IT’S DIFFICULT to summarise Carlton’s season, but AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss attempted to do so at the 2022 John Nicholls Medal last Friday in an impassioned speech in front of the Navy Blue faithful.
Voss admitted that the season could be split into two parts, and he hoped both of these periods can hold the Blues in good stead moving forward.
“To give 2022 a proper acknowledgement, we have to separate the season into two categories: there is the campaign and there is the finish,” Voss said.
“The campaign has asked us to reflect and the finish takes us forward. In time, both will prove to be the launching pad of our next wave of improvement.”
With IKON Park a new home for many coaches and staff members, the onus was on everyone to create an environment that was welcoming and united.
Creating milestones and breaking droughts in the first half of the season, Voss hopes that the side has begun to carve out a version of themselves that will only build in the future.
“At the start of the campaign, the goal was clear: it was about creating transformation,” he said.
“For any transformation to happen, we had to create a powerful identity – not just something that we can belong and connect to, but something that we could all own.
“Our identity was built off playing a tough, selfless, powerful brand of football – principles that have stood the test of time at the Carlton Football Club and will be the key pillars that will drive us moving forward as we go about finding the next version of ourselves.”
Referencing the ‘next-man-up’ mentality, Voss conceded that what started out as a mindset, quickly became a practical reality with the squad’s mounting injury list.
Focusing on the controllable, Voss lauded the way no player complained – being gracious for what the group did have rather than what they did not.
“Our ‘next man in’ became a bigger theme than we intended,” he said.
“It was kicked around as a concept that we should embrace given our past over-reliance on individuals to win us games.
“We could not have found out more about ourselves both strategically and individually during this time.”
Voss admitted that the hurt in the season’s conclusion was so great due to how much every single person cared about the journey – players, staff and supporters alike.
Despite being involved in four premierships in his playing days, as well as several finals as a coach at Brisbane and Port Adelaide, Voss said the Round 23 loss taught him the most about the importance of preparation and always doing ‘the little things’.
“The frustration, the disappointment and maybe even a little bit of anger was born from caring first. For it to mean so much, it has impacted us in ways we couldn’t even imagine at the time.
“There has been no greater moment in my time in the AFL that has highlighted the little things and the marginal gains – the lesson has been brutal, but we must raise the standard.”
Voss encouraged everyone in the room to keep their support strong, continue engaging with the team and stay invested in the future – and is hopeful that the next big moment won’t be too far away.
“We will set ambitious goals, we are okay with that, but the present is the most powerful moment: it is what we get to control and what we get to influence,” he said.
“The heroes of this Club were built off the deeds that were done, they were built off when big battles were won on the biggest of stages. Our deeds are not done and our moments are not complete.
“We ask you to embrace possibility and accept our vulnerabilities, so we can continue to grow. Our imperfections and our mistakes are born from putting it all on the line and we can’t wait for the next moment to thrive in.
“I’ll finish with what I said to the players at the end of the season: there is a story of progression, improvement and transformation, there is a story of disappointment, but there is a story to look forward to and the story right now says ‘we just have to get better’, so let’s get busy getting better."
