After a controversial umpiring decision allowed the Blues to hang on for a five-point win over Essendon, Carlton’s interim coach Josh Fraser is resisting any temptation to do an about-face and declare himself a candidate for the Blues’ vacant coaching job.
Instead the 44-year-old said he is hoping to head back to the farm at Mansfield over the bye to collect his thoughts following a rollercoaster ride for the Blues in 2026 which saw Michael Voss resign as coach and Fraser become interim after round nine. They have recorded four consecutive wins under Fraser and are in striking distance of the top 10.
Asked the question again on Channel 7 post-match about whether he would consider throwing his hat in the ring Fraser played a straight bat and pushed it back down the pitch, although the response was slightly more uppish than normal.
Four on the bounce: Carlton’s Josh Fraser.AFL Photos via Getty Images
“That’s a big hypothetical and my answer right now would be no,” Fraser said.
Anyone who knows Fraser understands he is not one to spend too much time on hypotheticals, and he confirmed that post-match when he said he had not thought too much about the fact he has won his first four matches as interim coach.
“I said when this opportunity arose that we were going to be very process-driven around what our Monday to Friday looks like and then give ourselves a chance to perform on the weekend,” he said.
“We’ve seen some big growth but we are aware we have a long way to go. I haven’t looked too far ahead. I haven’t stopped to reflect too much other than what learnings we can take forward.”
This time around Carlton started favourites after being underdogs in their first three clashes under Fraser. They appeared to feel the pressure dropping 23 points behind a desperate Essendon who are also benefiting from the freedom that comes after a coach is replaced.
The Blues were hard ridden heading into the turn at half-time as Fraser urged the midfield to correct their starting positions and lift their intensity around the ball as he emphasised the need to be more precise when entering the forward 50.
“Credit to the players, we did challenge them at half-time,” Fraser said.
In a promising sign for the interim coach, the team responded with champion midfielder Patrick Cripps leading the way as George Hewett, who has been in fine form since returning in Voss’s final match as coach, cooled Bombers midfielder Sam Durham after he had run riot in the first half.
Carlton kicked six of the seven goals either side of three-quarter time as they cleaned up their forward entries to storm over the top of Essendon. The Bombers clawed their way back to within five points with nine seconds remaining but could not win the centre clearance they needed to give them a chance to steal victory. Their cause was helped when the umpire allowed Harry McKay to run 42 seconds off the clock after he took a mark 60 metres out from goal. He pretended he was having a set shot and then chipped the ball forward. “I was trying to take as long as I possibly could. We practise a lot of those end of game scenarios and anytime you can get five or 10 seconds [off the clock] it’s like gold. Maybe it was slightly ambitious to have a shot from 75 metres out,” McKay said.
Fraser said results had lifted morale but did not change the nature of what lay ahead.
“Clearly winning [lifts morale] but there is a process attached to that as well. I would like to think we are not fluking results at the moment. There is a considered approach to the way we are playing and in particular being able to win [in] different ways,” Fraser said.
Fan support: Members of the crowd were in support of James Hird.Getty Images
Not only have the results given Carlton a puncher’s chance of making the top 10, they have made the job appear more attractive than it had a month ago when Voss departed.
The Blues have begun the coffee dates as CEO Graham Wright and football boss Chris Davies work through potential candidates for 2027.
Meanwhile the Bombers’ president Andrew Welsh said pre-match they won’t be rushed in their pursuit of a new coach despite the campaign pushing for James Hird to fill the vacancy. There were supporters at the MCG with banners saying redemption as they looked to influence the board to appoint Hird for next season.
Interim coach Dean Solomon said he was encouraged by their performance despite being unable to break through for their second win of the season.
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He played Zach Merrett behind the ball in a move to create drive off halfback but Merrett’s kicking was off and he turned the ball over too regularly in dangerous positions. Nate Caddy also had a frustrating night up forward as his teammates failed to honour his leads.
Solomon said his objective was to develop their game plan to bring consistency and balance to the contest and their team defence.
“I felt we went a bit safe with ball in hand. We want to be more of a front half type team rather than a time in possession type team,” Solomon said. “We want to be really strong around the ball and have a really good balance with how we go about that. We are working a huge amount on our team defence and making sure we are stable behind the ball.”
The Bombers will welcome Jordan Ridley back after he got through the VFL match on Sunday for their clash against Melbourne, the only team they have beaten in the past 12 months.
