Carlton is reportedly expected to transition revered football administrator and current deputy chief executive officer Graham Wright into the role of CEO earlier than originally planned, with esteemed executive Brian Cook set to hand over the reins in July.
Cook has been appointed CEO since 2021, however a succession plan to transition between CEOs was established at the beginning of the season when Wright's services were hired.
Initially, Wright was to remain deputy until October before he began to shape the club, however the Blues' mediocre start to 2025 has Carlton considering handing Wright the "keys to the club" and beginning his oversight on the team.
"I've known that the official timeline on transition from the Blues perspective is October from Brian Cook to Graham Wright, but I believe Graham Wright will be given the full set of keys to the club's operations in July, and that there's been a conditioning of club officials around the major parts of business for that to be the case so that as of July, and moving forward, he can have full control and effectively take ownership of how the club looks into 2026 and beyond," journalist Damian Barrett said on Monday's Footy Classified.
"It's a bringing forward of a few months of that official timeline that they have maintained."
The change could arguably put coach Michael Voss' position in jeopardy, should Wright instil a belief that the former Lions premiership hero is no longer the man for the job.
Journalist Sam McClure stated Wright's forthright opinions on where a team should be headed have been impactful before, reflecting on Wright's era at Collingwood, a team that eventually won a premiership, but at the cost of a revered figure as coach.
"I think, given Graham Wright's history and what he's been able to do at Hawthorn and then at Collingwood, he's the man that selected Craig McRae, and famously went for that walk around the Tan with Nathan Buckley and said, 'I think your time might be up here'," McClure said.
"But it is a bit of the messaging that's coming out about Michael Voss and the Blues as well, because he has been now thematically concentrating on the positives, and he was again on the weekend after losing to GWS."
The Blues currently sit with a 4-7 record and 12th on the ladder, two games outside a finals position that was expected by many pre-season.
