Adelaide: Michael Voss insists Carlton are close. The evidence increasingly suggests otherwise.
The Blues’ now familiar pattern – a blistering opening giving way to a gradual, inevitable fade – resurfaced again on Thursday night as they fell to a high-powered Adelaide outfit to open the fourth iteration of Gather Round.
It was an improved performance, but that’s coming off a low base. Voss said after the match his team was close to clicking. But, at 1-4, time is slowly running out.
In a fixture increasingly positioned by the AFL as a showcase moment early in the season, Carlton initially played their part. They slammed home seven first-quarter goals – their most prolific opening term since midway through 2024 – and briefly hinted at a statement performance.
Instead, it became another case study in inconsistency.
From that point on, the Blues managed just five goals for the remainder of the night, their ball movement stalling as Adelaide’s pressure and method took control. A 10-minute stretch in the second term, in particular, proved decisive.
“We just couldn’t get our hands on the ball,” Voss said.
“We lost territory from stoppage, and when they went inside 50, they made us pay. That’s where the game was lost.”
Josh Rachele was the early architect of the damage. The lively forward booted three first-quarter goals on his way to four for the night, finishing with 26 disposals in a performance that combined energy with ruthless efficiency.
The contest shifted further in the third quarter when heavy rain lashed the ground, sending thousands of fans scrambling for cover and turning conditions treacherous. Yet even amid the chaos, Adelaide’s system held firm.
Carlton’s undermanned defence – missing key pillars Jacob Weitering and Harry Dean – was repeatedly exposed as the Crows generated consistent forward-half dominance.
Scoring from stoppage – a statistic the Blues are clearly the league leaders in – also dried up, unlike the weather.
In the first quarter, the Blues kicked 5.4 of their 7.4 from stoppage. They then kicked two points from stoppage for the rest of the game.
And still, somewhat inexplicably, the Blues hung around.
They trailed by just three goals at the 17-minute mark of the final term and edged closer when Ollie Hollands was gifted a goal via a scarcely believable 50-metre penalty on the line.
But the scoreboard never quite matched reality.
Carlton were never convincingly in the contest and, while the margin may temper the external noise, the broader questions around their inability to sustain performance across four quarters continue to loom.
Voss, however, remains adamant his side is not far away.
“I don’t think so,” he said when asked if the Blues’ current win-loss ratio was an accurate reflection of the start to their season.
“What you want to see is whether you’re progressively getting closer to how you want to play – and we are.
“I can’t question the effort and spirit. We had 86 [87] tackles tonight. There are indicators there that we’re getting closer.”
That belief — that Carlton are on the cusp — has been a consistent theme across the opening month. But it sits uneasily against a 1-4 record and recurring lapses that continue to cost them games.
Voss pointed to “fundamentals” as the difference, citing lapses in stoppage work, poor tackling discipline and an inability to defend repeat inside-50 entries.
“When we lost territory, we just couldn’t defend for long enough,” he said. “They scored too often from their entries.”
There were, in his view, signs of individual improvement. Sam Walsh was electric early, collecting 15 disposals in the opening term before Adelaide applied closer attention, while Mitch McGovern’s forward shift again looked promising.
But it was Carlton’s key forward, Harry McKay, who drew the most pointed post-match commentary.
Voss suggested McKay could count himself unlucky not to receive greater support from umpires in aerial contests, despite competing strongly throughout.
“I thought Harry competed really hard,” Voss said.
“He could have been a bit luckier in some of those contests.
“I’ll go back and have a look, but I think he could have been supported a bit more.”
The comments add another layer to Carlton’s ongoing challenge inside 50 – not just supply, but reward.
For all Voss’ optimism, the disconnect remains stark. Carlton can produce football sharp enough to overwhelm opponents in bursts, but not yet consistently enough to control games.
Even the coach concedes the gap between winning and losing is now narrow.
“The difference right now is small,” he said. “You walk up here each week hoping it clicks.”
For Carlton, that moment still hasn’t arrived.
Voss is confident he will regain Weitering (who will train on Friday) and Dean for next Thursday night’s game against arch rivals Collingwood.
The Blues then face an ominous road trip to Perth to take on Fremantle, followed by games against St Kilda, the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs.
Things might get worse before they get better.
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.
