Editing Carlton Football Club (section)

==Club history==
===Early history===
[[File:Carlton_fc_south_yarra_winners.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Carlton won the 1871 club season and South Yarra Presentation Cup]] 
[[File:Carlton Footballer George Coulthard.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[George Coulthard]], an early champion Carlton footballer in 1880]]
During a meeting on 17 May 1865 at the University Hotel in Grattan Street Carlton the Carlton Football Club nominated secretary Ben James and president James Linacre respectively.<ref name="founding">[https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/715680/moment-7-in-the-beginning Moment 7: In the beginning...] By Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media 23 May 2014</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155026445 |title=THE NEWS OF THE DAY. |newspaper=[[The Age]] |issue=3,293 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=19 May 1865 |accessdate=27 November 2024 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>[https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/726629/the-university-hotel-where-it-all-began The University Hotel - where it all began] By Tony De Bolfo for carltonfc.com.au 24 Jan 2013</ref> The club formally adopted the [[Melbourne Football Club]] rules.<ref name="founding" /> This is the earliest record of incorporation however the club believes it was formed earlier based on numerous indirect accounts<ref name="founding" /><ref name="Foundation Blueseum">[https://www.blueseum.org/Formation+of+the+Club Formation of the Club - Blueseum]</ref> and officially celebrates anniversaries based on a foundation date of 1864.<ref>[https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1537437/carlton-to-embark-on-160th-year-celebration Carlton to embark on 160th year celebration] By Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media 24 April 2024</ref> It also continues to investigate evidence of an earlier foundation, including the proposed formation of a Carlton Football Club on 21 May 1861 connected to a Carlton Cricket Club.<ref>The Argus (Melbourne). No.4, 666. Victoria, Australia. 17 May 1861. p. 8.</ref><ref>"Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 4, 668. Victoria, Australia. 20 May 1861. p.8.</ref><ref>"Sporting Notes and Notions". Table Talk. No. 672. Victoria, Australia. 13 May 1898. p. 16.</ref><ref>"CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB". The Coburg Leader. Vol. XXV, no. 47. Victoria, Australia. 8 December 1906. p. 4.</ref><ref>"FOOTBALL JUBILEE CARNIVAL". The Age. No. 16669. Victoria, Australia. 15 August 1908. p. 16.</ref>

The earliest records of the club playing were from 1865 out of Princes Park in Carlton.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155040312 |title=THE NEWS OF THE DAY. |newspaper=[[The Age]] |issue=3,378 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 August 1865 |accessdate=23 November 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In the early days, Carlton became particularly strong competitively and grew a large supporter base. It became a fierce rival to the [[Melbourne Football Club]] in early competitions, including the [[Challenge Cup (Australia)|South Yarra Challenge Cup]], and the club is recognised as senior Victorian premiers in 1871, 1873, 1874 and 1875.

===Victorian Football Association and Victorian Football League===
In [[1877 VFA season|1877]], Carlton was one of the foundation clubs of the [[Victorian Football Association]], and was a comfortable winner of the premiership in the competition's inaugural season.<ref name="fpf1">{{cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_1.htm|title=Carlton – Part One: 1864 to 1919|first=John|last=Devaney|access-date=8 October 2011|publisher=Fullpointsfooty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806045331/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_1.htm|archive-date=6 August 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Carlton was one of the first clubs to have a player worthy of the superstar tag: champion player [[George Coulthard]], who played for Carlton between 1876 and 1882, and was noted by ''[[Australasian Post|The Australasian]]'' as 'The grandest player of the day'. He died of tuberculosis in [[1883]], aged 27.

