Carlton coach Michael Voss reveals how he’s handling the contract call for star big man Tom De Koning

Tom De Koning has been offered a life-changing deal from St Kilda and his Carlton coach Michael Voss says it’s hard to not talk about it.

Carlton coach Michael Voss says he’s balancing his conversations with out-of-contract big man Tom De Koning between personal chats and knowing when to “leave him alone” as he weighs up a multimillion-dollar offer from St Kilda.

Voss has drafted in another ruckman, Marc Pittonet, to help De Koning out in Saturday’s clash with North Melbourne, a game the 6-7 Blues have to win to remain in the hunt for finals.

Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow is also a confirmed starter to tackle the Roos, having been subbed out of last week’s win over West Coast with a calf niggle.

But while the focus is on the now, Voss said he couldn’t ignore the De Koning situation and while the 25-year-old wasn’t being hassled by anyone at the club to make a decision, there had been conversations.

Tom De Koning has a huge decision to make. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/Getty Images

The Saints have reportedly offered De Koning a $12m mega contract, a figure the Blues can’t match.

Voss said he had taken questions from De Koning on the club’s future but never at any stage urged him to make a call.

“I reckon two years ago, we were sitting in the same situation – then he walked into my office one day and signed the next day,” Voss said on Friday.

“He’ll make that decision whenever that is in due course. But I look at what he’s providing us, the investment he has in our team and how much he loves his teammates … this is his team, and he sees himself as that.

“When we have these conversations, that’s what we talk about – the team, how he’s going to get better and what that looks like in the future.

“We’re more than happy to have those discussions.All he needs from me is the reinforcement of what he brings to the team, how important he is to us as a player and he’ll continue to do so.

“The dialogue I have had with Tom is ongoing. We have had some more personal chats with that, but there’s also knowing when to leave him alone and give him space to get on with playing football.”

Carlton coach Michael Voss said De Koning would make his decision in due course. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Voss said Curnow “trained pretty much the whole session” on Friday and was expected to take his spot against the Kangaroos, and the Blues had a “laser focus” on what’s needed, with so much at stake.

“We’re laser focused in on making sure we play well. We’ve got a system we want to play, we’ve been really proud of some aspects of our game that we’re getting right,” he said.

“We’re laying those foundations down, but we’re also really clear on the things we need to be better at – that’s where all our energy has been. We haven’t shifted our focus, it’s the next contest, it’s the next team we play and that’s North Melbourne. That’s what gets our sole attention.”

Originally published as Carlton coach Michael Voss reveals how he’s handling the contract call for star big man Tom De Koning