Michael Voss – Michmutters

Tag: Michael Voss

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Michael Voss press conference after Carlton Blues loss to Melbourne Demons, fixture, finals chances

Michael Voss press conference after Carlton Blues loss to Melbourne Demons, fixture, finals chances

Carlton will quickly regroup in preparation for a mouth-watering “final elimination” against arch rival Collingwood next week, coach Michael Voss says.

Voss was trying to take positives out of Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Demons, who stole a five-point victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a classy Kysaiah Pickett goal with 11 seconds left in the game.

Shattered Blues players slumped to the ground on the final siren as Melbourne denied Carlton the opportunity to cement a finals berth for the first time since the 2013 season.

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Asked where it went wrong, Voss told reporters: “A bit of detail in the last couple of minutes didn’t quite get right, so I guess it’s easy to focus on that two minutes.”

Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd, who was at the MCG on Saturday night, witnessed a frustrated Voss walk towards the Blues’ rooms after the final siren, before he u-turned, consoled his players and walked from the field with them.

“This is as bad as a home and away loss gets … I’ve lost a prelim by a point but this is as close to what you get with a home and away loss,” Lloyd told Channel 9’s The Sunday Footy Show.

Patrick Cripps of the Blues and Michael Voss leave after the loss. Picture: Mark StewartSource: News Corp Australia

“Vossy, he stands on the bench with the players and coaches from down there – he just started charging off on his own, disconsolate, hands in his pockets. He was going to head straight down to the rooms.

“Just as he got close, I reckon it triggered and he thought: ‘I can’t just go off and leave my players there.’ He turned back around, walked 60m back, he tapped every player on the bum, he and ‘Crippa’ (Patrick Cripps) walked down arm-in-arm.

“So I reckon he thought to himself: ‘I’ve got to be here with my players and we’ve got one week to try and salvage and turn this around.’”

With the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs, who are a win behind Carlton, set to start as favorites in their own do-or-die clash against Hawthorn next Sunday, the Blues simply must beat old foe Collingwood to cement a finals berth.

Carlton, vying to feature in September for the first time since 2013, will take on the miracle-working Magpies in a sequel to the thrilling Round 11 affair in which the Pies won by four points.

“It’s really exciting for us,” Voss said.

Patrick Cripps of the Blues and Michael Voss. Picture: Mark StewartSource: News Corp Australia

“I’ve spoken about the opportunity that’s there and it’s about exposure for us playing in these sorts of games. It can only be a good thing for us and how we grow and develop out of this as a footy team.”

Voss said his troops would relish the opportunity to take on the in-form Collingwood in front of an MCG crowd likely to exceed 80,000.

“It’s effectively an elimination final,” Voss said. “We know what the week holds.

“We’ll get back to work and turn up here next Sunday, in what will be a really big game. I’m sure it’ll be really built up.

“The energy that we brought today was just real excitement to be able to play these sorts of games. I hope we bring that same energy.”

Demons rob Blues on the Buzzer! | 03:03

The Blues are likely to regain Adam Cerra, who was a late withdrawal because of groin tightness but Voss conceded his side wouldn’t have the luxury of bringing fellow midfielders George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy back into the line-up despite the high-stakes nature of the clash.

“(Close) just couldn’t quite get going this morning,” Voss said.

“George (Hewett) is starting to get going a bit, but I think the prognosis for him is that if he does actually start to train it might be more towards the finals.”

— with NCA Newswire

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Court hearing, Patrick Cripps, result, ban upheld, Tim Kelly, how many weeks

Court hearing, Patrick Cripps, result, ban upheld, Tim Kelly, how many weeks

Patrick Cripps will miss the final two rounds of the regular season after an unsuccessful appeal at the AFL Tribunal over a rough conduct charge.

Carlton attempted to argue that Cripps’ act – which left Callum Ah Chee concussed – was “not a bump” and was instead a pure contest.

Cripps, giving evidence, insisted his eyes were on the ball at all times, while the AFL argued Cripps had alternatives to how he could’ve contested the ball.

The AFL went as far as to argue Cripps elected to bump.

After a lengthy deliberation period, the Tribunal found the charge should be upheld.

