‘We stuck together’: Euphoric Blues coach on how Carlton turned season around

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Key points

• Carlton moved up to fifth on the ladder with a 17-point victory over first-placed Collingwood.
• The Blues lost Adam Cerra to another hamstring injury but the severity is unknown.
• Coach Michael Voss believes the way the club stuck together was vital in their resurrection.

Carlton coach Michael Voss believes Friday night’s upset defeat of Collingwood – the exclamation mark on a remarkable mid-season uprising – is evidence of the transformation the Blues underwent as a club.

Voss’ team started the season with top-four hype and was unbeaten through the first month before a horror patch saw them slump into the bottom four and critics question whether he was the right coach.

Blues coach Michael Voss celebrates with Patrick Cripps after his side’s win over Collingwood on Friday.Credit: Getty Images

But a 10-goal lashing of Gold Coast in round 14 was ground zero for Carlton’s resurrection that has delivered six straight wins, including the scalps of competition pacesetters Port Adelaide and the Magpies. They are up to fifth on the ladder and as few as two wins away from ending a decade-long finals drought.

“I just can’t quantify it, I really don’t know,” Voss said.

“We were at a stage there where we didn’t know where our next win was going to come from. We were in a pretty bad place, in terms of trying to get our game together – and players were lacking an enormous amount of confidence.

“Through just being able to believe in what we were doing, and believe in each other [we turned our form around], and we stuck together through that to sort of find what our identity looked like. When that became clearer, the players got more in behind it, and they’ve thrived off the back of it.”

Voss conceded he was riddled with doubt when the Blues slipped to 15th place with a miserable 4-8-1 record, but that the way everyone at the club responded to that adversity was vital to where they are now.

“There were some tough days, and a lot of really tough conversations,” he said. “There were tough conversations from the leaders to the players, and among us as coaches about what clarity we needed to be able to provide the players and what we were going to value moving forward.

“This movement doesn’t happen on the back of just the players – this comes on the back of a football club, and there were plenty of those moments through there that could have gone a different way, but we didn’t. We stuck together. I think that says a lot about our club now.”

The only blight on a banner night for Carlton was a right hamstring setback for midfielder Adam Cerra, who was outstanding with 20 disposals, nine contested possessions and six clearances in less than a half before being subbed out.

Nic Newman of the Blues attempts to mark the ball during the round 20 AFL match between Collingwood Magpies and Carlton Blues.Credit: Getty Images

Cerra also missed last week’s win over West Coast with a hamstring issue, but Voss could not confirm whether the latest injury was related to the other.

He also dismissed suggestions the Blues’ forward line was better without injured Coleman medallist Harry McKay, pointing out their midfield performed well without Sam Walsh but that he, too, remained a valued player.

It was an unfamiliar feeling for Magpies coach Craig McRae, whose side tasted defeat for just the third time all season, and he said they had to find a way to “get better”.

“Clearly, they’ve been playing great. They’re in great form, and they’ve turned their game around in certain parts, and their pressure’s high, and they’re defending well,” McRae said.

“I think credit to what Michael’s done, and I’m really happy for him – I’m just not that happy tonight … we’re in the business of getting better. This is a marathon, and you have to just keep improving.

“We’ve had a great season to date, but it’s not finished. There’s still so much work to do. There are lessons along the way … and tonight’s an example of it, but it’s not just tonight. You can’t stand still in this game because teams take things away from you really quickly, so we’re going to have to improve.”

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