The target is on Voss’ back in part because his players can’t hit them

The Blues, as Voss said post-match, must “own” the reality of failing to deal with the opposition’s pressure. “That puts a target on your back,” he said.

The target is on Voss’ back – at least from fans and media – in part because his players can’t hit them.

They couldn’t find open teammates. Handballs were smothered and turned over. The footy was marooned in Collingwood’s attacking half for nearly the entire third quarter.

The Pies, despite being older than an RSL club, were the team that played with the greater zest and hunger. The margin of 17 points was so flattering it might have been photoshopped.

“First half was good,” said Hewett, who performed admirably on Nick Daicos. “We just, we’re just not competing at the level that’s required at AFL footy I think in the second half.”

Hewett put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the players. He dismissed team fitness as a concern.

“I think we just need to have maybe some honest conversations about, you know, where our mind goes maybe individually and collectively as a group, just the level of competing in the second half.”

Does the challenging start with the review of Thursday night? “Maybe, I think us players have got to drive it, which we will because our standards – where our standards go – is it up to AFL standard?

Hewett said he was sure there would be a turnaround. “We’ve got to not wait for it to turn, we’ve got to make it turn.”

But do Carlton have sufficient manpower to do that? That the Blues don’t have a deep tailend; that their fortunes hinge heavily on the weekly efforts of Patrick Cripps, on the health of Charlie Curnow and Sam Walsh, on Jacob Weitering’s soundness, has been evident during the entire Voss era.

Cripps and Curnow were eclipsed against the Pies, the combination of slipshod forward entries and a wet ball making Curnow’s task even harder. Hopefully, Harry McKay will return from personal leave of absence shortly.

It must be said that the Magpies were more organised, especially behind the ball. Is this superiority in method due to personnel – ie, Collingwood’s more even spread of players, leaders and stronger bottom eight – or are Collingwood more organised by dint of their collective coaching panel?

Whatever the source of deficits, the Blues cannot concede this season, and have been handed a small mercy in fixturing, given that they meet West Coast at Gather Round – a game they simply cannot lose. Then, they meet North Melbourne on Good Friday; on present form, that’s no gimme.

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It is natural to question whether off-field events, such as McKay’s absence and the personal issues that saw Elijah Hollands spend time away from the club – or even Sayers’ resignation as president – have been a distraction to the players.

Hewett, citing his past life with the Bloods in Sydney, did not think the players unsettled. “No, I’ve been at two great footy clubs and this is as close I’ve seen a group be.”

As chairman of JP Morgan Australia, the new president Priestley knows the challenge of meeting market expectations. In Carlton’s case, the shareholders are understandably restless, due to the long time without a decent return on their investment.

It is too soon to write off the season, like a bad loan, and the Blues can cite the recoveries of Hawthorn (0-5 last year) and the Lions (0-3 to premiership) – and their own startling 2023 turnaround – as demonstrations of a team’s recuperative possibilities.

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“Nothing changes,” said Hewett. “I’ve been in a team [Sydney of 2017] that’s zero and six and we just missed top four, things change quick. Get a win, get that feeling back and it’ll be right.”

Carlton are still talking about themselves as an under-performing unit, a team of talent that’s misfiring. The more worrisome possibility is that they’re performing much closer to their 2025 median level.

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