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Meanwhile West Coast star Tim Kelly also fronted the Tribunal, contesting a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Adelaide’s Sam Berry, which was assessed as careless conduct with medium impact and high contact.

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Ban likely for Cripps after heavy bump | 02:00

Kelly’s legal representative argued the impact from the tackle should be classified as ‘low’ rather than ‘medium’.

Giving evidence, Kelly said there was little ill feeling from Berry towards him in the aftermath of the tackle, while a medical report showed Berry required no treatment and would not miss any games or training sessions as a result.

Kelly added: “To be brutally honest, it didn’t look like there was much impact at all.”

Ultimately, the Tribunal upheld the charge of medium impact and thus upheld Kelly’s ban.

Speaking after the side’s loss, Carlton coach Michael Voss came to the defense of Cripps’ action.

“I thought it was a good answer,” he said.

“The umpire probably told the story, he didn’t pay a free kick, did he? Clearly he felt the arms were out and it was evenly contested and clearly when you have not a lot of time to adjust in those circumstances, it made for a difficult contest.

“From what I’ve seen, the arms were outstretched and it was a pretty even contest.”

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Harry McKay says Carlton Blues season should still be successful even if they miss finals

Harry McKay says Carlton Blues season should still be successful even if they miss finals

Coleman Medalist Harry McKay believes Carlton’s 2022 has been a successful campaign – even if it ultimately misses finals after being in the top eight since Round 1.

The Blues have been one of the stories of the AFL season, placing inside the top eight at the end of every round so far. After eight consecutive bottom-eight finishes, Michael Voss’ team now needs one more win to cement a finals berth for the first time since 2013.

But the Blues are now clinging to seventh spot on the ladder after a 33-point loss to Brisbane on Sunday – their fourth loss from their past six games.

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With two tough games against top-four sides Melbourne and Collingwood to finish their home and away season, the Blues are now in danger of missing finals, with St Kilda and, particularly, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs well placed to squeeze into the top eight .

The last team to be in finals places every round except the last was Carlton in 1977.

Asked on Fox Footy’s On The Couch if the Blues would still consider the 2022 season a success, even if they missed finals, McKay said: “Short answer yes.

“I think I judge success in terms of our environment that we’ve created. The last couple of years we’ve probably struggled in that space in terms of culture, environment, building a really solid gameplan.

“Whatever happens for the rest of the year, I guess that’s outcome-based. But for me as a player that’s been there seven or eight years, this 12 months have been a success. Whether that comes with finals or whatever it is, I think we’ve taken a really big step in the right direction.

NEW FOX FOOTY PODCAST — Finals fight down to 10 amid a Blue’s big bump and Crows camp fallout

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“’Vossy’ talked about the other day ‘hopefully it’s a long book and this is just Chapter 1’. We want to finish off the chapter really well, but it’s definitely still a success I reckon.”

While many Blues fans would struggle to comprehend missing the finals after so many victories in 2022, triple premiership Bomber Tim Watson said Carlton’s “trajectory is going in the right direction”.

‘What is that?’ Sloppy Blues torched | 01:52

“Success can be measured in a whole different lot of ways, but they are still improving and their graph is going in the right direction,” Watson told SEN Breakfast after hearing McKay’s comments.

“They built up a level of expectation, based on their performances earlier in the season, and I remember seeing them and thinking ‘yeah, they’re capable of actually winning the flag’.

“They’ve got some problems at the moment though – and partly to do with injury.”

McKay claimed last year’s Coleman Medal with a haul of 58 goals, but said he’d enjoyed this year more considering the team’s success to date.

“This year has been very enjoyable and a different place,” he said.

Carlton needs one more win to qualify for finals. Picture: Russell FreemanSource: Getty Images

“Although we did a lot right over the last couple of years, this year it’s just started to click. Some key changes to some key personnel have been really refreshing and really nice.

“The last few weeks have been challenging after a pretty solid first 16 to 18 rounds. It’s been a little bit disappointing we haven’t been able to play our best football, but we’re still in a really good and exciting position. Two big games at the MCG to finish the year and a chance to do something we haven’t been able to do in 10 or so years.

