Carlton senior coach Michael Voss has described the media circus surrounding his future at the club as like being on "The Truman Show", particularly after his marathon board meeting with the Blues on Wednesday night.
Carlton President Rob Priestley said following the five-hour meeting that the club have made it "absolutely clear that Michael Voss is the coach of the Carlton Football Club and he will remain the coach of the Carlton Football Club" for 2026.
While Voss was happy to have the backing of the board, he highlighted a lack of contentment that the situation had reached such a dramatic point.
"It feels like hollow joy in some ways," Voss told media on Friday.
"There's no contentment in how we've found ourselves here and how it's played out, or feeling like there's a contentment being able to get that reassurance that you get to see out your contract.
"But there's also gratitude and a privilege to be able to continue to lead this football club. To be able to have that sense of direction, to be able to attack not just these last three weeks but what next season looks like.
"We've all received a tremendous amount of support from our members and fans. Whether that's turning up at open training sessions and the dialogue with our supporters and the reinforcement about what they love with what we're doing... That interaction has been hugely supportive, and I really appreciate that.
"Our eyes are firmly fixed on what we need to be able to do next."
Voss suggested the media had sensationalised the story, highlighting the calmness inside the four walls of the club, but admitted the media presence at Ikon Park on Wednesday built some tension ahead of the board meeting.
"I think the theories on the outside are very different to what's happening on the inside," Voss said.
"When I turned up here on Tuesday, it was about game review, quite a normal day, which might surprise you... Nothing really changed, that's what I felt. It was business as usual.
"[The media presence] was the only bit that was different, it was like The Truman Show at one stage. Man has coffee, man drives out of Ikon Park, man turns up at training, man goes to board meeting. That was a bit strange.
"To be honest, that did elevate [the tension] a little bit, but that theatre of what was happening and what was being spoken about at our board meeting was quite different to what it has felt like inside the club.
"We've been waiting for that absolute sense of direction, but now it's made, so we'll continue to move forward."
While Voss' future is confirmed, there has been speculation that other departments at Carlton may undergo significant change, with particular heat on the seat of General Manager of Football, Brad Lloyd.
However, Voss stated those conversations about change, while expected, haven't occurred and are unlikely to take place until after the season concludes.
"There hasn't been a discussion to this point in time [about change in other departments]," Voss said.
"We've all been locked in on what we need to be able to do. There might be discussions about what other people are talking about in the media space, but it's not our discussion.
"I anticipate that once we have the right time and we get a little bit of breathing room, we'll start to think about that more, but it's not now.
"We'll just move on to the game, and we'll deal with the other stuff when it comes."
Voss and Carlton will look to move their attention to their Round 22 clash, hoping to play the role of spoiler against top-four contenders Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
