![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6c8c1aa4ad1909b3225d6a80371d7a8b88d4a653.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Carlton coach Michael Voss has brushed aside mounting external pressure, insisting his focus remains on an immediate on-field response as the Blues scramble to arrest an early season slide.<\/p>\n But an otherwise remarkably calm Voss did bristle when asked whether he would be better off coaching from the box rather than the boundary line.<\/p>\n Fronting the media after another frustrating defeat and before a crunch game against North Melbourne on Friday, Voss presented as composed and measured, despite growing scrutiny over his position and the club\u2019s inability to close out games. The Blues have now made a habit of fading late, with second-half lapses emerging as a defining concern across the opening rounds.<\/a><\/p>\n Yet Voss showed little sign of being a coach under siege.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t give three-day updates,\u201d he said when asked directly about his future. \u201cWhat you tend to focus on is what the next game looks like for us \u2026 I only have gratitude and perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Essendon great Matthew Lloyd and former Cats star Jimmy Bartel both questioned if the boundary line was an appropriate and effective spot to coach from for Voss, given the structural deficiencies in the Blues\u2019 tactics.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It was the only time during Wednesday\u2019s media conference that Voss appeared perturbed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a coaching group. Some have eyes up there and some sit on the interchange bench. I can\u2019t even believe that\u2019s a conversation to be honest with you,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n Carlton\u2019s issues are no longer isolated. They are patterned.<\/p>\n For weeks, the Blues have struggled to sustain performance across four quarters, with Voss conceding the problem is both clear and persistent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as obvious to you as it is to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The club has explored structural tweaks, method adjustments and mindset shifts in a bid to address the drop-offs, but Voss admitted there was no quick fix.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no silver bullet either. It\u2019s through repetition and consistency that we get the change.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Internally, the messaging has shifted subtly. After describing himself as \u201cfilthy\u201d post-game<\/a>, Voss revealed the club has since leaned into a more optimistic review, focusing on incremental gains rather than wholesale overhaul.<\/p>\n Carlton believe elements of their revamped game style are beginning to take hold \u2013 even if the results are yet to reflect that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re probably taking a bit of approach around the glass half-full because there\u2019s lots of positives out of what we\u2019ve been able to do,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n But the coach could not ignore the reality confronting his side: the inability to execute when it matters most.<\/p>\n Breakdowns across short bursts \u2013 \u201c13 minutes, four minutes, six minutes\u201d \u2013 have repeatedly proven costly. In modern football, those lapses are decisive.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game doesn\u2019t ask you to play for 115 minutes. It asks you to play for 120,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n The Blues\u2019 challenge, then, is sustained execution \u2013 a message Voss is reinforcing internally, while also placing responsibility back onto his leadership group.<\/p>\n In the aftermath of the loss, senior players including Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh and Jacob Weitering were encouraged to take ownership of the response<\/a>, a move Voss framed as essential to long-term growth rather than a one-off circuit breaker.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big believer \u2026 I\u2019d rather go out and do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Carlton\u2019s leaders will again be central this week, with Voss declaring the club\u2019s focus is not just on securing four points, but embedding \u201cwinning behaviours\u201d that can stand up under pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s signs of encouragement, but there\u2019s also been signs of disappointment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a bridge, and we\u2019ve got to bridge it pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n That urgency sharpens heading into a quick turnaround against North, with Carlton facing both expectation and opportunity.<\/p>\n Selection looms as a key lever.<\/p>\n Voss confirmed midfielder Adam Cerra will make his long-awaited return from injury in what will be his first game since round 21 last year, while Nic Newman and Wade Derksen remain in contention to replace concussed defender Harry Dean.<\/p>\n Related Article Nick Haynes, Jordan Boyd and Adam Saad are also in the mix after showing solid form in the VFL.<\/p>\n Media were allowed to watch the first 15 minutes of training. One of the few positives early in the year for the Blues is availability. Outside of Jesse Motlop and Harry O\u2019Farrell \u2013 both are recovering from ACL injuries \u2013 the club has a full squad to pick from.<\/p>\n The selection squeeze highlights both Carlton\u2019s depth and their unsettled form, with Voss balancing the need for continuity against the demand for immediate improvement.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Blues](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/da1fad972b73896078d1dcc1f5381a5d8cdbebef.jpeg\")
Blues coach Michael Voss is under pressure after a poor start to the season.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n![\"Ready](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775029102_834_7ebefe1b018a3445d4ca6ef7e0290f148bd6f2c4.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a3827ce137a61e7a30b9cb3671a80689f474c72d.jpeg\")
Adam Cerra is set to return for the Blues.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Beleaguered](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775029103_886_c6beaa1e42e3502a6829764edefe1c1244957d32.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773990913_58_6c8c1aa4ad1909b3225d6a80371d7a8b88d4a653.png\")
Sam McClure<\/a> is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-578071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}