[[File:Carlton fc 1887.jpg|thumb|left|Carlton's 1887 VFA premiership side]]
The club won one more VFA premiership, in [[1887 VFA season|1887]], but after that, particularly during the 1890s, the club went from one of the strongest clubs in the Association to one of the weaker, both on-field and off-field. In spite of this, the club was invited to join the breakaway [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] competition in [[1897]].<ref name=bluehistory>[http://www.carltonfc.com.au/ Official Website of the Carlton Football Club] [http://www.carltonfc.com.au/carltonfc/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=2467 History of the Blues] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901171133/http://www.carltonfc.com.au/carltonfc/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=2467 |date=1 September 2007 }} Retrieved on 15 April 2007.</ref> The club continued to struggle in early seasons of the new competition, and finished seventh out of eight teams in each of its first five seasons.

===Jack Worrall to World War I===
Carlton's fortunes improved significantly in 1902. The Board elected the highly respected former [[Fitzroy Football Club|Fitzroy]] footballer and [[Australia national cricket team|Australian]] [[test cricket]]er [[Jack Worrall]], then the secretary of the [[Carlton Cricket Club]], to the same position at the football club. As secretary, Worrall slowly took over the managing of the players, in what is now recognised as the first official coaching role in the VFL. Under Worrall's guidance in the latter part of the 1902 season, Carlton's on-field performances improved,<ref name="egep">{{citation|first=Stephen|last=Rodgers|title=Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results, 1897–1991|publisher=Viking O'Neil|publication-place=Ringwood, VIC|edition=3rd|year=1992}}</ref> and in 1903 he led Carlton to the [[AFL finals series|finals]] for the first time.

[[File:Carlton premiership flag 1907.jpg|thumb|left|The 1906 VFL premiership flag being hoisted at Carlton Oval]]
Carlton built a strong reputation and financial position, and was able to convince many great players to shift to the club from other clubs, or even (in the case of [[Mick Grace]]) out of retirement. Worrall led the club to its first three VFL premierships, won consecutively, in [[1906 VFL Grand Final|1906]], [[1907 VFL Grand Final|1907]] and [[1908 VFL Grand Final|1908]]. Carlton became the first club in the VFL to win three premierships in a row, and its win–loss record of 19–1 in the [[1908 VFL season|1908 season]] (including finals) was a record which stood for more than ninety years.{{Ref|1|N 1}}

Following these premierships, Carlton went through a tumultuous period off-field. Some players had become frustrated by low payments and hard training standards, and responded by refusing to train or even play matches. The club removed Worrall from the coaching role (he retained the role of secretary), and after significant changes at board level after the 1909 season, Worrall left the club altogether. Many players who had supported Worrall left the club at the end of the season. Then, in 1910, several players were suspected of having taken bribes to [[match fixing|fix]] matches, with two players ([[Alex Lang]] and [[Doug Fraser (Australian footballer)|Doug Fraser]]) both found guilty and suspended for 99 matches.<ref name="fpf1" /> Despite this backdrop, Carlton continued its strong on-field form, reaching the [[1909 VFL Grand Final|1909]] and [[1910 VFL Grand Final|1910]] Grand Finals, but losing both.<ref name="egep" />

[[File:Carlton fc 1914.jpg|thumb|The 1914 Carlton team photographed at the old East Melbourne Cricket Ground.]]
Carlton fell out of the finals in 1913, but returned in 1914 under coach [[Norm Clark]], and with many inexperienced players, to win back-to-back premierships in [[1914 VFL season|1914]] and [[1915 VFL season]]s. Most football around the country was suspended during the height of World War I, but Carlton continued to compete in a VFL which featured, at its fewest, only four clubs. Altogether, between Jack Worrall's first Grand Final in 1904 and the peak of World War I in 1916, Carlton won five premierships and contested nine Grand Finals for one of the most successful times in the club's history. The only success which eluded the club was the [[Championship of Australia]]; Carlton contested the championship three times (1907, 1908 and 1914), with its [[SANFL|South Australian]] opponents victorious on all three occasions.