“Even post-game (Sunday afternoon), there was initial disappointment and frustration and we touched on a few things that didn’t go right. But before we walked out the door it was ‘what an amazing opportunity we’ve got’.

McKay said the Blues needed to improve their contested ball work, which had been “a little bit off” in the past fortnight, while they wanted to move the footy with more “dare”.

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Carlton Blues, Patrick Cripps, court, appeal, suspension, ban, bump, Callum Ah Chee, West Coast Eagles, Willie Rioli, Matt Rowell, appeal

Carlton Blues, Patrick Cripps, court, appeal, suspension, ban, bump, Callum Ah Chee, West Coast Eagles, Willie Rioli, Matt Rowell, appeal

Carlton needed to use the Willie Rioli defense in a bid to free skipper Patrick Cripps to play in this weekend’s must-win clash with Melbourne, according to Jonathan Brown.

Like Cripps, Willie Rioli was banned for his mid-air collision with Sun Matt Rowell as the Eagle’s impact sent the midfielder crashing into the turf.

Rioli was given a one-match ban for the heavy bump, but was successful in overturning the suspension at the court by arguing his actions were not “unreasonable”.

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Cripps has been hit with a two-match ban for his similar action that left Lion Callum Ah Chee concussed on the Gabba turf.

Brown believes a “precedence” was set in Round 1 – with the difference being Cripps’ has been graded as high impact and not medium like Rioli’s.

“The end of the day, the precedence has been set for my belief when Willie Rioli was let off with Matty Rowell in Round 1. I don’t think there’s been a rule change,” Brown said On the Couch.

“To me, it looked like Willie Rioli was later (in making contact).

“Yes, you can argue that it was a marking contest however it was an aerial contest. One was in play, one was a marking contest.

Longmuir confident yet coy on Freo | 03:48

“They were both scenarios where the player’s had to leave the ground. I don’t think Patty Cripps could do much. I actually think that (Rioli’s) looks worse and was let off.”

Fellow panelist Nick Riewoldt agreed that the Blues needed to use Rioli’s appeal as the basis for their challenge, should they decide to make one by 11am AEST on Tuesday.

“Whether you are jumping in the air in a marking contest or to intercept the ball from a handball is irrelevant,” he said as Brown added: “It should be irrelevant.”

“So they walk in (to the court), you press play on the Willie Rioli tape and you walk out five minutes later – that’s how it should go down,” Riewoldt said.

Brown felt Rioli’s argument that his conduct was “not unreasonable” should apply to Cripps as well.

“The argument for Willie Rioli (was) he couldn’t reasonably expect contact in that situation and obviously had to brace – but so did Patty Cripps.”

Fans were shocked back in Round 1 when Rioli escaped sanction for the hit on Rowell, with some calling on the Eagle to “buy a Lotto ticket”.

Koch statement awkward for Hinkley? | 01:36

Gerard Whateley said the Blues were in the process of preparing for an appeal on Monday night, but didn’t think the Rioli comparison was as “cookie cutter” as some believed.

“First they have to show it’s not a bump. The second part is there an alternative?” he said.

AFL360 co-host Mark Robinson agreed with coach Michael Voss that it was a “split second decision” for Cripps.

“My flinch reaction was: ‘You’re gone Patrick Cripps’ … but I said the same with Willie Rioli,” he said.

“We were gobsmacked at the time they appealed and got off. I don’t think the court can suspend him if they put up the Rioli (vision).

“But my gut feels is you can’t have that in our sport anymore.

Feet rebound from cap scandal | 02:10

“He didn’t mean to do it – but what’s more important? He didn’t mean to do it or the health and safety of Ah Chee?”

On the Couch host Garry Lyon believes Cripps’ actions are worthy of suspension, claiming it was “not a great surprise” the Match Review handed down a two-game ban on Monday.

“It’s a hold your breath moment,” he said.

“I don’t think in this state that we are in and the game we’ve got, if that goes unpunished, then we are kidding ourselves.”

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Izak Rankine Adelaide Crows contract offer, Touk Miller and Tony Cochrane urge him to stay at Gold Coast Suns

Izak Rankine Adelaide Crows contract offer, Touk Miller and Tony Cochrane urge him to stay at Gold Coast Suns

Gold Coast’s leadership group has made an impassioned plea for out-of-contract young star Izak Rankine to reject Adelaide’s advances and remain a Sun.

