Carlton Blues Charting a Course for Finals Amidst Significant Club Overhaul
Carlton’s hierarchy has laid out an ambitious vision for the club, setting their sights firmly on a top-10 finish and finals contention following a post-season marked by substantial changes to both the playing list and the football department. The club’s leadership is emphasizing a holistic approach to improvement, rather than fixating on specific metrics in senior coach Michael Voss’s fifth year at the helm.
Carlton Chief Executive Graham Wright and President Rob Priestley have indicated that while there’s no immediate timeline for a decision on Voss’s future, as his contract concludes this year, the focus is on observable progress across all facets of the club’s performance. This forward-looking strategy is underpinned by a comprehensive three-year list plan currently being finalised, which will see the club possess considerable salary cap flexibility. This newfound room is a direct result of significant player departures, including Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning, and Jack Silvagni. Despite a clear youth-centric draft strategy, Wright confirmed the club remains keen on pursuing free agents this year.
Wright articulated the club’s immediate goals: “You never know how quickly things can turn… but then [we have] not put a ceiling on anything really. But, you know, we hope we’re in the top 10 this year. If we’re not aiming for that, I’m not sure why we’re here. So we’re not sitting back thinking, ‘We’ll be bottom four and that’ll help us’.”
Assessing Progress Beyond the Coach
In a recent discussion outlining the club’s strategic direction, President Priestley reiterated that the assessment of Michael Voss will be based on tangible improvements across various aspects of the football program.
“We’re a footy club so we want to win as many games as we can possibly win, but in terms of assessment moving forward, and it’s way too early yet, but we’ve made a lot of change,” Priestley stated. “We’re fully behind Michael, he’s contracted through to 31 October. So, it’s, you know, about seeing improvement, and as a club getting better in all those areas that we’re focused on. That’s really what we’re focused on. Hopefully, on the back of that, we win a lot more games than we lose.”
Wright further elaborated that the football program’s success is not solely dependent on the senior coach. He stressed the importance of a collective uplift: “It’s not just about one person… there always is a hell of a lot of focus on just the coach, but [it is] how we’re getting better across our culture, leadership environment, everything we’re doing, how we’re getting better. And Michael and CD [new football boss Chris Davies] are the two that are leading that. We’ll have measurements in place along the way, but… we haven’t set anything in stone where we said, ‘We want to be here at round whatever it might be.’ We wanted to make sure Vossy has everything he possibly needs, and that we’re able to support him and be aligned in everything we’re doing on the way through, and we’ve had a regular catch-up.”
Regarding the timeline for assessing Voss, Wright clarified, “We don’t have a time frame on it… it’s more about what we’re working towards, as opposed to, there’s a set date or anything… there’s a range of things, we want to see improvement across every aspect of the footy department.”
Key Strategic Pillars and Club Operations
Beyond the immediate focus on on-field performance, Carlton’s leadership has shed light on several other critical areas of the club’s operations and future planning:
Gaming Operations and Financial Sustainability: Carlton has no immediate plans to alter its involvement in gaming operations. Both Wright and Priestley have engaged in multiple discussions with their long-standing gaming partner and benefactor, Bruce Mathieson Sr.
“There’s no plans at the moment to change,” Priestley confirmed regarding the club’s gaming ventures, which have historically contributed significant revenue. He added, “We’ve done a really good job over the last few years in becoming financially viable and having financial sustainability.” Priestley highlighted gaming as one of several diversified revenue streams, alongside a new medical imaging centre, Carlton College of Sports, and Carlton in Business. Regular communication with Mathieson’s group, including direct conversations with Bruce Sr., is maintained.
Lobbying for Draft Rule Changes: The club has actively lobbied for a delay in the implementation of proposed changes to the father-son and academy bidding process, which were slated for the current year’s draft. The aim was to provide clubs, including Carlton, with more “runway” for list management.
Priestley and Wright met with AFL executives, including CEO Andrew Dillon and football boss Greg Swann, to advocate for this postponement. Priestley also contacted former AFL Chairman Richard Goyder to present the club’s case. While Carlton is set to secure high-draft prospect Cody Walker as a father-son selection, Wright acknowledged that the club would incur a higher cost than any other under the new rules, should they be enacted. The AFL has indicated its intention to proceed with the revised rules, despite appeals from Carlton and Port Adelaide, who also have a potential top pick in Dougie Cochrane.
Wright expressed his support for the underlying principles of the draft bid rule changes, which will limit clubs to using a maximum of two (higher) draft picks for father-son or academy recruits. However, he noted the potential financial impact: “We’re paying for three rule changes in three years, and it potentially looks like being us and Port Adelaide that are going to stump up way more than anyone else has had to. But also, too, we haven’t had benefit of the previous rules.”
Finalising a Three-Year List Plan: The club is in the final stages of developing its comprehensive three-year list plan.
“It’ll be a three-year plan,” Wright confirmed, suggesting that based on his experience, an additional year might be incorporated after the initial 12 months. “We’ll be adding ’28 [2028] but we’ve had to look forward and say, ‘What does Tassie look like for us?’”
Carlton has already secured high draft picks Jagga Smith and Harry Dean, and will gain Walker after this year. Wright reiterated that free agency is also a key consideration. The club is optimistic about the development of other young talents such as debutant Talor Byrne, draftee Jack Ison, Matt Carroll, and Cooper Lord. “We feel as though we will have scope to enter into free agency,” Wright stated. The club acknowledges that the bids for Walker will likely consume valuable draft selections, potentially impacting 2026 trade scenarios, including picks acquired from the Charlie Curnow trade with the Swans.
Greg “Diesel” Williams’ Ongoing Consultancy Role: Club legend and board member Greg “Diesel” Williams will continue his part-time paid consultancy role within the football department.
Priestley confirmed Williams’ continued involvement, stating, “So there is a consultancy role for [him] in terms of the academy and some commercial functions, and different things that we pay him a small retainer for that. That’ll stay.” Williams’ passion for supporting the club’s academy was highlighted as a key driver for his continued role.
Revamped Game Style and Coaching Structure: Carlton has undergone significant changes to its game style, introducing new intellectual property under Voss and a revamped coaching team. Chris Davies, formerly of Port Adelaide, joined late last year. The coaching ranks have also seen the arrivals of Josh Fraser (Collingwood), Leigh Adams (North Melbourne), and Ash Close, replacing Aaron Hamill, Aaron Greaves, and Tom Lonergan. Ex-Port Adelaide champion Travis Boak has been brought in to bolster player leadership. The club also parted ways with recruiting manager Mick Agresta.
Wright emphasised the need for new intellectual property and fundamental improvements: “We were 17th or 18th for kicking efficiency last year. But then the way we play is we’ve changed that up to a certain degree with new IP, and Michael’s led that, obviously.”
Carlton’s strategic adjustments signal a clear intent to move beyond recent performance and establish a sustainable, competitive presence in the AFL. The club’s leadership appears committed to a methodical rebuild, balancing immediate on-field aspirations with long-term financial health and structural integrity.
