'Recipe for disaster' Carlton must avoid amid coaching hunt as Josh Fraser turns results around

Carlton has won successive games since parting ways with coach Michael Voss, but the man who has taken the helm, Josh Fraser, remains adamant he doesn't want the job beyond 2026.

Across recent AFL history, we have seen a number of instances of caretaker coaches earning the top job through strong performance following a sacking.

Carlton themselves had this exact scenario play out after sacking Brendon Bolton in 2019, with David Teague taking over for the rest of the season and ultimately receiving the top job.

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Fraser, who joined the club from Collingwood at the end of 2025 as an assistant coach, made it clear upon Voss' sacking that he would take the Blues through to the end of the season, but would not pursue the long term job.

The former star ruckman admitted he doesn't think he's ready to be a senior coach: "This is not my job", he said.

But Carlton's season has certainly flipped in the last fortnight. Under Fraser, they knocked off the Western Bulldogs and then Port Adelaide on the road. Both wins would have been by significant margins if not for inaccuracy.

The Blues are clearly playing a tweaked game style, after their 1-8 start to the season under Voss featured numerous heart-breaking blown leads.

They're taking the game on through forward handball and ball movement, more in-line with the modern game, and controlling the ball by foot when they need to.

Despite the immediate swing, Fraser remained steadfast on his stance after the win over the Power.

"No, no. I'll be pretty consistent with my answer in that regard," Fraser said on Saturday night.

"I'm learning a lot. I'm determined at the end of this opportunity to be better placed than what I am now.

"But my focus is pretty narrow: I'm looking forward to reviewing the game and getting back to work."

After taking on Geelong in round 12, the fixture opens up somewhat for Carlton as they play Essendon, GWS, West Coast and Richmond around their bye.

But even in the dream scenario where they snowball a run towards the wildcard round from here, Collingwood champion Tony Shaw believes the Blues now cannot appoint Fraser as head coach.

Shaw feels the job is too demanding to appoint somebody who isn't sure themselves if they're up for it.

"I'll tell you right now, and this is no disrespect, I know Josh well, but he said he doesn't want (the job)," the Magpies legend told 3AW on Sunday.

"No matter what happens across the rest of the year, they cannot (give him the job) because the bloke himself has said he's not ready for it.

"He's not going to win another seven in a row, right, we know that.

"What (Fraser) did at (Carlton's VFL team), they were a rabble down there and his organisational skills and his communication, everyone loved how he went about it.

"But I'm telling you now, (Fraser) won't get the job. And it's not to say he can't get a job down the track at another club, but he's not ready for it, and he's already said it.

"If you do not have the passion, and he has already mentioned this doubt about not being ready … I tell you, it's a recipe for disaster."

Shaw believes Carlton's wins across the last fortnight would in part be because of the freedom that comes with the removal of an under pressure senior coach.

"The senior coach, who has a big say in whether you're going to be at the club next year is gone, and with an interim coach you don't have that fear," Shaw said.

"And let me tell you there's probably eight to nine players on every list in the AFL right now who think they won't be on the list next year, who don't like the coach, there'd be another eight or nine in and out all the time who also don't like the coach.

"You've got this balance now where that is gone. That's the freedom they've got a little bit more now, like George Hewett."

Richmond champion Matthew Richardson agreed, saying he is keen to see if the Blues can continue this momentum against a quality team like Geelong.

"The shackles have been released and the weight of the world comes off your shoulders (after a coach is sacked)," Richardson said.

"It's been a big cloud over the club for at least 18 months with speculation weekly after every loss about Voss and it does weigh down the players, there's no doubt about it.

"They would be feeling somewhat relieved the last couple of weeks with a bit more freedom.

"But let's wait and see how they perform Friday night against Geelong. If they match the Cats for four quarters you can probably say they're turning things around.

"On the form ladder for time in front under Voss, they were third. They were in front a lot, it's not like they were playing horrible football, they just couldn't win."