Michael Voss and The Gabba will always be synonymous with one another.
It’s the ground where Voss built his reputation as one of the finest players to ever play the game and the ground he turned into his playground.
After leading his all-conquering team to premiership glory three times, Voss almost had the keys to the city of Brisbane.
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But on Saturday, he enters the Lion’s den a self-proclaimed “Carlton person” with the intent to do what no side has done in 2023: Travel to the Gabba and leave with the win.
It’s funny sometimes how football comes full circle.
The last time Carlton played at the Gabba in September was in 2009. Voss, then, was in the Lions’ coaches box as his Lions ran over the top of the Blues to win a thriller.
Now Voss is in the Blues’ coaches box. Behind enemy lines, returning ‘home’, aiming to dethrone the one side he has yet to record a victory over as coach.
And yet it’s wild to think it was only 12 weeks ago Voss was being run out of town by the Carlton community.
Sitting a lowly 15th, the Blues’ 2023 campaign had all the elements of another false dawn. Another wasted era in the wilderness loomed.
Yet Voss, with all his experience as a big-time player and steeled by his previous senior coaching shortcomings a decade ago, dug deep. And his skills, resilience and playing list arrested the fortunes of his Blues.
His players and assistant coaches walk taller in his presence.
It was the simple message of “be better” that inspired the Blues surge.
“It was led by Vossy,” defensive coach Aaron Hamill said this week.
“Clearly, it was not the first time he’s been through challenges. Any coach goes through it, any coaching group goes through it and probably every club goes through it.
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“But he was really consistent and methodical in his approach. He didn’t waiver and he didn’t bend at all on what we needed to get after because it was really obvious what we needed to get after.
“Our message was really consistent, keep creating the environment for the players to flourish. Credit to them, they bought in and they were well led by our leaders at the footy club.”
Two Blues stars have lifted the lid on the messaging and leadership Voss displayed to guide the Blues to their first preliminary final in 23 years.
“His leadership has been magnificent,” Blues forward Lachie Fogarty told foxfooty.com.au this week.
“During those tough times he really locked in and stayed the course and made us believe in what we were doing.”
Superstar Charlie Curnow added: “He’s been awesome.
“The way he played his footy was highly contested … He’s been amazing, but he’s also put a lot of faith in us.”
The Blues earlier this year were struggling to score and move the football. But Voss was resolute that his side’s defence needed to improve to stack up with the best teams in the competition.
“Everyone was talking about our offence because we weren’t scoring enough but he was certain that it was our defence that needed to step up,” Fogarty said.
“That’s what we really focused on, along with our contest and pressure, and I guess we’ve seen the rewards from that.
“He made things really simple, didn’t overcomplicate anything. His clarity around the roles and what’s expected of each individual … Everyone knows what is required of them on game day and the standards they need to perform.”
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It was that clarity and confidence he instilled in his charges that guided the Blues through a “full on” period of the year.
But Curnow believes Voss putting a further emphasis on the team values of contest and pressure ultimately elevated Carlton’s performances.
With the carrot of big finals dangling in the distance, the Blues had something to chase.
“He’s put a high importance on contest and pressure because that’s where finals are at. I’ve definitely realised how important those two things are during the finals series,” Curnow said.
“He’s been amazing, but he’s also put a lot of faith in us.
“Our last 10 weeks leading into finals were quite full on and strenuous.
“Pressure was high, we needed to win games, we were in front of big crowds … Him backing us in gave us the confidence to perform in those games.”
Fogarty agreed with Hamill’s assessment that Voss’ approach didn’t waiver or change drastically. Even amid the excitement of preparing for a preliminary final, the approach inside the four walls is akin to “what we were doing in Round 10”.
“With what we’re chasing, there’s excitement coming in, but Vossy is pretty good at normalising it all,” Fogarty said.
“It’s the same as what we were doing in Round 10, it doesn’t really change too much. Really clear and concise, which is good.”
Voss and Carlton would be familiar with pressure. Having been through the ringer and climbing out of the depths, the Blues find themselves two wins away from the pinnacle.
“One of Vossy’s greatest strengths is his resilience, there’s no doubt about that,” Hamill said.
“He’s got a really clear plan of where he wants to get to. Our job is to support that and support the game plan and implement it. The more than we can do that, the more we can take the pressure off him because it’s a tough gig. There’s only 18 of them.
“We’ve got quite an experienced assistant coaching group. We’ve all coached our own teams in our own right at VFL level. It’s just a matter of jumping in and helping out and alleviating that pressure.
“The conversations we had were around that. But he’s been very good in terms of delegating. He’s brought a good understanding of what he needs to delegate and when to step in. That’s his greatest strength.”
