

B: O.Florent, J.Weitering, L.Young
HB: H.Dean, M.McGovern, A.Saad
C: O.Hollands, P.Cripps – C, W.Hayward
HF: L.Fogarty, H.McKay, B.Ainsworth
F: J.Smith, B.Kemp, A.Moir
Foll: M.Pittonet, G.Hewett, S.Walsh
Int: Z.Williams, L.Reidy, E.Hollands, C.Chesser, C.Lord
Emg: T.Byrne, H.O’Keeffe, J.Boyd