===Between the wars===
Through the 1920s and the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s, Carlton maintained a strong on-field presence. The club was a frequent finalist, contesting fourteen finals series between the wars. However, premiership success did not follow, and the club contested only three Grand Finals for just one premiership during this period, and endured the second longest premiership drought (23 years) in the club's history.<ref name="seasons">{{cite web|url=http://afltables.com/afl/teams/carlton/season.html|title=Carlton Season Summary|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref> The drought was broken with the club's sixth VFL premiership in [[1938 VFL season|1938]], when former [[Subiaco Football Club|Subiaco]] and [[Sydney Swans|South Melbourne]] champion [[Brighton Diggins]] was recruited by the club to serve as captain-coach.

On-field, Carlton's inter-war period was highlighted by two of its greatest goalkickers: in the 1920s, [[Horrie Clover]] (396 goals in 147 games), and in the 1930s, [[Harry Vallence|Harry "Soapy" Vallence]] (722 goals in 204 games), both of which were Carlton career records at the time.

===1941–64===
[[File:Bob Chitty.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bob Chitty]] captained Carlton to victory in the [[1945 VFL Grand Final|1945 "Bloodbath" Grand Final]].]]
The VFL continued to operate through World War II. With the retirement of Diggins, Carlton secured the services of former {{AFL Ric}} coach [[Percy Bentley]], who coached the club for fifteen seasons. Carlton continued to finish in or near the finals without premiership success through the war, before winning the premiership in 1945, one month after peace. In a remarkable season, Carlton languished with a record of 3–6 after nine weeks, but won ten of the remaining eleven home-and-away matches to finish fourth; Carlton then comfortably beat {{AFL NM}} in the first semi-final, overcame a 28-point deficit in the final quarter to beat Collingwood in the preliminary final, then beat South Melbourne in the notoriously brutal and violent [[Bloodbath Grand Final]].<ref name="fpf2">{{cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_2.htm|title=Carlton – Part Two: 1920 to 1964|first=John|last=Devaney|access-date=24 October 2011|publisher=Fullpointsfooty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615212930/http://fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_2.htm|archive-date=15 June 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Carlton contested two more Grand Finals in the 1940s, both against {{AFL Ess}}, winning the [[1947 VFL Grand Final|1947 Grand Final]] by a single point, and being comfortably beaten in [[1949 VFL Grand Final|1949]].<ref name="fpf2" /> Thereafter followed what was then Carlton's weakest on-field period since Worrall's appointment in 1902, with the club reaching the finals only four times between 1950 and 1964. Finishing tenth out of twelve and winning only five matches, 1964 was Carlton's worst VFL season to that point in its history.<ref name="seasons" />

===Ron Barassi to 1973===
A change of president at the end of 1964 heralded the most successful period in the Carlton Football Club's history. Between 1967 and 1988, Carlton missed the finals only three times, contested ten Grand Finals, and won seven premierships.<ref name="seasons" />

The period of success began when [[George Harris (Carlton president)|George Harris]] replaced Lew Holmes as president of the club, after the 1964 season. Harris then signed {{AFL Mel}} legend [[Ron Barassi]] serve as coach from 1965. Barassi was a six-time premiership player and two-time premiership captain at Melbourne during its most successful era, and at the age of 28 was still one of the biggest names in the game. His shift to Carlton remains one of the biggest player transfers in the game's history.<ref name="fpf3">{{cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_3.htm|title=Carlton – Part Three: 1965 to 2010|first=John|last=Devaney|access-date=24 October 2011|publisher=Fullpointsfooty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619231323/http://fullpointsfooty.net/Carlton_part_3.htm|archive-date=19 June 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Also contributing to Carlton's success was the strength of the [[Bendigo Football League]], to which Carlton gained recruitment access through the VFL's [[Zoning (Australian rules football)|country zoning]] arrangements.

