IT MAY be the biggest focus the Blues have had under the tutelage of Michael Voss.

Connection.

Connection amongst teammates, connection amongst supporters, connection amongst family. 

Friday’s training session was an exercise in exactly that, when Carlton’s players welcomed their dads for a training session the day before the game against West Coast.

While the esteemed hosts of Blues Banter in Tracey McKay and Jackie De Koning weren’t around as they were back in May, Jason Boyd and Dave Curnow picked up some of the slack, getting involved in the captain’s run session after venturing into the team meeting and opposition briefing earlier in the morning.

For Voss, the opportunity to welcome the fathers into IKON Park was a chance to maintain perspective of where everyone has come from — and the people that helped get them there.

“It’s to engage back in with the families and get them in together. One of the important pieces for us as a football club is connection,” Voss told media on Friday.

“We have little activities throughout the year where we get to talk about our own background and stories: to a man, everyone speaks about their parents, the influence their dad has had on their lives.

“We feel like by understanding that a bit more, we get to understand the person, and the people behind that person are just as important to understand as well.

“They’re really important to us.”

While he was grateful for the extra parental supervision over his playing group, there was element of the day that Voss was flat about.

“I’m just disappointing they didn’t bring their boots!

“It’s good to have them here and to have them around: it means the boys are on better behaviour, I’m not sure why that’s the case.”