'Not up to standard': Blues' leaders called on to lift

Perth Now

14-07-2025

Carlton vice-captain Jacob Weitering has put the onus on the team's underperforming leaders to ensure the battling Blues take something positive out of the final six weeks of their AFL season.
A fierce blowtorch has descended on Carlton and coach Michael Voss amid a four-match losing streak that has dashed their finals hopes.
It shows no signs of abating ahead of Saturday night's MCG clash with Melbourne, which is the 10th annual Carlton Respects game.
"You succeed in front of millions and you fail in front of millions, and that's just the reality of the job," Weitering said at the MCG on Monday.
"At the moment as leaders we're probably not playing to the standard that we want to play to.
"When your leaders don't lead it's very hard to ask the younger crop to come up and do a job.
"We've got six weeks now to find a purpose. Winning is obvious, but how can we get the most out of the back end of this year to set us up for next year?"
Voss was the subject of a death threat this month, just days after Carlton's headquarters was tagged with graffiti calling for the club's board to be sacked.
The 50-year-old has been guaranteed his job is safe until at least the end of the season, but he is no certainty to see out the final year of his contract.
"The No.1 thing for us is just making sure Vossy's OK," Weitering said.
"We've got his back. He'll continue coaching us for the rest of the year.
"He's put on an incredibly brave face and he's done that the entire time that he's coached us."
Weitering signed a six-year contract extension with Carlton in October but is unsure whether Tom De Koning will follow suit, as the ruck-forward considers a massive offer from St Kilda.
"That's something that he'll do in his own time with his manager and his family," Weitering said.
"He's certainly got to weigh up his options and do what's best for him.
"But his job - and I'm sure he'll say the same - is to run out in the navy blue for the (next) six weeks and try to get some wins for us."
Weitering highlighted Carlton's defensive woes as a problem area that needs to be immediately addressed after coughing up triple-figure scores in each of their past three games.
"You're just not going to win games of football doing that," he said.
"We're not throwing away our identity, but we've certainly gone away from it over the last three weeks.
"You win games off the back of defence and pressure, and we haven't been able to do that consistently ... it has been disappointing for sure."
Carlton Respects is an initiative of the club that aims to champion respect, equality and meaningful change.
At the MCG on Monday, four primary school students who completed Carlton's Road to Respect Program were presented with a special guernsey to officially kick off the week in the lead-up to the clash with Melbourne.