Battling Blues declare they’ve let their fans down after Pies smashing

The Blues targeted three areas before a dismal loss to the Magpies and failed all tests. Now the players are set for a stern review as they admit they are failing their fans.

Josh Barnes

@Josh__Barnes

7 min read

July 5, 2025 - 1:36PM

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Carlton will turn inward and face a direct review during another week of soul searching as Blues ruck Marc Pittonet admitted his side “let our fans down” against Collingwood.

The Blues were swept aside with ease by their arch rival Pies in a 56-point drubbing on Friday night, a third demoralising loss on the trot.

And Michael Voss’ battling side faces another stiff test off a six day break against reigning premier Brisbane on Thursday night.

The players held a quick post-game meeting in the MCG changerooms on Friday and emerged with a plan to sit down this week and nut out a way forward.

The Blues players are leading the inward review. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

“We need to get to work on the small things craft wise and we need to have some conversations about what we value,” Pittonet told this masthead.

“What we value and our supporters value is the effort and the intent, the working for each other, the blocks the first gives, getting back to defence. Things we have done in the past but aren’t doing at the moment.”

Workhorse midfielder George Hewett said the Blues coaches had been “really good” at trying different things but a frank review was on the cards early in the week.

“I think this week it will be a bit more of an honest review which will be very good, I think just to know exactly where we are at,” he told 3AW.

“Our boys are feeling (ready to) speak from the heart, which is important.”

Marc Pittonet declares they’ve let their fans down. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The Blues want to make it up to their fans. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

The Blues came in to the Friday night clash a against the Magpies wanting to win the contest, outpressure the Pies and tackle well.

The Blues lost the tackle count by 14, contested possessions by 18 and pressure rating 163-180.

Pittonet said the Blues had seven weeks to make up for their shortcomings in front of their fans, with a crowd of 75,827.

“I think it’s pretty clear we let ourselves down, let our fans down,” he said.

“We didn’t do the hard things well enough and that’s what we need to get to work on in the next seven weeks. The contest, the little things that people want to come to the football to watch and we need to do for the fans to come watch us.

“We have got members who pay to watch us play on a Friday night, Thursday night, Saturday night and we need to turn up for them more often.”

Pittonet was recalled to the Blues side to play alongside ruck Tom De Koning for just the second time this year.

Playing the majority of the game up forward, De Koning hit season lows for hit-outs, disposals, clearances and tackles and didn’t kick a goal.

The star ruck has been courted by St Kilda on a big money offer all season, prompting speculation Carlton would hunt a replacement ruck but Pittonet said he hasn’t spent time thinking about his teammate’s looming decision.

“It sounds ridiculous, I don’t actually think about it that much,” he said.

“I have been around footy long enough, I have been doing this a long time. I know a lot of stuff happens in football so all you can really do is focus on getting your backyard right and getting better each week.”

‘Let our club down’: Blues taught lesson by arch rivals

- Ronny Lerner

Embattled Carlton coach Michael Voss refused to buy into speculation on his future with the Blues after yet another terrible performance against Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night.

Carlton was blown away after half-time as the Magpies careered towards a convincing 56-point victory, and continued an alarming stretch of form for the Blues which also includes horrible efforts in losses to North Melbourne and Port Adelaide.

When asked if he was confident about his position at the club, Voss said: “Don’t speculate beyond this week, so it’s not for me to do.

“It’s clear we need to have some pretty important conversations. We let our club down tonight.

The Blues have lost three games in a row. Picture: Mark Stewart

“We want our supporters to be proud of us and we didn’t do that tonight. There’s an expectation on the way we want to be able to play and we didn’t do that tonight.

“So that’s something we’re going to have to sit with. Not going to avoid that conversation. We’ll have to cop our whack, well we have to cop it, because we can’t tolerate that. That was a really poor performance.”

Voss stressed the importance of his leaders to steer the club out of this treacherous form slump they find themselves in, and the Carlton coach said that process would start with him.

“You get asked that question a fair bit around pressure. And clearly there’s that, I just choose not to act into it,” Voss said.

Jamie Elliott soccers a goal and Michael Voss isn’t happy.

