He then went on to add: “I asked for their (board) support,” he continued. “It was on shaky ground and the inevitable was becoming clearer, but the fighter and competitor in you wants to take things as far as you can.

“It just feels right.”

In a press conference earlier in the day, Carlton president Rob Priestly, CEO Graham Wright and GM of football Chris Davies addressed the media.

Wright said Carlton was determined not to let 2026 be a “wasted year” and confirmed the club would go through a thorough process to appoint the next coach.

“Michael is a strong leader who has led our football club with great professionalism and a genuine commitment to Carlton”, Priestley said in a letter to members.

“Across five seasons, he has invested himself fully in the role and handled himself with impressive character throughout. The fact this decision is mutual reflects his selfless mindset and the Club thanks him sincerely for his contribution.

“During the off-season, the Club was very intentional in implementing changes to refresh our football program, including appointing a new and highly credentialed General Manager of Football in Chris Davies, introducing six new coaches, and beginning a significant transformation of our playing list.

Voss was honest in his assessment of his departure (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“Those changes were made not only with the long-term interests of the football club front of mind, but also with the intent of ensuring Michael had strong support to achieve progress in the areas identified for improvement.

“Ultimately, beyond results alone, we have not seen the intended evolution in our game, and to his credit, Michael acknowledges that now is the right time for the Club to move forward under the leadership of a new senior coach.

“Our club will now commence that process, which will be led by Graham and Chris, two of the most respected football people in this industry, and we will go about this the right way to bring the best AFL Senior Coach we can to Carlton.”

Blues CEO Graham Wright said: “We want to consistently contend and ultimately win premierships – that is why every single one of us is here – but to do that you have to be a realist about the gap we currently need to make up on the competition.

“What you are seeing right now is a football club in genuine transition, and we are not going to shy away from that reality.

“Since last year, virtually every senior leadership position has changed – President, Chief Executive, General Manager of Football, six new coaches, a playing list undergoing significant regeneration, and now the Senior Coach.

“No Carlton person is content with where we are at right now and we must demand better of ourselves. We will not be taking shortcuts, and we will be moving with real intent and purpose – attacking the draft again this year, marking three consecutive years of accessing elite young talent before Tasmania enters the competition, allowing us to continue building the next wave of talent through our AFL playing group.

“Rest assured we intend to maximise the remainder of the season to explore the possibilities within our playing list, and the desire to improve our on-field performance will absolutely remain.

“Our football department, led by Chris, remains intent on progressing forward and with Josh Fraser taking the reins in the interim, along with our other experienced coaches, we look forward to seeing what this group can now produce with the clarity today’s announcement has now provided.”

Voss was in the last year of his contract and the writing was on the wall that a sacking was inevitable.

Carlton currently sits 16th on the ladder with one win from nine games, although the Blues showed more fight in a second half comeback against the Brisbane Lions last week.

Carlton legend Anthony Koutafides says he was “shocked” by the news.

“They were terrific against Brisbane. Maybe there was some hope there,” he told SEN on Tuesday.

Voss’ sacking was widely viewed as inevitable given he is in his fifth year at Carlton and the club’s on field results have declined in the past two seasons.

The Blues have been plagued by second half fadeouts this season, giving up leads in most of their losses.

Carlton’s list is in a transition phase after the Blues lost Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni during last year’s trade period.

‘Flat’ Carlton skipper addresses media

Players started arriving to the club around 10am, led by captain Cripps who spoke to the media on his way in.
“I spoke to Vossy but obviously we’ll chat more later today,” Cripps said.

“He’s going to address all the players, he’s been a great mentor and a great coach to me so he just let me know before everyone else found out.
“Our relationship is really strong and that’s all I can really say now, guys. I will chat later on.”

Patrick Cripps speaks to the media about Michael Voss. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Cripps denied the players were made aware of Voss’ plan to resign before Friday’s loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.

“Nah, nah, nah I only found out last night, mate,” he said.

“It was a sense of you’re flat because you’ve been through some good times but also some tough times with him and got a great relationship with Vossy.
“I am guessing I will chat to everyone later today but from my end I couldn’t speak highly enough of Vossy.”
First-season Blue Ollie Florent also stopped for questioning, signing off with a “stick with us, it’ll turn” message to the fans.

“I am flat, you know, I was hoping we could get it done for him, he’s such a great coach and I just wish him nothing but the best,” Florent said.

“He’s welcomed me so nicely into this club and I just wish him all the best.

“We had to keep playing for him, he’s Michael Voss, he’s led by example for so long and I’ve never had this many cameras in my face before.
“It’s really sad to see him go, thanks guys, I’ve gotta go.”

Sam Walsh arrives at Carlton. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Fraser and Ash Hansen are internal candidates to take over the head coach role, while Carlton current Carlton coaching mentor Adam Simpson, John Longmire, Nathan Buckley and Ken Hinkley are more experienced options.

Carlton is expected to undergo a thorough coaching search and will likely appoint a first-time coach.

Voss finishes at Carlton with 47 wins, 51 losses and a draw from 99 games.

Voss was a champion player, captaining Brisbane to three premierships and winning the Brownlow Medal, but he has not reached the same heights as coach.

The 50-year-old was previously head coach of the Brisbane Lions for 109 games.

He took Carlton to a preliminary final in 2023 and finals in 2024, but Carlton just missed finals under Voss in 2022 and finished 11th last year.

It had been thought Voss would stay on as coach until Carlton’s round 14 bye.

“It’s a breath of fresh air,” Jack Riewoldt said of the advantages of Carlton appointing a caretaker coach.

“If they are to move Michael Voss on that it’s done with the utmost respect because from all reports inside Carlton throughout a very difficult time on field and off-field he’s been outstanding,” Jack Riewoldt said on Kayo Sports’ On The Couch.

The Blues have won only one game so far this year. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“The fact of the matter is the bye is lingering and that seems like a potential time that it could happen.

“But what it does is it buys you time to get a look at everyone in season, so you still get a sample size of 10 rounds of assistant coaches coaching at their respective teams.

“I’ve lived this twice with Terry Wallace early days and then Damien Hardwick left and Andrew McQualter coached for the back half of that season.”

“I think it is a breath of fresh air,” Riewoldt said on Kayo Sports’ On The Couch.

“And I think the question they’re going to ask is ‘if we get a high profile coach in, does that increase our chances of getting someone like a Joel Amartey to our football club if the coach has been secured pre-finals?’”

It has been a turbulent year for Carlton, which began when recently retired Blue Sam Docherty criticised the team’s game style under Voss.

Carlton was fined $75,000 after an extensive review into the Blues’ decision to play Elijah Hollands amid a Round 6 mental health episode.

Hollands was spotted behaving erratically and only had one disposal in the Blues’ loss to Collingwood last month, sparking fears about his mental health.

Hollands was hospitalised five days after the episode played out on the MCG during the Round 6 loss to Collingwood that prompted a full-scale internal investigation.

The AFL has also mandated that clubs employ full-time psychologists in response to the event.

– With NewsWire

Source: https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/michael-voss-to-quit-as-carlton-coach/news-story/1240f2930a1ed1f380b0c189fae8b03e