Michael Voss has revealed his Carlton side are “going to enjoy” their eight-point win over Essendon on Sunday night, in a hard-fought slog that has kick-started the second half of their 2025 season.
The Blues came out firing in the King’s Birthday Eve clash against their long-time rivals, kicking six or more first-quarter goals for just the second time in their last 19 AFL appearances.
Ultimately, it was that term that proved too tough for the Bombers to overturn in a 34-minute blitz that looked much like their brilliant best at the end of 2023 and first half of last year.
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Speaking to journalists post-game, the fourth-year head coach at Ikon Park admitted that bursts from Essendon throughout the last three quarters, and particularly as the final siren loomed, were unpredictable.
“It was a bit different; (we) weren’t really sure how the game was going to play out. It was really end-to-end at different times, and both teams seemed to be making some mistakes,” Voss said.
“We were obviously really challenged for most of the second half … they (our midfielder) really lifted in that last quarter, which made a really significant difference for us.
“We expected to be challenged at different times, because that’s the nature of the competition. You tip your hat to Essendon; they’ve probably shown over the last little period of time that they keep coming. They certainly did that against Brisbane the week before.”
“To be able to compose ourselves late and then be able to finish the game off, you don’t get that done if you don’t stay connected as a group.”
The Blues have been criticised throughout this season for their fading output in the second half of matches this year, having trailed at the main break only twice this year to Adelaide and GWS respectively.
Sunday night’s win snapped their two-game losing streak they went into the mid-season bye with, but Voss realises that there is still plenty of room for improvement with their finishes to games.
“Make the call” Confusion over Cerra HIA | 02:04
“It’s a step at a time. We’re not going to go from zero to 100 in 5.8 seconds here. We’ve got to take (it) a step at a time. The bye gave us an opportunity to look at all those things, and maybe dig a little bit more into the ‘why’, and how we can get it better,” he continued.
“It’s a good problem to have if you’re in front by that much, and you’re getting that many opportunities… it’s a good problem to try and solve. The harder one to solve is: you’re behind all the time, you get no opportunities, and you’re trying to win your game from a completely negative base.
“Five changes in one area, in one night — that’s a lot. So there was always some risk that maybe a bit of fatigue sets in (or) maybe the execution of being able to do your roles is not there for long enough.”
One of his gun players in Adam Cerra was hit heavily by opposing tough nut Sam Durham at the start of the quarter, in an incident almost certain to see the Bomber suspended.
After initially being given the green light by club medicos, Cerra was eventually sent for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) before half time — before eventually being cleared again.
As for Voss, Durham’s act was relatively clear cut.
“We probably took quite a cautious approach and did the HIA. We followed that through; so once those two processes are done, it’s pretty clear from there. I would have thought more the incident’s probably more the conversation,” Voss said.
“I think it’s pretty black and white … you just can’t do that anymore.
“We have to coach our players to let them win the ball, and sort of step to the side (to) give them the opportunity get their hands on it first … (but) I won’t go any further than that. It’ll get dealt with in the right channels.
“As I said, I think we took a very, very cautious approach, but I’d rather that, than not.”
The win leaves the Blues at 5-7 with a very winnable trip west to face West Coast next Sunday night that. But for the next 36 hours, Voss is looking forward to him and his club enjoying the winner’s high following a hard-fought win in less-than-ideal conditions.
“It’s not all perfect, I think we sort of acknowledge that, but we’re gonna enjoy this win,” Voss finished by saying.
“We cop our criticism, but then when it’s time to enjoy our win, we’re going to enjoy it. And then we’ll lock in as professionals on Tuesday, and we’ll lock into our next opponents (West Coast).”
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