Under Barassi, Carlton reached three consecutive Grand Finals between 1968 and 1970, resulting in two premierships: [[1968 VFL Grand Final|1968]] against Essendon and [[1970 VFL Grand Final|1970]] against traditional [[Carlton–Collingwood AFL rivalry|rivals]] Collingwood. The 1970 Grand Final remains one of the most famous matches in football history. Played in front of an enduring record crowd of 121,696, Collingwood dominated early to lead by 44 points at half time, but Carlton kicked seven goals in fifteen minutes after half time to narrow the margin to only three points; after a close final quarter, Carlton won its tenth VFL premiership with a ten-point victory. Carlton won its first and second [[Championship of Australia]] titles in 1968 and 1970, beating the [[SANFL]]'s [[Sturt Football Club]] in both seasons.<ref name="fpf3" />

Carlton missed the finals in 1971, and Barassi left the club at the end of the season, but Carlton returned to prominence the following year, and contested back-to-back Grand Finals. Both matches were against {{AFL Ric}}, with Carlton recording a high-scoring victory in [[1972 VFL Grand Final|1972]], and losing a rough, physical encounter in [[1973 VFL Grand Final|1973]].<ref name="fpf3" />

Of the legendary players from the Barassi era, none was more important than [[John Nicholls (footballer)|John Nicholls]], who captained all three premierships and took over as captain-coach upon Barassi's departure. Nicholls, a ruckman and forward, had played at Carlton since 1957, and he and [[Graham Farmer]] (who played with {{AFL Gee}} and in the [[West Australian Football League|WAFL]] during the same era) are regarded as the greatest ruckmen in the league's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/vic_team_of_the_century_-_1st_ruck.htm#Ruckman%20-%20John%20Nicholls%20%28Carlton%29|title=Vic Team of the Century|first=John|last=Devaney|publisher=Fullpointsfooty|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806071543/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/vic_team_of_the_century_-_1st_ruck.htm#Ruckman%20-%20John%20Nicholls%20%28Carlton%29|archive-date=6 August 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Midfielders [[Sergio Silvagni]] and [[Adrian Gallagher]], half-forward [[Robert Walls]], and ruckman [[Peter Jones (Australian rules footballer)|Percy Jones]] were also prominent throughout the Barassi era, and in 1970, [[Alex Jesaulenko]] became the first (and to date, only) Carlton forward to kick 100 goals in a season.

===1975–82===
Carlton continued to play finals through the 1970s without premiership success, and went through several coaches in a short period of time: Nicholls (until 1975), [[Ian Thorogood]] (1976–77), [[Ian Stewart (Australian rules footballer)|Ian Stewart]] (for only three matches in 1978), and Alex Jesaulenko as playing coach after Stewart's departure.<ref name="fpf3" /> It was not until 1979 that Carlton again reached the [[1979 VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]], defeating {{AFL Col}} by five points in a close match best remembered for the late goal kicked by [[Ken Sheldon]], after [[Wayne Harmes]] tapped the ball into the goalsquare from the boundary line.

After the 1979 season, there was off-field instability at the board level. [[Ian Rice]] replaced George Harris as president,{{Ref|2|N 2}} and many of Harris' supporters left the club, including Jesaulenko, who went to {{AFL Stk}}. Percy Jones replaced Jesaulenko as coach in 1980, before {{AFL Haw}} coach [[David Parkin]] was recruited in 1981, Carlton's sixth coach in eight seasons.<ref name="fpf3" />

Despite the off-field troubles, Carlton continued to thrive on-field, and Parkin led the team to back-to-back premierships in [[1981 VFL Grand Final|1981]] and [[1982 VFL Grand Final|1982]], with victories in the Grand Finals against Collingwood and {{AFL Ric}} respectively. With its fourteenth premiership in 1982, Carlton overtook Collingwood to become the most successful club in the league's history, based on premierships won – a position it has held either outright or jointly with {{AFL Ess}} and {{AFL Col}} since.<ref name="fpf3" />

Starring on-field during this period for Carlton was [[Bruce Doull]], regarded as one of the best half-back flankers in the history of the league. [[Wayne Johnston (footballer)|Wayne Johnston]] was a prominent centreman/forward, and Carlton had great success recruiting high-profile Western Australian footballers to the club, including [[Mike Fitzpatrick (footballer)|Mike Fitzpatrick]], [[Ken Hunter]] and [[Peter Bosustow]].

