Voss said his side was a long way away from being called a flag contender, despite an unbeaten start to the season, including a solid win over fellow top four-aspirants, the Western Bulldogs.
“It is nice to talk about these things but you have got to give it the respect it deserves,'' he said.
“To say we have become that is disrespecting the word.''
Taking a leaf from mentor Leigh Matthews' book, Voss said the Lions needed to make the eight before they would reassess their goals.
“Twelve wins gets you in the eight, he (Matthews) has drilled that into me, that until you get that, nothing matters,'' he said.
That said, Voss was full of praise for his side, who he said were playing the best football of his coaching career.
The Lions fought back from a 30-point deficit to overcome the Bulldogs by 22 points and record their fourth win.
“It is good that they are stepping up, we have practised a lot of things over the pre-season and to see them come off is good,'' Voss said.
“I feel like we have taken a little bit of a step. There are big games because of the team you are playing and they (the Bulldogs) are very tough opponents.
“The first two wins we have muscled but the last two games have been emphatic.
“It is in the doing and we are doing the right things, we are beating teams we should be.''
While forwards Jonathan Brown (two goals) and Brendan Fevola (four goals) are key to the Lions' surge, Voss said younger players were also stepping up in the midfield, including James Polkinghorne and Michael Rischitelli.
“It is good to see, it is putting pressure on the other players,'' he said.
