We're only a month into the 2026 AFL season and it's already looking like being another grim one for Carton and its long-suffering fans.
It's well-documented, but in case you're unaware, there's been a distinct lack of success at Princes Park since the Blues' 61-point thrashing of the Cats in the 1995 Grand Final.
In the subsequent 29 years (not including 2026), Carlton has made the finals on 10 occasions and has not added to its premiership tally. Its win-loss finals record during this period is eight wins, 21 losses.
The Blues have made just one Grand Final since '95, that being 1999 when they lost to North Melbourne by 35 points. Carlton has played in two Preliminary Finals, four Semi Finals and two Elimination Finals.
Including the four matches the Blues have played in 2026, their win-loss record since lifting the trophy in the middle of the MCG on September 30, 1995, is 278 wins, five draws and 400 losses.
Blues fans have quite rightly had enough.
So, as we brace for another belting by Adelaide, who have had the wood on Carlton, winning 11 of the past 16 meetings by an average margin of 43 points, I've come up with seven things the Blues should do, both short and long-term, to turn the tide.
6Change the method
Arguably Michael Voss' greatest failing is his rigidness, both in-game and more broadly.
Win it at the source and score from stoppage is Carlton's 1 Wood. If that fails, goodnight, Irene.
This year, the Blues have scored 28.23.191 from stoppage (62 per cent of their aggregate tally) and just 14.19.103 off turnover (33.5 per cent). Compare that to the Bulldogs, for example; they are 26.20.176 from stoppage (40 per cent) and 29.27.201 from turnover (45 per cent). Obviously, Carlton does not have the same level of skill and ability as the Dogs, but you get the point.
While they have made a concerted effort to transition, change the angles and move the footy with more speed, the Blues often revert to playing slow and kicking the ball long and down the line. The way Carlton plays is not how you win games of footy on a regular basis in modern times.
As we have seen time again, dating back to that final quarter horror show in Round 23, 2022, the Blues do not have the ability to halt momentum in-game when they lose it. Sure, that's partly on-field personnel, but Voss does not seem to enforce his Plan B or C (if he has them), and if he does instruct his troops to change modes, the message is not getting through.
Since the start of 2025, no team has lost more than Carlton after leading at quarter-time, with the Blues tallying nine defeats during this timeframe.
In 2026 alone, Carlton has led at half-time in all four matches, but has gone on to win just once, and that was by four points (in Round 1) against the Tigers, who would have won if Tom Lynch kicked straight.
The Blues were outscored by the Swans by 73 points in the second half in Opening Round; Richmond outscored Carlton by 23 points after half-time in Round 1; Melbourne was plus 57 following the main break in Round 3; and the Kangaroos won last week's Round 4 second half by 13 points.
Carlton has tallied a combined 26.21.177 in first halves this year, while after time, the aggregate is 18.22.130 (a combined differential of 47 points). More damning, though, is the heavy scoring from the opposition in second halves. While the Blues have only managed 130 points, they have conceded 45.26.296 (a staggering differential of 166 points).
Maybe the Blues simply don't have the cattle to play the way the game needs to be played in 2026.