===1983–2001===
In 1983, [[John Elliott (businessman)|John Elliott]] took over the presidency from [[Ian Rice]]. On-field, the club endured three consecutive unsuccessful finals campaigns under Parkin before he was replaced by [[Robert Walls]] in 1986. Also in 1986, Carlton lured three of South Australia's top young players to the club: [[Stephen Kernahan]], [[Craig Bradley]] and [[Peter Motley]]. The club reached the next two Grand Finals, losing in [[1986 VFL Grand Final|1986]] and winning in [[1987 VFL Grand Final|1987]], both times against {{AFL Haw}}. Kernahan went on to become the club's longest serving captain and leading career goalkicker (738 goals), and Bradley became the club games record holder (375 games); Motley's career was unfortunately cut short by a non-fatal car accident in 1987. Carlton had also recruited [[Stephen Silvagni]] (son of [[Sergio Silvagni|Sergio]]) in 1985, who is now recognised as one of the greatest fullbacks of all-time, and secured the league's star player [[Greg Williams (Australian footballer)|Greg Williams]] in a trade in 1992.

David Parkin returned to coach the club from 1991 until 2000, and Carlton was a mainstay of the finals throughout most of this time. In 1995, Carlton became the first team to win twenty matches in a home-and-away season (finishing with a record of 20–2), and won the [[1995 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] against {{AFL Gee}} to claim its sixteenth premiership. Carlton reached two other Grand Finals during the 1990s, losing to Essendon in [[1993 AFL Grand Final|1993]] and to the [[Kangaroos Football Club|Kangaroos]] in [[1999 AFL Grand Final|1999]]; in 1999, Carlton had come from sixth on the home-and-away ladder to qualify for the Grand Final, famously beating its [[Carlton–Essendon AFL rivalry|rival]] Essendon (the [[List of Australian Football League minor premiers|minor premiers]]) by one point in the [[1999 AFL First Preliminary Final|preliminary final]].<ref name="fpf3" />

===Period of struggle (2002–2021)===
[[File:Carlton FC warmup.jpg|thumb|Carlton players during pre-game warmup]]
In 2002, Carlton swiftly fell from being one of the most successful clubs, both on-field and off-field, to one of the least successful. The club had been much slower than others to embrace the [[AFL Draft]] as a means for recruitment, so when its champion players from the 1990s began to retire in the early 2000s, on-field performances fell away quickly, and in 2002, the club won the [[wooden spoon (award)|wooden spoon]] for the first time in its VFL/AFL history; it was the last of the twelve Victorian clubs to win the wooden spoon. At the same time, the club was starting to struggle financially, due to unwise investments under John Elliott – most significantly, building a new [[grandstand]] at [[Princes Park (stadium)|Princes Park]] during the 1990s, at a time when other clubs were finding it more profitable to play at the higher-capacity central venues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://phorums.com.au/showthread.php?167437-Carlton-till-paying-quot-under-the-counter-quot-money&s=19ae247a96bae8cd23a4dd2c072d68f5|title=Carlton still paying "under-the-counter" money|first=Jake|last=Niall|newspaper=The Age|date=17 November 2005|access-date=30 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312184231/http://phorums.com.au/showthread.php?167437-Carlton-till-paying-quot-under-the-counter-quot-money&s=19ae247a96bae8cd23a4dd2c072d68f5|archive-date=12 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Then, at the end of 2002, it was revealed that Carlton had been systematically cheating the league [[salary cap]] during the early 2000s. The [[Carlton Football Club salary cap breach|scandal]] resulted in the loss of draft picks and a fine of $930,000, which exacerbated the club's poor on-field and off-field positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/23/1037697938617.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021208081050/http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/23/1037697938617.html|title=Carlton backs to wall|first=Peter|last=Ker|date=24 November 2002|archive-date=8 December 2002}}</ref>

