Adelaide: Michael Voss insists Carlton are close. Evidence is increasingly suggesting otherwise.
The Blues’ now-familiar pattern – a blistering opening that gives way to a gradual fade and inevitability – resurfaced on Thursday night. when they fell to the Adelaide powerhouse unlock the fourth iteration of the Collect Round.
It was an improved performance, but that comes at a lower base. Voss said after the match his team was about to click. But, at 1-4, time is slowly running out.
In what is increasingly being organized by the AFL as an exhibition match earlier this season, Carlton originally played their part. They scored seven first-quarter goals – their first opening term since mid-2024 – and briefly hinted at a statement performance.
Instead, it became another case study in a discrepancy.
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 tactics dominated. The 10-minute stretch in the second term, in particular, showed determination.
“We couldn’t handle the ball,” Voss said.
“We lost ground from the shutout, and when they got inside the 50, they made us pay. That’s when the game was lost.”
Josh Rachele was an early architect of destruction. The versatile forward scored three first-quarter goals on his way to four on the night, finishing with 26 shutouts in a game that combined power and ruthless efficiency.
The contest took a turn for the worse in the third quarter when heavy rain poured down, causing thousands of fans to scramble for cover and turn the situation from bad to worse. Yet even in the midst of the chaos, the Adelaide system held.
Carlton’s poor defense – missing key pillars Jacob Weitering and Harry Dean – was repeatedly exposed as the Crows produced half-forward dominance.
Scoring goals from injury time – a statistic in which the Blues are clearly the leaders of the league – also dried up, unlike the weather.
In the first quarter, the Blues shot 5.4 of their 7.4 from the stand. They then kicked two points from a stoppage for the rest of the game.
And yet, inexplicably, the Blues hung on.
They trailed by just three goals in the 17th minute of the final term and went close when Ollie Hollands was awarded a goal through an unbelievable penalty kick from 50 meters on the line.
But the scoreboard never quite matched reality.
Carlton never really engaged in the contest with conviction and, while the margin may have dampened the noise from outside, wider questions about their inability to sustain a performance in four quarters continue to loom large.
Voss, however, remains adamant his side is not far off.
“I don’t think so,” he said when asked if the Blues’ current defeat ratio was an accurate reflection of their start to the season.
“What you want to see is if you gradually approach the way you want to play – and we do that.
“I can’t question the effort and the heart. We had 86 (87) tackles tonight. There are signs there that we’re getting close.”
That belief – that Carlton is on a roll – has been a consistent theme throughout the opening month. But it sits uncomfortably against a 1-4 record and frequent deficits that continue to cost them games.
Voss singled out “the basics” as the difference, citing deficiencies in stoppage work, poor tackling discipline and an inability to defend repeated entries inside 50.
“When we lost territory, we couldn’t defend ourselves long enough,” he said. “They scored too many times from their entries.”
There were, in his opinion, signs of individual improvement. Sam Walsh was electric early on, racking up 15 disposals in the opening term before Adelaide kept a close eye, while Mitch McGovern’s forward shift again looked reliable.
But it was Carlton’s senior forward, Harry McKay, who drew the most positive comments after the match.
Voss suggested that McKay consider himself unlucky not to receive a lot of help from the judges in the air races, despite competing strongly throughout.
“I thought Harry really competed,” Voss said.
“He could have had more luck in some of those tournaments.
“I’ll go back and check, but I think he could have had more support.”
The comments add another layer to Carlton’s ongoing challenge inside 50 – not just distribution, but reward.
For all of Voss’s hopes, the cut remains open. Carlton can produce the football quickly enough to overwhelm opponents in bursts, but still not enough to control games.
Even the coach admits the gap between winning and losing is narrow now.
“The difference right now is small,” he said. “You walk in here every week hoping it clicks.”
For Carlton, that time has not yet come.
Voss is confident he will have Weitering (who will train on Friday) and Dean back for next Thursday’s game against arch-rivals Collingwood.
The Blues then face a daunting trip to Perth to take on Fremantle, followed by games against St Kilda, the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs.
Things can get worse before they get better.
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect through X or email address.