News Corp revealed last week that the Crows were making a major play for Rankine, offering him a five-year deal worth as much as $800,000 per season to return to his home state.

Gold Coast is highly unlikely to match that financial offer and will instead rely on convincing him that his best chance of realizing his potential is at the Suns, while still being willing to pay him about $650,000 a year.

Adelaide is increasingly confident Rankine will request a trade to play for Matthew Nicks’ side, but that wouldn’t come until after Gold Coast’s season ends.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane told News Corp on Monday they would do “all we can to retain him”.

“I think the club has proven over four years we’re doing everything possible to keep him there and obviously he’s a required player,” Cochrane said.

Izak Rankine is weighing up a five-year offer from the Crows. Picture: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“We’ve got a great association and relationship with Izak, as everyone has around the club. He’s bought a house up here, he’s very much settled in up here, so that’s just our position for the moment.

“He’s an incredibly popular person around the club. I know first-hand how much time and effort people like (coach) Stuart Dew have put into him and, importantly, I know how highly Stuart rates him.

“He’s got that message loud and clear at the Gold Coast footy club.”

Co-captain Touk Miller also made it clear that convincing the “special” small forward to stay was a top priority, having already re-signed Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Ben Ainsworth, Elijah Hollands and Mac Andrew this year.

“I know there’s a lot of speculation around him and his future, but for us we really want him to be at this club. He’s a special person, a special player,” Miller said.

“We’ve gone to him and had a few chats about how much he means to us and means to the club, so whether that plays a part in the decision, hopefully it does.

Stay or go? Izak Rankine has a big call to make on his playing future. Picture: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“As a leadership group; that’s part of what you have to do. This club wants success, and he can be a key part of that.”

Miller sympathized with Rankine’s situation as he weighs up a career- and life-changing decision, especially with the Suns looking to have turned the corner as a club.

“I know speculation like that can make it really hard around the club and can make things awkward and nervous, but we want him to feel as comfortable as possible, feel like he can still be himself and play his best footy,” he said.

“He’s human. I can say it’s not easy for him and you probably do have your head down a bit more. In saying that, we’ve still got a lot of good things out of him on game day.

“I’m not in his head, I can’t exactly say what he’s going to do, but we really want him to stay. He’s such a special part and key part to our club going forward. We’d love to have him.”

Miller was famously forthright with ex-Gold Coast co-captain Tom Lynch when he revealed in 2018 he was exercising his free agency rights to join Richmond after meeting with several Melbourne-based clubs.

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Patrick Cripps suspension, hit on Callum Ah Chee, how many weeks, Carlton vs Brisbane Lions, video

Patrick Cripps suspension, hit on Callum Ah Chee, how many weeks, Carlton vs Brisbane Lions, video

The contest that left Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee convicted will see Carlton captain Patrick Cripps sit out the home-and-away season on the sidelines, according to two former AFL stars.

Cripps launched at a contest with Ah Chee in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, collecting Ah Chee and leaving him dazed before he was eventually subbed out with concussion.

Blues coach Michael Voss mounted a defense for Cripps’ action when speaking after the 33-point loss.

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Carlton Press Conference | 06:10

“I thought it was a good answer,” he said.

“The umpire probably told the story, he didn’t pay a free kick, did he? Clearly he felt the arms were out and it was evenly contested and clearly when you have not a lot of time to adjust in those circumstances, it made for a difficult contest.

“I’m sure it’s one that’ll get looked at but from what I’ve seen the arms were outstretched and it was a pretty even contest.

“There’s microseconds in it, so if we’re asking players to make microsecond decisions, I don’t know whether the game enables that, I really don’t.”

Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, dual-premiership player for North Melbourne David King said Voss’ comments undersold the football IQ of Cripps, as well as the severity of the outcome for Ah Chee.

“So we’ve got the age-old argument of are we protecting the head or not – players can make decisions in microseconds, it’s what they do,” he said.

“I don’t know if that’s a microsecond decision. He’s coming in, he’s off the ground, his shoulder is tucked, he’s ready for contact. I don’t buy that. I love Vossy and I love what he’s done with Carlton, but that’s just not right.”

