Exclusive: Michael Voss resigns as Carlton coach

Michael Voss has resigned from his job as Carlton head coach, effective immediately.

Voss has made the call to step away, which comes after just one win for the season.

Assistant coach Josh Fraser will take over on an interim basis.

Voss was in the last year of his contract.

“The day has come at Carlton - Michael Voss has decided to resign, effective immediately,” Morris said on SEN Breakfast.

“He will not coach the Blues again.

“The Blues really respect Michael Voss, clearly. Lots of people do in football.

“I think they made it pretty clear to him that they weren’t going to continue beyond this year.

“It was up to him how he proceeded from here and he decided to resign himself rather than drag it out another few weeks and just put on a brave face.

“The quote from Chris Davies, the football boss, recently when he said, ‘Michael Voss is a realist’, is exactly how this has played out.

“I’m not sure exactly when the news was delivered to him, but what I do know is that there’s been really open dialogue between Graham Wright and him, and Chris Davies and him.

“There’s sackings, and there’s sackings. I’m not sure this comes as a surprise to anyone. I’m terming it as a resignation, that he has decided that he will step away now knowing that he wouldn’t be coaching next year.

“You could phrase it however you want, but it’s semantics because he won’t be coaching Carlton again.”

Six hours after the news broke, Carlton released a statement confirming Voss would step down and that Assistant Coach Josh Fraser would act as interim head coach.

"The Carlton Football Club can confirm that Michael Voss has stepped away from his role as AFL Senior Coach," a club statement said.

"A selfless leader throughout his tenure, the Club came to a mutual agreement with Voss, who addressed players and staff at IKON Park today, expressing a wish to provide the Club with clear air to progress in 2026 and pursue a new coaching direction.

"Voss departs IKON Park after nearly five seasons at the helm, during which time he led the Blues to consecutive finals appearances in 2023 and 2024, with 2023 culminating in a preliminary final."

In a letter to members, Carlton President Rob Priestley said: “Michael is a strong leader who has led our football club with great professionalism and a genuine commitment to Carlton.

“Across five seasons, he has invested himself fully in the role and handled himself with impressive character throughout. The fact this decision is mutual reflects his selfless mindset and the Club thanks him sincerely for his contribution.

“During the off-season, the Club was very intentional in implementing changes to refresh our football program, including appointing a new and highly credentialed General Manager of Football in Chris Davies, introducing six new coaches, and beginning a significant transformation of our playing list.

“Those changes were made not only with the long-term interests of the football club front of mind, but also with the intent of ensuring Michael had strong support to achieve progress in the areas identified for improvement.

“Ultimately, beyond results alone, we have not seen the intended evolution in our game, and to his credit, Michael acknowledges that now is the right time for the Club to move forward under the leadership of a new senior coach.

“Our club will now commence that process, which will be led by Graham and Chris, two of the most respected football people in this industry, and we will go about this the right way to bring the best AFL Senior Coach we can to Carlton.”