Michael Voss shuts down talk of a Charlie Curnow trade to Gold Coast

Carlton coach Michael Voss has emphatically declared Charlie Curnow is off the trade table as the star Blue returned to training today.

Carlton coach Michael Voss says Charlie Curnow is a “Carlton man and will stay a Carlton man” despite reports the gun forward would like to play for the Gold Coast Suns.

Curnow’s future at the Blues was sensationally thrust into the spotlight amid suggestions he would be interested in moving to the Gold Coast for the relaxed lifestyle away from the intense football environment in Melbourne.

But Voss shut down the talk.

Charlie Curnow at training on Wednesday. Picture: Michael Klein

“Charlie’s a Carlton man and he’ll stay a Carlton man, I’m not sure how much more emphatic I need to be on that,” he said.

“I appreciate at these times of the year and you’re not going so well there’ll always be some speculation on your players but it probably ends there for us.”

It is understood the Curnow camp doesn’t see a trade to the Suns as realistic after this season as the Blues stand firm on keeping the star goalkicker despite a desire for lifestyle change.

Sydney has a well-worn history of helping superstar forwards escape the Melbourne bubble and is desperate for a key forward to complete their team, having been linked to Dogs goalkicker Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

Curnow grew up just outside of Geelong, who have spruiked a calmer work-balance to big name recruits such as Jeremy Cameron.

Brisbane has also been searching for a star to fill the Joe Daniher-sized hole in the forward line this year and are expected to sign West Coast captain Oscar Allen as a free agent.

One recruiter from a northern states club described Curnow as a “nightmare” interview in his draft year, saying the then-Geelong Falcons prospect had no interest in moving interstate at the time.

But a less intense lifestyle has become an increasingly important selling point for clubs in the northern states as they look to lure players out of footy-mad towns Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

Voss said on Wednesday he hadn’t spoken with Curnow about any want to leave the club.

“It’s very hard to operate and have a conversation and answer something on hearsay,” the coach said.

“Other than to say that Charlie’s a very important person to us and he’ll play out his career here. He’s a Carlton person and he’ll stay one.”

Curnow signed a lucrative six-year contract extension in late 2022 that ties him to the Blues until the end of 2029.

A potential question mark about Curnow’s desire to play at Carlton comes as the Blues are expected to face upheaval at the end of the season, with new CEO Graham Wright to take over next month.

Coming into the season off multiple pre-season surgeries, Curnow has had a lean year by his high standards and kicked 30 goals in 17 matches at 1.8 per game, his lowest return since 2021.

The Blues have fallen out of the finals race and sit 12th with a 7-11 record before a Thursday night meeting with Hawthorn.

Voss said any talk about Curnow’s future was “just speculation for us”.

Ruck Tom De Koning is expected to take up a monster contract offer to move to St Kilda, while stars on big wages like Harry McKay and Sam Walsh take up large parts of a tight Carlton salary cap.

Voss said despite the change with Wright coming on board, the list management process at Carlton had remained the same.

“There’s no change in the way we are operating, maybe the names at the desk have changed because Brian (Cook, outgoing CEO) moves out and Graham comes in but in terms of how we go about our list management strategy and our build, everyone will have their input at the right time,” he said.

Originally published as Michael Voss shuts down talk of a Charlie Curnow trade to Gold Coast