Physical Blues to fight fire with fire
CARLTON coach Michael Voss is confident Sydney star Luke Parker won’t get the chance to taunt his players on Friday night and says playing with a “combative nature” is a must for all his men.
Voss said the fallout from Parker’s dig at Essendon’s Dylan Shiel last weekend was “irrelevant to us” and dismissed it as “overhyped”.
But he also acknowledged the non-negotiable aspect of his coaching style, which should ensure that no Swans players will be able to question his team’s physicality when they clash at Marvel Stadium.
Voss said that what the Blues should bring would instead test the resolve of their opponents.
“Honestly, I think it’s one of the most overtalked things I have seen,” Voss said on Thursday. “It has no relevance to us.
“I’m forever trying to get our players on edge and play with an edge and with that comes some things that people might look at and agree with or not agree with.
“But we’re trying to send out our players with a really combative nature and the reality is that comes with some physical parameters and some mental parameters and we are looking to test both.
“There’s a line for every team. I don’t think (what Parker did) was it.”
Voss has guided Carlton to seven wins from nine games, and fourth spot on the ladder, in his first year in charge, the Blues’ best start to a season since 1996.
It’s a feat achieved despite constant injuries, including to star forward Harry McKay and key defender Jeremy McGovern, who are both sidelined for extended periods.
Jack Martin is also still a few weeks away from a return, and on Thursday defender Oscar McDonald was also ruled out for the rest of the season.
However, Voss said the “squad mentality” he brought with him had been embraced by the players, and they spent very little time focusing on what they didn’t have.
He also said the exposure of new players had been integral to the Blues’ success.
“We have spent a lot of time focusing on what we have,” Voss said.
“We’ve been able to introduce some real youth, and I don’t think that’s been spoken about a lot. The guys have been able to step into their roles really well.
“That’s brought some new energy and extra excitement into our team.”