In the immediate fall-out from 2002, president [[John Elliott (businessman)|John Elliott]] was voted out by the members, and was replaced with [[Docklands Stadium]] CEO [[Ian Collins (footballer)|Ian Collins]]. Under Collins, the club shifted its home stadium from Princes Park to Docklands, with the final match played at Princes Park in 2005. Additionally, coach [[Wayne Brittain]] was sacked, and replaced with Kangaroos coach [[Denis Pagan]]. On-field performances did not improve under Pagan, and overall the club won three wooden spoons and finished in the bottom two five times between 2002 and 2007.<ref name="seasons" />

Carlton's overall position began to improve in 2007, when businessman [[Richard Pratt (Australian businessman)|Richard Pratt]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2573 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727223805/http://ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2573|title= King Richard of Carlton|quote=Richard Pratt has been appointed the new president of the beleaguered Carlton Football Club|date=15 February 2007|access-date=25 June 2012|archive-date=27 July 2008}}</ref> [[Steven Icke]]<ref>[http://www.carltonfc.com.au/ Official Website of the Carlton Football Club] [http://carltonfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=39119 Steven Icke joins Carlton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821161745/http://www.carltonfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=39119 |date=21 August 2011 }} ''"Mr Steven Icke has been appointed the general manager Football Operations with the Carlton Football Club."'' Retrieved on 15 April 2007.</ref> and Collingwood's [[Greg Swann]]<ref>[http://www.carltonfc.com.au/ Official Website of the Carlton Football Club] [http://carltonfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=39967 Greg Swann Joins Carlton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821161807/http://www.carltonfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=39967 |date=21 August 2011 }} ''"The Board of the Carlton Football Club today announced that it has appointed Mr Greg Swann as CEO."'' Retrieved on 15 April 2007.</ref> came to the club as president, general manager of football operations, and CEO respectively; although Pratt's presidency lasted only sixteen months, after which he was replaced by [[Stephen Kernahan]],<ref>{{cite news|first=Sam|last=Lienert|url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/football-australian-rules/sticks-says-club-will-stick-by-pratt/794752.aspx|title='Sticks' says club will stick by Pratt|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=28 June 2008|access-date=28 January 2012}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> the new personnel stabilised the club's off-field position. Pagan was sacked as coach mid-season after a string of heavy defeats, and was replaced by former club captain and assistant coach [[Brett Ratten]]. Then, prior to the 2008 season, Carlton was able to secure a trade for {{AFL|WC}}'s [[Chris Judd]], one of the league's best midfielders, to join the club as captain. The time spent at the bottom of the ladder also allowed Carlton to secure three No. 1 draft picks – [[Marc Murphy (footballer)|Marc Murphy]], [[Bryce Gibbs (Australian rules footballer)|Bryce Gibbs]] and [[Matthew Kreuzer]] – who helped the club's on-field position. Brett Ratten led Carlton to the finals from 2009 until 2011, but was sacked with a year remaining on his contract after the club missed the finals in 2012,<ref>[https://archive.today/20121230090804/http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4311/newsid/146148/default.aspx Brett Ratten retires] ''"Brett Ratten to coach his final game with Carlton on Sunday"'' Retrieved on 30 August 2012.</ref> and was replaced by former {{AFL|WC}} and {{AFL Col}} premiership coach [[Mick Malthouse]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/triple-premiership-coach-mick-malthouse-set-to-ink-deal-with-carlton/story-e6frf9jf-1226470925094|title=Triple-premiership coach Mick Malthouse signs three-year deal with Carlton|first=Matt|last=Windley|newspaper=Herald Sun|date=11 September 2012|access-date=11 September 2012}}</ref> Under Malthouse, the club returned to the finals in 2013, but fell to thirteenth in 2014.

