![\"Jon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b41a40c453ab3b0ce85a012a2f2e71470a51efea.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 Michael Voss\u2019 coaching career is hanging by a thread after Carlton\u2019s season slipped further into the mire on Good Friday following a stunning fourth-quarter comeback by North Melbourne.<\/p>\n On a day when the \u201cSuperClash\u201d fixture doubles as a fundraiser for the Royal Children\u2019s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, the Blues let slip a 22-point lead in the final term to lose by 10 points in front of a heaving crowd of about 45,000 at Marvel Stadium.<\/p>\n The Blues appeared to have the contest in hand when they won their first third-term of the season. But the Kangaroos booted seven goals to two in the final term to win in front of a dismayed Blues\u2019 supporter base.<\/p>\n Carlton twice responded to the Kangaroos\u2019 goals early in the final term, but they could not sustain it, the Kangaroos snatching the lead for good when young star Harry Sheezel drilled a long bomb with just over three minutes remaining.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not used to winning \u2013 to come back like that is probably the best [result] so far [this season],\u201d Sheezel said.<\/p>\n \u201cI genuinely believed we were going to win that game.\u201d<\/p>\n By contrast, Blues star Sam Walsh was clearly fuming about the result.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just not good enough,\u201d he told Seven.<\/p>\n \u201c[We\u2019re] not standing up in the big moments when we need to, so we\u2019ve got a lot to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blues\u2019 latest fadeout came after a week of major introspection in the wake of the stunning loss to Melbourne, when they conceded a 43-point advantage. The Blues\u2019 inability to hang on to a lead has been a massive ongoing issue over the past year, given they are yet to find a way to handle the pressure when the game is in the balance.<\/p>\n The loss leaves the Blues with just the one win, and Voss \u2013 off contract this season \u2013 under enormous pressure to save his job.<\/p>\n Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson had said it was time for his club to take a stand in a fixture his club had spent years developing. The Roos had done well in that regard, but on-field had been woeful. This was just their second win in nine matches in this fixture, but they now genuinely appear to be a team on the rise, and boast a 3-1 record this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a crazy feeling. We stepped up in that second half,\u201d veteran midfielder Luke Parker said.<\/p>\n The Blues\u2019 loss was compounded by losing Jacob Weitering to concussion. He will miss at least Thursday\u2019s Gather Round clash against with the Crows in Adelaide after he took an accidental knee to the back of the head in a marking contest by Zane Duursma.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The robust full-back failed the concussion test after leaving the field and will be a huge out against the powerful Crows forwards. Weitering\u2019s absence in the final term also contributed to the Blues\u2019 malaise.<\/p>\n Voss had said he was confident the Blues could \u201cvery quickly\u201d rebound from their second-half woes this season. So much for that.<\/p>\n They had outscored their opponents only five times in third-quarters from their past 26 games before this contest, but skipper Patrick Cripps set the tone. He had only six touches to the main break but had four early in the third as the Blues pressed.<\/p>\n The Hollands brothers, Elijah and Ollie, found plenty of the ball, while Harry McKay was a presence inside attacking 50. The Blues\u2019 intensity was palpable. They had only 13 tackles to the main break, but 24 alone in the third term.<\/p>\n Kangaroos\u2019 half-back Colby McKercher was the leading possession winner to half-time, but had only three in the third term, prompting Clarkson to forearm him in the chest at the final break, urging a more combative approach.<\/p>\n Tagger Finn O\u2019Sullivan had the job on Blues runner Sam Walsh, his second cousin. They had a fascinating battle, but O\u2019Sullivan ultimately prevailed.<\/p>\n The Blues were in obvious trouble when Paul Curtis drilled his 50-metre bomb with just over four minutes remaining.<\/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![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/6d5888af91eb1a5857dbe1756926fff171315cc4.jpeg\")
Michael Voss (right) watched his side let another game slip against North Melbourne on Good Friday.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Dejected:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c5cda50cb341896200b3a1f41b1c05067febcfa1.jpeg\")
Dejected: Sam Walsh and the Blues trudge off Marvel Stadium.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Alastair](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ec08ae959675db3fb14788bff8a6b0c2dde8fdd7.jpeg\")
Alastair Clarkson\u2019s young side is maturing before his eyes.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Jon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773472229_978_b41a40c453ab3b0ce85a012a2f2e71470a51efea.png\")
Jon Pierik<\/a> is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.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":582527,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-582526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582526","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=582526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/582527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=582526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=582526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=582526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}