Josh Fraser Named Carlton Senior Coach After Stunning Mid-Season Turnaround
Carlton has appointed Josh Fraser as its senior AFL coach for 2027 and beyond, rewarding the man who dragged the club from a 1-8 hole and into September.
The 44-year-old former Collingwood and Gold Coast ruckman (a ruck is the tall player who contests the ball-up tap-outs) was the unanimous choice of Carlton's board, beating out three untried assistant coaches: Fremantle's Jaymie Graham, St Kilda's Corey Enright and Geelong's James Kelly ABC News.
Carlton chief executive Graham Wright said Fraser's presentation to the selection panel alone would have secured him the job. Wright had spent months stressing the club would run an exhaustive process to replace Michael Voss, who departed as coach earlier this season AFL.com.au.
The turnaround under Fraser was emphatic. After stepping in as interim coach with Carlton sitting 1-8, he won 10 of 13 games. A draw against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday sealed Carlton's place in the top 10 and a finals berth ABC News. The board met on Monday to finalise his appointment ABC News.
Fraser's path to the top job is unusual. He joined Carlton at the start of 2026 after three years back at Collingwood as an assistant news.com.au, Carlton FC. But he already knew the place — this was his second stint as a Carlton assistant, and he had also coached the club's VFL (reserve-grade) side. Carlton's official announcement noted Fraser first entered the elite level 26 years ago as a player Carlton FC.
What makes the appointment striking is how Fraser talked himself out of the race before talking himself back in. When he took the interim role, he ruled himself out of contention for the permanent job the following year, saying he wanted to take pressure off the club ABC News. As recently as late May, he publicly hosed down talk of the top job despite the Blues' stunning turnaround AFL.com.au. In early August, asked whether he would put his hand up, he said: "This week I'll come to a decision" AFL Facebook.
The decision, when it came, was unanimous. Wright's presentation remark suggests the panel saw something beyond the win-loss record — a clear plan for how Carlton should play and who should lead it.
For Carlton fans, the appointment caps one of the more chaotic seasons in recent memory. A club that looked cooked at 1-8 is now finals-bound, and the man who steadied the ship has been given the keys. Fraser's first full pre-season starts now.
