IN a world of unknowns at Carlton Football Club, there are two known knowns.
One, Graham Wright, who officially has chief executive-in-waiting status, has been partially running operations for some time and will effectively be given full control by July, months before the publicly declared October transition from Brian Cook.
And two, Wright will force change.
Wright’s presence at Carlton is already big and has been growing as the 2025 season has unfolded. On Tuesday, when the AFL executive team met at the club’s Ikon Park headquarters, Wright represented the Blues as an equal to Brian Cook after Andrew Dillon opened his meeting room’s door with an invitation to address his staff.
Wright’s football management abilities were already well known to Dillon, who headhunted him for a senior AFL executive role late last year before Carlton swooped with a better, and more stimulating offer.
At 4-7 as it enters a bye round this weekend, Carlton has underperformed this season. There are myriad reasons for that, with playing list quality and depth, and a failure to gel as a team on match day among the most prominent problems Wright has been analysing.
Coach Michael Voss is in his fourth year as Blues coach and is contracted for 2026. He was expected to take the club to a third consecutive finals appearance, and he may still do so. But as he attempts to recharge his own batteries this week with a quick-hit break away out of Victoria, he is well aware there is pressure to perform in the remaining 12 home-and-away matches.
Michael Voss during Carlton’s loss to GWS in round 11, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
There has been nothing attached to Wright’s actions to suggest Voss won’t be coach next year, but there are indications that his support staff will be bolstered, both in coaching and management.
Wright will also play a key role in transforming the Carlton list – which clearly lacks quality small forwards, as well as modern, play-driving half-back flankers and it also has questionable midfield depth.
The key forward space may also be looked at by Wright. Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay may have won three Coleman Medals between them, but as the Blues use the bye period to review their first 11 games of 2025, it is known that there has been a disappointment expressed in their lack of consistent impact. It would be interesting to see Wright’s reaction if a rival club made a serious offer for one of those two.
Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay during Carlton’s win over North Melbourne in round three, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos
Wright, Voss and all key Carlton officials retain hope that ruck Tom De Koning will reject St Kilda’s mind-blowing financial offer, but they are all seasoned realists and know that his failure to re-commit to the Blues by late May of the season in which he enters free agency is not encouraging. And plans are already being crunched to use the financial and national draft pick currency that would present in his exit.
When at Collingwood, Wright identified Sam Mitchell as the main target to replace Nathan Buckley as coach. Those overtures led to Hawthorn elevating Mitchell to its main post and moving out four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.
After that rejection by Mitchell, Wright oversaw a massive coach-search project which unearthed Craig McRae. In his first year, where Collingwood was coming off a 17th-placed ladder finish, McRae took the Pies to a one-point loss in a preliminary final in 2022 and won a premiership in 2023.
List changes effected by Wright in the lead-in to the McRae era were instrumental to the success which has followed. Adam Treloar, Brodie Grundy, Jaidyn Stephenson, Ollie Henry and Tom Phillips were among the big names traded out, and Bobby Hill, Dan McStay, Tom Mitchell, Patrick Lipinski and Billy Frampton among the ins.
Brodie Grundy and Adam Treloar celebrate a goal during Collingwood’s clash with Hawthorn in round 19, 2016. Picture: AFL Photos
Cook will stay with Carlton until his contract expires in October and he has always been a reassuring, measured operator, particularly in times of mayhem at the Blues and his two previous clubs, Geelong and West Coast. That calmness has held Carlton together, through three and a half seasons of roller-coaster performances on-field, the always simmering Carlton political powerplays, and even the forced exit of club president Luke Sayers over the publication of a lewd photo.
Having moved onto long service leave at Collingwood just months after it won the 2023 premiership, and then choosing to leave months later, Wright has been working alongside Cook since late year.
Just as he was at Collingwood, he is now just weeks away from launching into agent of change status at Carlton.
Buckle up.
