Pokies king and Carlton powerbroker Bruce Mathieson calls for more change at Blues after Michael Voss quits
Carlton boss Bruce Mathieson says the decision to part ways with Michael Voss was the right decision and the start of the football department and player purge the club needs to emerge as a force on the pitch.
The 50-year-old coach’s departure was confirmed on Tuesday after just one win in nine matches this season, ending a tenure that has been largely bruising since he took over in 2022.
Last year, following a salacious photo scandal, banker Robert Priestley replaced Luke Sayers as club chairman, veteran manager Graham Wright replaced Brian Cook as CEO, while Chris Davies was brought in as the new football department boss.
With Voss now gone, slot machine king Mathieson, who has seen nine senior coaches (including interim coaches) leave the club this century, said further overhaul was needed.
“They did the right thing 100 percent but it’s not just that [Voss]There’s a lot to go, a lot of change. Unless we get a clean sweep and fix things, nothing is going to change,” Mathieson said Tuesday.
“Take a look at the recruitment, will you? Tell me, except for the young man.” [Jagga Smith]If you pick the top five and can’t find a decent player, what else did we pick?
“This is terrible, absolutely terrible. You have to look at the head first; the head always stinks first. Our football department is an absolute disgrace.”
National recruitment manager Michael Agresta left the club in February after an eight-year tenure. Mathieson said this role was the most important at the club. Nick Austin is the head of list management.
Mathieson backed Wright and Davies to make the right changes.
“Look at anything. How do we improve? Look at Collingwood. Is that it?” [Scott] Is Pendlebury getting better? Are all of our older players improving? The answer is no. “You have to get younger players who will develop and give you chances,” Mathieson said.
“They’re all great players, I’m not dismissing them. But if you have a horse running against Winx, you want to not only catch him, you want to pass him; that’s when you win.”
“You look at Brisbane. They were there.” [several] Players under the age of 23 in the Premier team. Name a top player at Carlton who is 23 years old or younger. [Smith] one… but there is still a long way to go.”
Mathieson said the Blues should consider rival bids for club leaders Patrick Cripps and Jacob Weitering, while Harry McKay, Adam Saad and Zac Williams should also move on.
“You have it too [Zac] Williams, you have it [Adam] Saad, these types of guys have big money. Do you think they will ever recover? “It’s just bad business,” Mathieson said.
“Harry McKay played a good game [against Brisbane on Friday night]. They all think he is a miracle man. This is the first good game he’s played in nearly two years. I can’t have this.
“But I believe he should always be a ruckman. I don’t think Harry McKay can read the game fully forward. We’re not very good distributors of the ball, so that helps a lot.”
“Pin her to the ground, she can blow her ass ’cause she can mark around the ground, good down there [his knees]He’s got so much talent, if you’re going to keep him, let him build. “I would sell it.”
Club great Anthony Koutoufides said Carlton had a roster of players who could perform better under Voss, who is rebuilding his coaching career after a failed stint in Brisbane.
“Vossy – he’s been fantastic at the club and what a great guy. I adore him, as do a lot of people. He got to the preliminary final and had the toughest challenge to beat Brisbane there. Vossy did a fantastic job,” Koutoufides told SEN.
Voss started 103 matches and finished with a winning record of 47.5 per cent, leading the Blues to the 2023 qualifying final.
“I think we have talent there. We lost three important players for us at the end of last season. [Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni and Tom de Koning]. So it’s a different squad this year, but I think we had players who couldn’t get over the line in those few years. A few years ago, maybe in 2024, they looked like they could keep winning,” Koutoufides said.
“The quicker it fell, the quicker it came, the quicker it disappeared. They had the list, but… it takes a lot more than good players.”
David Parkin, the Blues’ three-time first-year coach, was on the selection panel that handed the job to Voss.
Parkin said he was “really confident” that Voss, a childhood Carlton supporter, was the right man for the job. But over the years, Parkin said there was a view that Voss’ “technical and tactical knowledge” had become a problem.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
Jon Pierik is a sports reporter for The Age. He covers the AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect with: X or email.
