David Parkin sacked Michael Voss at Brisbane but is confident the Carlton coach is the man to lead the Blues back to the AFL summit.
Early in the 2024 season, Carlton were flying high and appeared firmly in the premiership mix.
Instead, amid an injury crisis and form drop-off, they limped into the top eight and were unceremoniously knocked out by eventual premiers Brisbane in the elimination final.
Voss's fourth year at the Carlton helm in 2025 appears crunch time.
But he has the backing of four-time premiership coach Parkin, who led the Blues to their most recent flag in 1995.
He headlined a three-man panel who opted to remove a younger, greener Voss as Lions coach in 2013, but was on Carlton's panel who appointed him in 2021.
"Yeah, quite funny. I sacked him in Brisbane and got on the reselection of the coach here. So I was able to repay him back the other way.
"Look, he lives about 50 metres from me in Hawthorn so we've spent a fair bit of time together.
"In terms of his leadership, which he's shown his whole life in footy, whether it's been playing at Brisbane or coaching Brisbane, and certainly his work he did at Port Adelaide for a long period of time.
"He, I'm absolutely certain, is the right person.
"And he's surrounded himself with technical, tactical people who can deliver. I've got no doubt they're on the right tram."
The addition of Graham Wright as Brian Cook's successor as CEO has seriously bolstered the Blues' off-field credentials.
But one thing holding the Blues back is depth.
Consequently, Parkin was intrigued by Carlton's decision to go all-in in the upcoming draft.
That included shipping out their 2025 first and second-round selections amid dealings that ultimately landed West Coast's top pick (currently pick No.3).
The Blues also offloaded Matt Kennedy and Matt Owies to the Western Bulldogs and West Coast respectively.
"You need, history says, 29 or 30 bona fide (players) to win a flag. Carlton, like a number of others, haven't got 29, in my opinion, at the moment," Parkin said.
"If you haven't got the 29 quality players, you're going to be caught out when injuries, suspensions and things come.
"So I think they're at least in a position now in terms of their development, they need a couple more, and they've got enough to change that by this recruiting stance in this last six or eight weeks.
"So I'm very confident, as a Carlton person, that they are on the road to real success."
