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August 2, 2026 \u2014 1:56am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Under Josh Fraser, Carlton have learnt to seize the moment. It\u2019s time their interim coach did the same.<\/p>\n Fraser will decide this week if he puts his hat in the ring for the top job. He\u2019d be mad not to.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t put my hand up for the job yet,\u201d Fraser said with a chuckle after the Blues marked the 250th games of Patrick Cripps and Nick Haynes with a stunning 76-point obliteration of the Brisbane Lions, 24.10 (154) to 11.12 (78).<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke about this in the press conference during the week that I\u2019ll take a little bit of time [to decide].<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m mindful that I\u2019ve said that previously and that decision\u2019s getting closer, but, post that press conference, my sole focus has been on tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Unless you\u2019re David Parkin (or Alex Jesaulenko and a couple of others from before the Great Depression), you only get one chance to coach Carlton \u2013 and Fraser may never get a better opportunity to realise his aspiration of landing a senior role.<\/p>\n Perhaps Fraser would like more time to be the finished article, but not many coaches go into a selection process having been at the helm of four clubs at state league level, and put together a 9-2 run as an interim senior AFL coach.<\/p>\n He has put the Blues in the driver\u2019s seat to claim what three months ago seemed the unlikeliest of wildcard slots.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cI\u2019m almost convinced that you\u2019re never a finished produced in terms of being ready [for a senior role], but I\u2019m open-minded to how I keep getting better,\u201d Fraser said.<\/p>\n The Blues job would have to be one of the most sought after posts in recent times. New coaches tend to take over a club at or near disrepair, in need of a rebuild.<\/p>\n Carlton bosses may not believe their list is ready to regularly beat the best, but nor is it in need of an overhaul like Essendon, the other club searching for a coach<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Blues\u2019 side against the Lions had six players aged 21 or under, all of whom played important roles. Smith will likely win the Rising Star award, and cult figure defender Harry Dean, who had the crowd in raptures with his first goal, will finish on the podium.<\/p>\n Cody Walker will join them after the draft, and with North Melbourne\u2019s and Gold Coast\u2019s second-round picks to come, plus another two first-round selections next year, they have the means to acquire further top-end talent.<\/p>\n The Carlton community were all aboard the ill-fated Teague train<\/a> seven years ago. It\u2019s standing room only on the Fraser freight train.<\/p>\n The near 41,000 fans in a partisan Blues crowd roared as one on Saturday night when Fraser emerged on the big screen congratulating his players.<\/p>\n The warmth with which his men embraced him brought back memories of the player power behind Paul Roos\u2019s promotion in 2002.<\/p>\n Blues players, of course, will not have a say in who will coach them next year, but Fraser is building a compelling case.<\/p>\n It has been a long time since Carlton played as complete a home-and-away game as this turbocharged performance.<\/p>\n The Blues\u2019 calling card is contest and clearance but seldom has it been accompanied by the electrifying ball movement, ferocious pressure and clean skills shown against the Lions. No wonder Marvel Stadium was rocking.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like we had 19 out there tonight,\u201d Mitch McGovern said.<\/p>\n Related Article Headed by an equal career-best of five goals from Brodie Kemp, Carlton had a joint league record 16 goalkickers for their tally of 24, a sign of how Fraser has taught his men to spread the load after the departure of Charlie Curnow.<\/p>\n It was fitting that in Cripps\u2019 milestone game, the Blues strapped the captain on their backs rather than have their leader carry them to victory. Despite Cripps being shaded by old foe Josh Dunkley, who held him to 18 possessions, the Blues dominated the midfield.<\/p>\n The Lions could not stop Jagga Smith, who finished with 29 possessions and two goals. His capacity to win the ball inside and get it moving was a key factor in the game.<\/p>\n The first-season star, whose 2025 was wiped out by a knee injury, claimed the Robert Walls Medal, though either of his running mates Sam Walsh or George Hewett would have been worthy winners of the award struck in honour of the Carlton great and former Brisbane Bears coach.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re at a stage where we don\u2019t need him to be our best player each week,\u201d Fraser said of Cripps.<\/p>\n \u201cNot to say that he\u2019s not going to have games where he\u2019s influential, and he\u2019s had those games for us, but part of where we\u2019re going in terms of leaving his club in a better place is making sure that other players assume responsibility, and \u2018Crippa\u2019 doesn\u2019t feel like he has to do everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Under former coach Michael Voss, particularly as they slid to a 1-8 record, the Blues could not identify key points in games to manage momentum swings. This has changed under Fraser, who is bedding down a style at 10-10 which values control of the game through the retention of possession.<\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 three late goals before half-time after a powerful 20 minutes may have unravelled Carlton earlier this year, but not now.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just understanding the moments and the time of the game,\u201d Fraser said.<\/p>\n As D-Day for Fraser looms, those words could just as easily apply to him.<\/p>\n<\/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![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e436a097bc2623b30f9c5b02ab39fbe717702bb1.jpeg\")
Josh Fraser\u2019s record as Blues interim coach is impossible to ignore.AFL Photos<\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2257c9e55ca2397beb1c6d299c2e8a7dd5c96026.jpeg\")
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Nick Haynes and Patrick Cripps were both chaired off after their 250th games.AFL Photos<\/p>\n