Interim Carlton coach Josh Fraser says former coach Michael Voss’s fingerprints were all over their win over the Bulldogs as he seeks to ensure the result is not just a “sugar hit”.
The Blues broke through for just their second win of the season in Fraser’s first game in charge.
He revealed he had exchanged text messages with Voss, saying the former coach was “proud”.
“His (Voss’s) fingerprints were all over last week’s result – I was really pleased for the players and hopefully ‘Vossy’ found some joy in seeing a victory as well,” Fraser said.
He added he hoped the team could build off the result, saying the coaching staff and the club know where they’re heading.
“We’ve got such a long way to go, it’s about building habits and ensuring that last week wasn’t just the sugar hit that people have been speaking about,” he said.
“I’ve got confidence in our group, in the way they’re approaching their football, that we cannot only sustained what we produced but build on that. That’ll be our challenge, we haven’t been able to do to that until this point.
“There is a good energy among the group, and there’s a strong determination to getting better.”
Fraser said the Blues were also trying to play a more aggressive style.
“I’ve heard a little bit that it didn’t look too different – I thought parts of the game did. Our consistency over four quarters looked and felt different, the way we were able to manage the game late was different,” he said.
“We’re trying to play a more aggressive style with the ball, which is coming through in parts of the game – that’s not yet consistent, that’s what we’ve got to continue to get to work on.
“I spoke last week about it: as a footy club, we’re continuing to evolve and part of that will be exposing players to different roles and positions. I thought there were some subtle changes last week which should fill us with some confidence.”
Originally published as AFL 2026: Vossy’s fingerprints all over Carlton’s win over Bulldogs, Fraser says