Carlton coach Michael Voss wasn't expecting the freshly minted Europa League champion manager Ange Postecoglou to respond following his Thursday morning triumph.
But as Voss put it: "Such is the man, he replied".
Postecoglou has long supported the Blues, and even welcomed the Brownlow medallist to the Tottenham Spurs headquarters late last year.
On Friday, ahead of the club's giant clash against GWS at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, Voss revealed the message Postecoglou responded with amid his own personal celebrations, taking the time to encourage his beloved Blues.
"Short and succinct, and the last message was, 'Always watching', which was a nice little message at the end," Voss said.
The Carlton coach has admired Postecoglou, for not only his success, but also the ability to stick fat with his game plan, and double down on what he believes.
"He's very forthright in his views, and I think some people have called him stubborn at times," he added.
"But I just see a coach that really believes in what he thinks is the right way to do it, and he's proven that over time.
"I will just say that probably the message is not so much what he told me, but what I get out of it was, it's about persistence and modelling the right things, and you gotta believe, keep getting after it.
Michael Voss watching Tottenhamโs draw v Fulham overnight with English coaching stalwart Roy Hodgson.
Voss joined 1-4 year Blues last week, but will miss the first week with senior players.
Spending time with Spurs coach (& big Blues fan) Ange Postecoglou + Union club Saracens pic.twitter.com/YFYUr0GeGjโ Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) December 1, 2024
"It really doesn't matter what other people say. It's more about what we think and what we believe."
During his tenure as Carlton coach, Voss has been questioned as the correct man for leading one of the AFL's biggest clubs, which has been starved of premiership success for 30 years.
Finals in the past two years have given Blues fans a glimpse of what they can achieve, but they have ultimately fallen short. However, Voss, who is working toward "generational change", has his sights set on something bigger.
"The time it takes to be able to create generational change," Voss said.
"Watching another coach go about their business and how they're able to do that, it probably does put into context the enormity of the job.
"And the level of persistence it takes to be able to obviously experience the ultimate.
"If anything, you walk away, you're almost doubling down on the things you think are right. And that holds you in good stead.
"Maybe there's a little bit of lessons in that for us right now."
Saturday's clash against the Giants is deemed a make-or-break for the loser, as both sides sit middle-tier on the AFL ladder.
Star ruckman Tom De Koning headlines five massive changes to the team, with veterans Blake Acres and Sam Docherty returning to the side. Small forward Lachie Fogarty regains his spot under Voss, while draftee Harry O'Farrell will debut.
Carlton will honour the passing of club great Robert Walls with a minute of applause, scheduled at 12:42pm, seven minutes into the first term.
The specific time represents Walls' 12 years at the Blues in the No.42 jumper.
