When Michael Voss was appointed coach of Carlton after two middling full seasons under David Teague, then Carlton president Luke Sayers said the three-time Brisbane premiership skipper, also an experienced assistant and senior coach, had the attributes needed to fulfil the untapped potential on the Blues’ list.
“We have done that [coaching change] because we believe, right at this period of time, that Michael is the best leader and the best coach to get what we believe is the untapped potential within our playing group,” Sayers, flanked by chief executive Brian Cook and Voss, said.
“Michael is a person of great integrity, of great values. He knows what success and high-performance looks and feels like and, if you strip it back, he is a real people’s person with good EQ and very good relational skill sets, and when we look at our list, we think our list is really poised for great things when married up with those attributes and those skill sets which Vossy has in spades.”
What next: Blues coach Michael Voss has much to ponder over the mid-season bye.Credit: AFL Photos
Sayers made those comments in September 2021. Three-and-a-half seasons later, the potential of the Blues’ list remains just that – untapped.
Has a spine that features Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps and Coleman medallists Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay achieved what they should have? Has the list has already been maxed out, that potential Sayers’ spoke about having never been truly realised by fulfilling a premiership dream?
As the clock ticked down at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, it dawned on supporters that the Blues were back to where they were at the mid-point of 2023 – fighting for respectability, let alone making the finals. They are 4-7 this year, and 17-18 since they ceded a 30-point lead and lost the 2023 preliminary final to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. In hindsight, was that this group’s high point?
They have won just six of their past 20 games (including an elimination final defeat last year), of which there have been two wins apiece against lowly North Melbourne and West Coast. Geelong and St Kilda have been their only other victories.
The problems
The Blues have a taxing game plan built on contested possession and winning stoppage, but they lack outside speed and creativity. The dashing Swans and Giants have highlighted that over the past fortnight. The Blues won contested ball, clearance and inside-50s on Saturday, yet were still beaten. Is that a result of fatigue from their bang-crash game?
Small forward Jesse Motlop and wingman Ollie Hollands have been used at the coalface to help provide speed, but neither has excelled. Indeed, it was a surprise that Motlop was not dropped last weekend, as he has barely been touching the ball.
Commentator Kane Cornes summed it up thus: “They have too many plodders who cannot run”.
Curnow has 24 goals this season; McKay, in a year impacted by personal issues, has nine. Have they done enough, or are they victims of poor ball use?
“I don’t think Charlie Curnow fights as hard as he should … when Charlie is getting beaten I see him roll over far too often compared to champions like Jeremy Cameron and Jesse Hogan of recent years,” goalkicking great Matthew Lloyd told Footy Classified.
The Blues need to improve their forward 50 connection, as they are one of the least efficient sides in the competition in this area. They are the league’s worst kicking team, and 18th for scores per inside 50, opting to belt the ball forward, or go down the line, far too often.
The best teams are using handball from defence, the Magpies excelling in this, even though it has impacted their prime recruit Dan Houston, one of the best kicks in the business.
The solutions
One suggestion could be to inject Adam Saad into the midfield. The speedy left-footer can chip kick on angles, making the Blues less predictable and perhaps helping Curnow and McKay find space on the lead.
Big-picture wise, the Blues may need to get creative if they want a first-round pick in what recruiters say is a modest draft crop this year. The Hawks’ own the Blues’ first-round selection after Nick Austin and his team traded up to No.3 last year to nab Jagga Smith, who tore his ACL in the pre-season and will the entire campaign.
However, should Tom De Koning accept the riches on offer from St Kilda, who are dangling a whopping $1.7 million-a-year deal, the Blues will secure not only a first-round draft pick through free agent compensation, but their bulging salary cap will also be eased.
Cornes has suggested Sam Walsh should be up for trade, questioning whether the midfielder has reached his potential. At 24, the 2021 best and fairest and All-Australian, and the league’s best finals player of 2023, is contracted until the end of 2026.
Fellow commentators Nick Riewoldt and David King say McKay should also be on the trade list if there is interest. “I think there is absolutely a market for him,” Riewoldt told The Agenda Setters.
Change at the top
New chief executive Graham Wright, who will replace Cook within months, knows when it’s time for change, and exited then Collingwood coach and club great Nathan Buckley in as best a manner as possible through 2021. Wright then pulled the masterstroke in appointing Craig McRae. Wright had also been keen on then Hawks assistant Sam Mitchell, sparking the Hawks into the controversial handover from Alastair Clarkson.
Voss is contracted through until the end of 2026. The Blues’ woes are not just on him but, ultimately, he does carry the can. He deserves to see out his contract, but there needs to be immediate tactical change.
