AT THE 2025 John Nicholls Medal, AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss took the opportunity to address everyone in the Carlton family - players, staff, families and fans both in the room and at home.

What followed was a passionate and genuine Voss speaking on the 2025 campaign - one which didn't go the way anyone involved with the Blues would've wanted.

His overarching message come the end of it? For Carlton.

Either watch (transcript starts from 5:20) or read below.

So the season. I can stand here and dissect it stat by stat: some of it you might agree with, some of it you wouldn’t. But there is one thing that we need to leave here tonight sharing. A single burning ambition.

To unite the Carlton Football Club on the way to victory.

To ensure our people walk tall with pride in the Navy Blue. Not only for what we achieve on the field, but the impact we have beyond it. Because the truth of our season is simple: we didn’t meet the demand. End of story. No excuses. And ‘Walshy’, no BS.

This game is not defined by words, it’s defined by actions. By commitments honoured. By the way we show up every single day. And that’s where we begin - by owning it.

As a leader, I fell short on what was required. That has been a difficult reflection. I let you down, and that sits really uncomfortable with me. I am deeply grateful for the chance to continue leading this incredible place. But no expectation will ever exceed the responsibility I feel for our Club, our people and our families.

If 2025 stands for anything, it will be defining marking time etched in our journey, reminding us of who we are and what we want to become. Telling our story, sharing our story, celebrating our people. Owning it gives us our power back. Making it noisy and loud within Carlton, not drowned out by hot takes and sound bites, but lifted up by stories of our people. The ones in the arena, in the stands and at home.

This can be an epic story that we get to tell.

There wouldn’t be a person in this room tonight that didn’t feel emotionally charged at some point in time this year. I am no different. After our loss to Collingwood mid-year, I was the last to leave. I was walking back to my car and the stands were empty, the noise was gone, but the silence - the silence felt louder than the roar ever did.

Driving home, I was left with my thoughts. It was the most humbling moment of my career, not just reflecting on the loss but the heaviness we all carried together. Inside the locker room and outside in the stands. We, as a club, had culturally defeated ourselves.

A former coach once said to me ‘I can’t always tell you what winning looks like, but I can definitely tell you what it doesn’t look like’. It doesn’t look like blame or victimhood, it isn’t anger disguised as passion or threats described as standards. It isn’t about whinging about what’s already happened.

I can tell you what you’d like to hear tonight, but tonight it’s what we all need to hear. Right now, we are not a very resilient football club. This club is powerful, if we choose it to be. But the fight must be out there, not in here.

It’s the Navy Blue versus the rest. In here, we defend our own. We have each other’s backs, we respond under duress by fighting for the person beside us. If we want to live out what we aspire to become, then we need to generate an energy that is so contagious that it becomes impossible not to follow. Because winning demands something different - it demands standards, collective ownership, accountability and a never-give-up mentality. Those standards don’t just live in theory. We’ve already seen glimpses of them.

My greatest lesson this year was this: chasing excellence can’t come at the expense of enjoying the journey.

We didn’t have enough highs across the season, but the emergence of youth was a reason to celebrate. Seven debutants grew our depth and gave us glimpses of the future. Lucas Camporeale, Matty Carroll, Hudson O’Keeffe, Will White, Flynn Young, Billy Wilson, Harry O’Farrell - and to add to that the steps of Cooper Lord, Ashton Moir, Jaxon Binns and a large transition is already underway. Our leaders found another step to ensure their experience and opportunity was maximised.

In my lowest of moments came the reminder of why I come here every single day. The reason is simple.

For Carlton.

Joe Mazzulla, coach of the Boston Celtics, after they won the championship said: “No one coach, player or person is bigger than the Boston Celtics. We have been entrusted to carry responsibility and ownership of what it means to be a Celtic on and off the court, to go after greatness. We carry that forever long we are here, and then it is someone else’s job.”

That is our reality too. It’s about putting Carlton first. Whether you are the person in the stand or the person in the jumper, it is a privilege to carry that responsibility with pride. We can suffer under disappointment, or we can rediscover joy in the journey. We can protect our self interest, or we can have each other’s backs. We can cling to entitlement and ego, or we can commit unwaveringly to our Club first.

Our task becomes clear. Direct every energy and focus toward that pursuit. We must have the courage to begin again, to trade disappointment for opportunity. Because adversity isn’t just something to endure, it is dynamic.

Stronger Together was a defining rallying moment in our most recent of history. It showed unity, it showed resilience and it showed an unbreakable collective spirit. Now we must harness that spirit again to rally, to restore pride, to reignite the spirit of Carlton.

If what I’m asking feels too soon or too much, don’t do it for me. Do it for Carlton.

Do it Ava Reeves and her mum Tammy, our Good Friday ambassador. She’s amazing. She reminded us of courage, kindness and joy. Maybe a little bit too much joy in revealing that I have two cats, but that’s okay.

Dexter Stewart and his family, who inspired us through life’s toughest challenges. He gave us the opportunity to be able to sing with pride on his behalf, and on behalf of his family.

Our 23 Junior ‘Baggers who ran out in Round 18, who dream of one day wearing the Navy Blue.

Or our coach, Robert Walls - our 1987 premiership coach who embodied a competitive spirit and pride in the jumper. Rest in peace, coach.

And for all of us. Supporters, families, players - who deserve a club that makes you proud and a story that in 20 years you can say ‘we were a part of that’.

So tonight, you’ve heard our intentions. When pre-season begins, you will see action. No ducking, no weaving: it’s about Carlton first and the monogram on the front.

Because when we walk back through these doors, things will be different. The names will change, the walls will change and the energy will change. We understand the challenge and we welcome it. It’s time to run towards it together.

Resilient, proud and powerful. For Carlton.