Kernahan stepped aside in mid-2014, and was replaced by Mark LoGiudice, who presided over a period of mediocre onfield results. The relationship between Malthouse and the club's quickly and publicly deteriorated; and in early 2015, after giving a radio interview critical of the board, Malthouse was sacked<ref name="malthousedismissed">{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|title=Mick Malthouse sacked: Carlton terminates veteran coach's contract after explosive radio interview|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/mick-malthouse-sacked-carlton-terminates-veteran-coachs-contract-after-explosive-radio-interview/story-fni5f5nx-1227369211781|author1=Michael Warner|author2=Mark Robinson|author3=Eliza Sewell|author4=Jon Anderson|date=26 May 2015 <!-- 16:34 --> |access-date=26 May 2015 <!-- 16:59 --> |publication-place=Melbourne}}</ref> the club going on to finish last. Former Hawthorn assistant coach [[Brendon Bolton]] took over as coach from the 2016 season,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-08-25/blues-set-to-announce-bolton-as-their-new-coach|title=Blues confirm Bolton as their new coach|last=Schmook|first=Nathan|date=25 August 2015|work=AFL.com.au|publisher=[[Bigpond]]|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> leading only into his fourth season before he too was sacked after overseeing the team's decline to another wooden spoon in 2018 with a 2–20 record, the worst win–loss record in its VFL/AFL history, followed by an equally weak 1–10 start to the 2019 season. Bolton's replacement, [[David Teague (footballer)|David Teague]], helped the club avoid the 2019 wooden spoon, but lasted only two years into a three-year contract without a finals appearance.<ref name="permanent">{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/carlton/carlton-appoints-caretaker-david-teague-as-fulltime-coach/news-story/5af423c263f4a2060b21e8f57bae4611|title=Carlton appoints caretaker David Teague as full-time coach|publisher=Herald Sun|first=Michael|last=Warner|date=14 August 2019|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-26|title=David Teague sacked as Blues FINALLY act on controversial review|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/carlton-blues/afl-2021-david-teague-sacked-carlton-blues-carlton-coach-gone-record-replacement-football-department-review-news/news-story/7a0ccffc790c3ef4c068eb87ee9a8449|access-date=2021-08-26|website=Fox Sports|language=en}}</ref>

===Voss era (2022–present)===
LoGiudice handed over the presidency to [[Luke Sayers]] in August 2021, and Sayers conducted an extensive independent review of the football department during the second half of that season; Teague was sacked,<ref>{{Cite web|last=McClure|first=Sam|date=2021-06-07|title=Carlton to launch external review of football department|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/carlton-to-launch-external-review-of-football-department-20210607-p57yul.html|access-date=2021-08-16|website=The Age|language=en}}</ref> and [[Michael Voss]] was appointed senior coach.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-23/carlton-confirms-afl-great-michael-voss-as-coach/100485468|title=Carlton confirms AFL great Michael Voss as coach|newspaper=ABC News|date=23 September 2021|accessdate=24 September 2021|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

Voss led the club to [[2023 AFL finals series|finals]] in his second and third seasons, ending what had become a club-record nine year VFL/AFL finals drought, with a best result of a preliminary final defeat in 2023. During this time, Carlton achieved two of its greatest individual successes, with captain [[Patrick Cripps]] becoming the club's first dual Brownlow Medallist<ref>{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/brownlow/brownlow_idx.html|accessdate=19 October 2024|publisher=AFL Tables|title=Brownlow Medal Winners}}</ref> and full forward [[Charlie Curnow]] becoming the club's first back-to-back Coleman Medallist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/08/21/blues-pair-achieve-rare-feat-after-curnow-seals-coleman/|title=Blues pair achieve rare feat after Curnow seals Coleman|date=22 August 2022|accessdate=22 August 2022|publisher=SEN|author=Alex Zaia}}</ref>