Co-host Ben Dixon pointed out Cripps and the Blues could argue the star was participating in a marking contest, but King wasn’t convinced.

“Mate, come on. He’s ready for contact at least a meter-and-a-half away, Cripps,” King said.

“He knows he’s going to be late, he assesses these things for a living. He knows when he’s late.

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Carlton Blues fixture, run home, injury list, Michael Voss press conference, Leigh Montagna says team is vulnerable

Carlton Blues fixture, run home, injury list, Michael Voss press conference, Leigh Montagna says team is vulnerable

Dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna fears Carlton’s terrific 2022 could be undone by ill-timed personnel issues, which has left Michael Voss’ team vulnerable at the most crucial stage of the season.

Michael Voss’ Blues are clinging to seventh spot on the ladder after a 33-point loss to Brisbane on Sunday – their fourth loss from their past six games.

They’ve been inside the top eight at the end of every round so far 1 this season, but are now in serious danger of missing out on finals with St Kilda and, particularly, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs still well placed to squeeze into the top eight. The last team to be in finals places every round except the last was Carlton in 1977.

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The Blues need to win one more game to guarantee a finals spot. But they would have upset one of Melbourne (3rd) or Collingwood (4th) over the next fortnight, while the Bulldogs and Tigers have ‘easier’ final games.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s First CrackMontagna said the Blues now had their “work cut out to play finals.”

It comes amid player availability issues in the most important part of the ground for Carlton, with George Hewett (back) and Matt Kennedy (fractured jaw) sidelined due to injury, while skipper Patrick Cripps could also miss matches due to a bump on Lion Cal Ah Chee that will attract MRO scrutiny.

Ban likely for Cripps after heavy bump | 02:00

The Blues have been renowned for their ruthless nature at the coalface this year, but Montagna on Sunday night pointed out the Blues had lost the hardball get count in the past two games against Brisbane and Adelaide by -20 and -15 respectively.

“They’re starting to get beaten up around the footy … and without that big three in the midfield, they look vulnerable to me,” Montagna told First Crack.

“They don’t look like the same side at the start of the year that was brutal, physical, aggressive, that was just bullying and beating up on teams through the midfield.

“The ‘Voss gloss’ might’ve worn off. They’ve got their work cut out now and they’re going to have to do some soul searching to try and play finals – and it might undo what has been such a terrific season up until the last sort of four or five weeks.”

Montagna also pointed out the Blues had only been in front for 26 per cent of game time in their matches against top-eight teams this year, while dual premiership Kangaroo David King highlighted the Blues are 10-1 this year when they’ve won the clearance count by at least +5 but 3-6 when that count has been +4 or less.

Brisbane stay in the hunt for top four | 02:26

“They’re clearance-based and contest-based – and they lose their best commodity,” King said.

In a must-win game, the Lions stunned the Blues in the first term with a fierce tackling display, laying 20 tackles to 13. That prompted dominance at clearance (+11), inside 50s (+13) and on the scoreboard (+ 29).

King said the Lions’ pressure was awesome, making Carlton look “jittery” and “panicky with the ball”.

The Kangaroos great put the heat on Blues backman Adam Saad, who finished with 24 disposals and 10 interceptions, but was arguably beaten by direct Brisbane opponent Charlie Cameron, who kicked two telling goals.

King pointed to a sloppy kick-in from Saad that led to a turnover and Dayne Zorko goal during the first term.

“What is that? I mean come on. This is high-level stakes,” he said.

“That’s not AFL standard, just waltzing out like that and just trying to be a little bit arrogant again with the ball.

Carlton Press Conference | 06:10

“He’s had a fantastic year, but his last two weeks he’s left opportunities on the floor for the opposition to take – and they have.”

Despite his club’s predicament, Voss said it must “embrace where we are at”.

“We are all about what’s in front of us. They are games to look forward to. We are playing in games that matter. This is an important phase in the development of our group,” Voss told reporters on Sunday.

“We need that exposure. We are going to the MCG next week against Melbourne, it will be a big game. The Collingwood game is being talked about already so we are getting exposure to these games and there can only be growth off the back of it.