“Every day I come into work I get to choose what type of leader I want to be and that means I get the chance to impact and we’ve got to shift the needle so that will take a collective effort.

“There’ll be a lot of leaning on our leaders this week.

“If I’m not going to believe in what we’re doing then they won’t believe in the direction we’re going in.”

Voss admitted the last three weeks were very concerning.

“Well I can’t sit here and say it’s about a body of work and then when it goes against you say it’s not,” Voss said.

“The last three weeks we don’t clearly want to see.”

Regarding the style of game he wants Carlton to play, Voss said: “We have not seen that enough over the last three weeks.”

MATCH REPORT: PIES IN A CAKEWALK

The pressure on Carlton coach Michael Voss is set to intensify even further this week after Collingwood smashed his team by 56 points at the MCG on Friday night.

After a disastrous fortnight for the Blues, which saw them suffer embarrassing defeats to North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, they barely gave a yelp after half-time against their biggest rivals as the Magpies cantered to an emphatic 17.13 (115) to 8.11 (59) victory.

Collingwood head into the weekend a lazy 14 points clear on top of the ladder, having now won 12 of their last 14 games against Carlton.

Voss is contracted for next season, but as the uncompetitive results continue to pile up, it’s becoming more apparent with each passing week that his message to his players is falling on deaf ears.

It was another tough night for Carlton. Picture: Getty Images

A third quarter for the ages from Collingwood completely blew the contest wide open as they piled on eight goals to open up a whopping 67-point lead.

The Magpies’ forward efficiency skyrocketed. Their first nine inside 50s for the term all yielded scores (6.3) as Carlton’s defence capitulated and all the Blues’ admirable effort from the first half completely fell away.

The difference in skill and class between the two sides was stark, and it was abundantly clear that this was a game between the premiership favourites and a team three games outside the top eight.

While the slick Magpies hit targets at will, Carlton’s disposal was too sloppy too often, and concerningly, some of their most senior players in Patrick Cripps, Blake Acres and Sam Docherty were the biggest culprits when the game was up for grabs.

The quality of Collingwood’s inside 50s, in particular, with the likes of Scott Pendlebury and Nick Daicos using the ball like a pair of surgeons, was far superior to Carlton’s as the Blues’ foot skills deteriorated as the game wore on.

Nick Daicos slots a brilliant running goal.

Collingwood’s pressure was red-hot all night, as they finished with a big lead in tackles (60-46), while they comfortably won the contested possessions (135-117) and finished with a big buffer in forward entries (60-49).

Daicos continued his charge towards a possible maiden Brownlow despite receiving attention from Carlton’s George Hewett throughout the game, finishing with 36 disposals (13 contested), seven marks (two), seven clearances, seven inside 50s and a goal.

Jamie Elliott booted four goals from his 15 touches and eight marks — he now has a career-best 41 majors for the year with seven rounds still to play.

Daniel McStay was also a big attacking threat with four goals and Tom Mitchell had 26 touches (11) and four clearances in his first game back in 435 days.

Collingwood were superb. Picture: Getty Images

PARTY PIES

Collingwood could do no wrong in the third quarter. At the 19-minute mark, Lachie Sullivan broke the Francis Evans tackle with brute force before snapping truly from 25m out and three minutes later, McStay unloaded from inside the centre square and bounced it home from 75m out. Jack Crisp capped it all off with a sensational set shot from a severe angle 40m out on the boundary.

Brody Mihocek and Will Hoskin-Elliott celebrate a goal. Picture: Getty Images

BRILLIANT BRODY

Brody Mihocek displayed incredible skills to set up Collingwood’s first goal. After gathering the ball magnificently at full pelt on the half-volley, he then spotted up Will Hoskin-Elliott with absolute precision by weighting the ball perfectly so that it evaded the outstretched fingertips of Carlton’s Harry O’Farrell ever so slightly. Hoskin-Elliott finished off the play with a converted set shot from 45m out.

HOWE GOOD IS THAT

Jeremy Howe showed there is plenty left in his 35-year-old legs yet when he turned on the turbo boosters, broke the Nick Haynes tackle and pumped the ball deep into attack to McStay who took a strong mark a few metres out. The former Lion kicked the easy goal on the half-time siren to give his side a 24-point lead.