Revealed: The rival coach a Carlton figure approached

Carlton approached the senior coach of a rival club late last season.

It was initially reported by Sam McClure that the Blues, before backing in Michael Voss, asked the question of a contracted rival coach.

At the time, incoming CEO Graham Wright suggested that nobody with any influence at the Blues had made contact with another senior coach.

SEN’s Tom Morris has today revealed the identity of that person to be Collingwood coach and Voss’ Brisbane Lions premiership teammate Craig McRae.

“Last year Sam McClure reported that someone at Carlton reached out to a senior coach at a rival club before re-signing Michael Voss,” Morris said on SEN’s Fireball.

“He didn’t name that senior coach.

“All summer I’ve been sitting on it. My understanding is the senior coach that someone at Carlton reached out to was Craig McRae.

“Graham Wright in his denials said it was nobody of any importance. But Craig McRae was the person that someone at Carlton reached out to gauge interest.

“McRae wasn’t interested and they moved on and re-signed Michael Voss.”

McClure had said in August: “In that period (before Voss was backed in) there were multiple people that were approached to coach Carlton in 2026.

“One of them is a current rival coach, who was approached about the potential of coaching Carlton in 2026.

“When those conversations didn’t go any further it was then that Graham Wright, the incoming CEO, chose to give his recommendation to the Carlton board that Voss should be retained into 2026.

“Carlton deny this. They’ve called the story misleading, untrue and factually incorrect.”

Voss was already contracted for 2026 as speculation swirled. But Wright made it vehemently clear that the club would stick with him into this season which kicked off in disappointing fashion against the Swans on Thursday night.

Premiership coach McRae is contracted with the Magpies until 2028 after signing an extension in December last year.