Carlton caretaker coach Josh Fraser is gaining momentum to get the role permanently after a statement 76-point in over Brisbane as he prepares to make a call on officially entering the process.
The Blues’ domination of the reigning back-to-back premiers at Marvel Stadium saw the club improve to 9-2 under Fraser and claim 10th spot on the ladder in a remarkable turnaround.
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Fraser in the coming days will make a decision on whether he wants to throw his hat in the ring for the Carlton role after the club settled on a shortlist of candidates.
Though Saturday night’s powerhouse victory over the Lions has clearly put Fraser in the box seat for the gig, if he wants it.
“It’s Josh’s job … Josh Fraser deserves to be Carlton’s next coach,” chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark said on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.
“There’s been a complete transformation at this football club, both defensively and offensively, and they annihilated the Brisbane Lions.
“So, the next couple of days Josh Fraser will decide whether he’s going to formally put his hand up. I expect that he will.
“Carlton certainly strongly hope that he does.”
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That dismantling of the Lions marked Carlton’s biggest win this season as it put a massive 154 points on the board with 16 goalkickers in the club’s best showing under Fraser.
It came after Fraser’s father, Bill, passed away on Thursday as the family navigates the tragic loss.
Such is Fraser’s “selfless” nature, the Blues interim coach was “adamant” he was still going to lead the team on Saturday night and didn’t want his own circumstances to distract the team.
“This hasn’t been an easy few days for Josh Fraser and the Fraser family. Bill was a popular farmer from Mansfield. Sincere condolences to the Fraser family,” Clark said.
“I spoke to the Blues today and had their permission to talk about this and say that Josh Fraser was absolutely adamant in the build up to Saturday night’s game that he was going to coach against the Lions.
“Clearly a difficult situation for him. The Blues have talked about how incredibly selfless he was throughout that 48 hours. He didn’t want his own grief and mourning to distract the players from their goal on Saturday night.
“They say his strength of character throughout this time has been unbelievable, really, and even facing the press on Saturday night.
“It underlines what it so great about this man. Clearly he has another few difficult days ahead and that is also now laced with the fact that he has to make a decision on whether he wants to go for the permanent coaching job or not.”
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Fraser’s team-first attitude certainly shone through post-match.
He was sure to credit milestone Blues Patrick Cripps and Nick Haynes, as well as the coaching team around him.
“Can I shout out our coaching group, too? Like, I’m sitting up here talking about me, but our coaching group is doing a great job,” Fraser said.
“Ash Hansen, Leigh Adams, Timmy Clarke, Jordy Russell down on the bench and our development crew.
“They’re doing an incredible job. They’ve been enormous for us.”
Fraser confirmed he’d “come to a decision this week” on whether he’ll enter the Blues coaching process.
“I’m really enjoying the opportunity. My aim at the start of this was to help the club move forward, and I feel like in this process I’m learning so much about myself,” he said.
“I’m almost convinced that you’re never a finished product in terms of being ready, but I’m open-minded about how I keep getting better with this.
“But I’ll have to make a decision soon.”