‘I’m at peace with it’: Michael Voss explains why he walked out on Carlton as list manager follows suit

Michael Voss has spoken for the first time since standing down as Carlton head coach, admitting he was “at peace” with the decision.

News broke on Tuesday morning that Voss had resigned from his position nine games into the season, with the Blues only managing one win and eight losses.

List manager Nick Austin has since followed Voss out the door, the club has confirmed.

Carlton president Rob Priestley described Voss’ resignation as a “mutual decision” between coach and club, with The Age reporting it was agreed to before the weekend’s 11-point loss to two-time reigning premiers Brisbane.

In a lengthy interview with AFL.com.au on Tuesday afternoon, Voss, who did not front the press conference earlier in the day, confirmed that version of events.

“I’d just been feeling, particularly the last week, that it was time,” he said.

“I didn’t want the result [against the Lions] – whether we got the result done or we didn’t – to really be the emotional or acute response to change my mind.

“Maybe if we won under those circumstances. It’s all hypothetical but maybe you get swept up in that emotion and hang on a bit longer and I didn’t want the game to do that.

“If I was feeling that, which was really the first time I’d felt that, I was getting to a point where the decision sort of had to be made and it got activated pretty quick.”

Voss denied the issue was broached during his dinner with Priestley and chief executive Graham Wright a week prior to the decision.

“Not really, in fact we didn’t have any [discussions] at all,” he said.

“At that point in time, I just asked for their support however they possibly could.

“I think when you’re reading these situations, it’s more about what they don’t say than what they do say and I read enough into what they didn’t say … it was on shaky ground and the inevitable was starting to become clearer.

“The fighter in you and the competitor wants to take that as far as you possibly can, but last week was the first time I’d sat with a result from the week before and thought about where the club currently was and maybe where they needed to go.

“Thinking about that more deeply … it was time to elevate those conversations.”

Voss admitted the most difficult part of his decision to stand down was telling the staff and players he had worked alongside for the past half a decade.

“You’d like it to be different, but I’m at peace with it,” he said.

“I had a few days to think about it and get the final pieces of the puzzle. It’s one thing knowing it, it’s another thing saying it. You walk in [to talk to players] thinking you’re OK – but then when you’ve actually got to say the words [it’s different].

“Talking to those people is tough when you’ve had four or five years where you’ve worked so closely together.”

Earlier in the day and prior to Voss speaking publicly, it was left to Carlton officials and players to face the music after a messy situation.

Despite many calling for Voss to be out of the top job weeks or even months ago, Priestley said the club had no regrets over allowing him to continue into 2026.

“I’m not gonna apologise for effectively allowing the coach to coach out his final year – we wanted to give him the opportunity,” Priestley said.

“We made significant change last year, which was intended to support Michael around the areas that we felt still needed to improve. [We have] been very honest about the areas we needed to improve … off the back of all those conversations, he came in on Friday and said ‘I think with all the speculation about my role, it’s the right time’.

“We were debating timing and whether it’s into the bye or whatever it is, but he came in and said he thinks it’s the right time to clean the air.

“He resigned, so the decision is mutual today – but we had been talking about all the areas we needed to improve on and that had been a very transparent conversation.”

Chief executive Graham Wright echoed those sentiments.

“It was a unanimous decision that we wanted to go forward with Michael [into this season], so we don’t regret that at all,” he said.

“The reality of the position that we find ourselves in is that it was time for a change.”

Priestley defended the fact Voss did not front the press conference, explaining the outgoing coach wanted to spend time internally with players and staff.

Players, though, were forced to front up and face the music.

Blues captain and two-time Brownlow Medal winner kept it short and sweet on Tuesday.

“He’s been a great mentor and a great coach to me,” Cripps said.

“Our relationship’s really strong and it’s all I can really say now.”

Blues recruit Ollie Florent said, “It’s really sad to see him go”, while a number of other players and club staffers avoided media on their way into the building.

The Blues sit 16th on the AFL ladder and share a dismal win-loss record with the rebuilding Essendon and Richmond.

Their sole win this season came against the youthful Tigers in the second round.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn knows what it’s like to lose a coach, after Simon Goodwin was sacked by the Demons mid-season last year.

“I feel like it’s premature,” Gawn said of the Voss exit on Triple M Melbourne’s Mick in the Morning.

“Fifteen weeks for an interim coach is a long time. I’d be worried if I was a captain with an interim coach for 15 weeks.

“It’s a big job for Cripper (Cripps). He’s had a mountain of work over the last five, six years, and he’s got another big one now…to keep everything going.”

The Blues have developed a worrying habit of fading out of games after half time.

The club has also been heavily criticised in recent weeks in respect to the handling of player Elijah Hollands, who played an entire game against Collingwood in round six despite showing erratic behaviour.

The Blues claimed Hollands had suffered a mental health episode on the night but Voss and his staff have been grilled over the decision to allow Hollands to continue playing.

The AFL last week whacked Carlton with a $75,000 fine over the incident and CEO Andrew Dillon said the Blues had “brought the game into disrepute”.

Voss, 50, was a champion player and captain in the iconic triple premiership Brisbane Lions team at the turn of the century before retiring in 2006.

He has since coached more than 200 AFL games with both the Lions and Blues.

He took the reins at Carlton in 2022.