Carlton has denied a report claiming it “approached multiple people” about coaching the club in 2026 — including a current rival coach — before ultimately backing embattled incumbent Michael Voss.
Voss survived a five-hour board meeting last Wednesday night to retain his place as senior coach of the Blues into 2026, but Nine journalist Sam McClure reports the Blues gauged the interest of multiple coaching candidates before coming to that final call.
“In that period, my understanding, and I can report to you tonight, there were multiple people that were approached to coach Carlton in 2026,” McClure told Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night.
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“One of them is a current rival coach of one of the other 17 clubs (who) was approached about the potential of coaching Carlton in 2026.
“When those conversations didn’t go any further, it was then that Graham Wright, the incoming CEO, chose to give his recommendation to the Carlton board last Wednesday afternoon, going into early evening, that Michael Voss should be retained into 2026.”
The Blues, in response to the report, wanted to make their position “absolutely clear”.
“Carlton deny this … they said they ‘want to make it absolutely clear that this report is untrue, misleading and factually incorrect’,” McClure relayed from Carlton.
McClure confirmed it was his understanding that the prospective coaches the Blues purportedly reached out to had rejected them, ultimately resulting in Wright’s recommendation.
“I’ve chosen not to name the coach tonight, because I don’t believe the story is about that coach and the club to which he’s coaching and is currently contracted,” he said.
On August 7, the Blues said in a statement: “The Carlton Football Club can today confirm with absolute clarity that its senior coach Michael Voss will remain coach of the Blues into the 2026 AFL season.”
McClure said: “There are interesting parts of it here, if you look into the wording of it … don’t dismiss the ‘into’ the 2026 season (wording). This isn’t a glowing endorsement.”
McClure asked Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd: “Are you surprised to hear that they’ve reached out to others?” to which Lloyd replied: “Not really, no.
“Obviously, Carlton will have their version, and they’ve got to back their man. But that doesn’t surprise me at all that you would, while you’re doing your due diligence, reach out to others.”
The Blues have won just seven games from 21 this season as they will sit out September for the first time since Voss’ first year in charge in 2022.
With Voss now secure at Carlton to start the 2026, the focus now shifts to hires the club could make around the head coach to help enhance the situation.
And while outgoing Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley — who Voss knows very well from his time at the Power — has been linked, veteran journalist Caroline Wilson reported on Seven that the Blues are “making a big play for Danny Daly”, currently the Brisbane Lions footy boss, to serve the same role at Princes Park.
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