When John Elliott died in 2021, the old, dark, imperial Carlton was dead. The new Carlton was grounded on “respect, humility and integrity”. The new president was a master networker. The new chief executive was the best administrator in football. The new coach had been one of the great players of his generation.
The Blues were a terrific team to watch in Michael Voss’s first year as coach. He had a lot to work with in 2022 – a pair of No 1 draft picks, two Coleman medallists, a captain who would win two Brownlow medals and a list that had been built from the spine since Brendon Bolton’s first year in charge. They spent almost the entire season in the top eight, and most of it on the cusp of a double chance.
