Voss' vexing Blues: Not good enough for long enough

I sat on the boundary for Friday night's Carlton vs. Western Bulldogs clash, as close as possible to either team's interchange bench.

As quarter-time approached and Blues coach Michael Voss came down to the boundary line in preparation for his player address, I could clearly read on a whiteboard the message he had and would continue to drum into his players. It read: "Take ground. Go forward (surge)."

And at that point, there was no doubt it was a message heeded. Carlton's first quarter against the Dogs, in which it kicked 4.3 to just four behinds, was intoxicating stuff, the Blues' ball movement positively zipping off half-back thanks to the likes of Zac Williams and Adam Saad, Charlie Curnow in particular capitalising on some extra room to move.

Williams, though, got injured, subbed out before half-time. Saad became less of a factor. The Bulldogs were able to close down Carlton's relentless switching of play and make it a more contested game. And as the Bulldogs came from behind, there was precious little forward movement nor surging seen from the Blues.

The Carlton which finished the game was a much lesser beast than the version which began it. Which, of course, is already becoming a recurring theme in 2025.

In three games, the Blues have kicked a total of just three goals in final quarters and been outscored 24 goals to five in second halves, surrendering two decent leads against Richmond and now the Dogs.

Perhaps more disturbing for Voss and his coaching crew, though, is the fact that tendency is just another reflection of the Blues' inability to do really anything much for nearly long enough.

And if you accept that premise, is that about inadequate coaching, as a score of frustrated Carlton fans continue to suggest, or evidence that the Blues simply aren't quite good enough?

If you're of a navy blue persuasion of course you don't want to hear this, but I strongly suspect it's the latter. And that's been the case right through the past three-and-a-bit years.

I think the Carlton which many believe should be pushing for premierships is in fact an anachronism, a romanticised version closer to the line-up which got on a roll late in 2023, won nine games in a row, then two thrilling finals before falling only narrowly at the preliminary final hurdle.

A significant roll of form, and not a little luck, almost took Carlton to a Grand Final. But has that too romantically framed the bigger perception of the Blues' abilities? I reckon it might have.

Take out that 13-game stretch at the end of 2023, and without it Carlton's record under Voss since he took charge in 2022 is 28 wins, 36 losses and a draw, or a very mediocre strike rate of just 43%.

That winning streak was a moment in time when everything came together - attack, defence, the contest, and arguably most significantly, a good spread of contributors across the whole line-up. But that has also been far more the exception than the rule for the Blues, who seemingly can't stay on top of their form, nor the injury toll, nor even their game style, for long enough.

In 2023, Carlton ranked an impressive fourth for fewest points conceded, but only ninth for points scored, mainly a legacy of its terrible start to the season when it languished 15th on the ladder after Round 15.

But last year, those rankings completely flipped, scoring seemingly no longer an issue, Carlton ranked fourth for attack. The Blues, however, couldn't defend opposition stoppage wins, and their dismal ranking of 16th in that category meant they were a lowly 14th for fewest points conceded.

Now inability to score again appears to be the Achilles heel, the Blues racking up a massive 25 more inside 50 entries than Richmond in their opening game yet losing, as good as breaking even with Hawthorn in that stat and also having more than the Dogs on Friday night, yet losing both those games as well.

As for evenness of contribution, it wouldn't be lost on the coaching crew that in those heady days of September 2023, it was the likes of Matt Cottrell, Blake Acres, Adam Cerra, and a veteran in Sam Docherty who all played key roles in those famous Blues' wins.

Few of their "lesser like" status are having anything like the same sort of impact for Carlton these days. Not to mention the toll injury has taken on a genuine star in Sam Walsh.

Make no mistake, injuries have knocked the Blues around significantly. But they haven't hit any team harder than the Western Bulldogs so far this season, and the Dogs have found enough depth to cover the losses. No doubt every possession former Blue Matt Kennedy picked up on Friday night would have rankled Blues fans.