Voss needs to change – or he will be the change. It’s time to get ruthless

April 1, 2026 — 11:21am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

A rumour spread quickly on Wednesday morning that Michael Voss had been sacked.

The rumour took hold faster than minds could turn to what date it was. Why? Because, you April fools, it feels like it could easily have been true, even after round three.

Carlton are the same as any club, in that if you wait long enough a rumour like that will turn out to be true. All coaches eventually get the sack. But at Carlton, the time frame might be shorter on a coach out of contract at season’s end.

Michael Voss was the best captain in the AFL when he played. He was utterly uncompromising against anyone who stood in his way, and a fiercely loyal leader of his teammates.

As a coach, he needs to rediscover his playing ruthlessness.

If he persists with the same mix of players, he will go down with them. Voss either changes – or he will be the change.

Carlton is not a place where ruthlessness has ever given way to loyalty. Brett Ratten knows that.

If the club’s trend of second-half self-destruction, which began last year, was not clear before, it is abundantly clear now. Carlton’s fadeouts – actually, that is........

© The Sydney Morning Herald