“Tonight, it’s a bit of a tough one (lesson) but we’ve got to bring that fresh energy and we’ve got to correct ourselves pretty quick and we’ve got to get on with it.”

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finals predictions, Carlton Blues fixture, run home, loss to Adelaide Crows was insipid says Mark Robinsion

finals predictions, Carlton Blues fixture, run home, loss to Adelaide Crows was insipid says Mark Robinsion

Carlton’s “insidious” display against Adelaide on the weekend suggested it had “pop-up problems everywhere”, according to AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson, ahead of a fight to remain in the top eight.

But Brownlow Medalist Gerard Healy believes there’s been an overreaction to the loss, claiming some Blues fans “want to death-march their team to ninth spot on the ladder”.

Carlton suffered a shock 29-point loss to the Crows on Saturday night, leaving Michael Voss’ side vulnerable inside the top eight with three tricky home and away matches left. The Blues need one more win to guarantee them a finals spot, but games against top-four sides Brisbane, Melbourne and Collingwood will make it no easy task.

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“It was really insipid. Most Carlton people would say that,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 when analyzing the Blues’ performance against Adelaide

“Adelaide, fantastic performance… But this mob (the Blues) let themselves down badly and they let themselves down in a couple of areas.

“They’ve got pop-up problems everywhere. I describe it like a water park where the water keeps on popping up … it’s like Vossy’s saying: ‘We’ve got a problem there, problem there, problem there.’

Crows surprise Blues at Adelaide Oval | 01:31

“They had problems on the weekend in defence, they had problems turning it over, they’ve got two players getting 40 (disposals) and only one having impact, the forward line’s struggling – Harry (McKay) is not marking the ball, the smalls aren’t kicking goals – and now we’re saying Jack Silvagni didn’t play and it had a psychological impact on the club. Well if it did, how fragile is the team if Jack’s not playing? That’s just crap.

“They had their chance and they blew it badly.”

Co-host Gerard Whateley said it was “a significant misstep” by the Blues.

“If you missed the eight from 8-3, it would be bitterly disappointing for all the work that’s gone into it,” Whateley told AFL 360.

NEW FIRST CRACK PODCAST — R20 wrap: ‘Arrogant’ Blues torched, Danger’s best flag chance

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“I think we accept they’re a futures stock who there might’ve been a moment for now and that’s going to play a major role in thwarting the capacity to do that. But don’t be missing your spot from here.

“I don’t know whether they can take care of their business before then, but you have a sneaking glance at Carlton and Collingwood on that last Sunday of home and away football and if the Blues are scratching for it at that stage to book themselves a place … maybe they’re good enough to do it before then, but they’ll have an angry Lions to deal with (this weekend).”

Robinson added: “Part of building your future is playing a final at the MCG in front of 80,000. Even if you get beaten, it’s getting out there and building up and running out there and the expectation’s rally high and the pressure is hot – that’s part of the building. You can’t do that sitting on your ass after Round (23) when you were 8-3 at the half.”

Harry McKay of the Blues. Picture: Sarah ReedSource: Getty Images

Speaking on 3AW’s sports day on Monday night, Healy said he’d noticed a lot of negative feedback from Blues fans after the loss – feedback that didn’t truly reflect where the Blues were at.

“Yes, it was a horrible loss on the weekend, but the negative reaction to it for mine at this stage has been over the top,” he said on Sportsday.

“It seems Blues fans, or many of them, want to death-march their team to ninth spot on the ladder, despite being so good for most of the year and doing so with a lot of injuries.

“I reckon the team is entitled to a mulligan – and they got it on the weekend – and a bit more belief from those who have already written them off.

“It’s been a tough journey over the last 10 years for the Blues fans and they’re getting used to disappointment too much. But I wouldn’t be writing them off just at the present time.”

Healy said Carlton’s best footy was still at the top-end of the competition. He said the returns of George Hewett and Jack Silvagni, as well as a form lift from Harry McKay, should help turn things around.

“So much to think about for Michael Voss, but at this stage it’s still glass three-quarters full for me for the Blues, not the totally empty schooner or pot that too many Carlton fans appear to be drinking from this weekend,” Healy said .

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