Newly re-signed Carlton coach Michael Voss has drawn bold parallels between his Blues and the Brisbane Lions dynasty he captained to three premierships.
Carlton will enter the 2024 AFL season more buoyant and stable on and off the field than they have been at any time this century.
After surging into last year's preliminary final - the Blues' best finish since 2000 - the club opted to give Voss a contract extension until the end of the 2026 season.
The former Lions superstar said Carlton were "as close" as the Brisbane team that made four-straight grand finals between 2001 and 2004.
"When you say it, you clearly believe it ... I call it as I see it," Voss told SEN on Friday when asked if he was trying to appease Carlton fans by comparing the Blues to the Lions of the early 2000s.
"The journey they've been on; it's been a lot longer than my time here (at Carlton).
"They've grown together, very similar to that group that I was involved in at Brisbane.
"They're certainly as close (as the Lions), that is for sure.
"You see the group, there's maturity on the field and there's maturity off the field."
But Voss warned the hard part was yet to come in converting the bond between the players into years of on-field excellence.
The stunning second-half run, yielding two finals wins, was Carlton's first top-eight at the end of the home-and-away season since 2011.
"Clearly what we've got to be able to do is going to take that connection and put that out on the grass on a weekly basis," Voss said.
Carlton will get a chance to avenge last year's preliminary final loss against the Lions when they head to Brisbane for an opening-round blockbuster at the Gabba on March 8.
