THERE is a narrative that Michael Voss wants wiped out at Carlton.
Voss has spent his first summer at Ikon Park preaching that the collective will change the side's fortunes under his watch, not the individual. An otherwise frustrating injury to superstar youngster Sam Walsh has now given the new Blues coach the perfect chance to reiterate that message.
News broke earlier this week that Walsh – the club's reigning best and fairest after a year in which he finished fourth in the Brownlow Medal – would miss the start of the upcoming campaign after sustaining a syndesmosis injury last Friday. He is expected to miss the first month of the season, at the very least.
But, rather than wallow in the timing and the significance of the setback, Voss believes there is reason to see opportunity in adversity.
"I think there's a narrative that needs to change around us, and that's that one person makes the difference," Voss told AFL.com.au in an exclusive interview at Ikon Park this week.
"It's a very important person and, clearly, he has talent and we'd like him out there. But we have to become more reliant on our system. It takes a group of people to make this thing happen. While we might be missing some important pieces at times, there are other people that can step up and get that job done and play with a team-first mentality.
"We'll miss him for a short time, but that's Sam today. It's going to be someone else tomorrow. We've got to be less reliant on thinking that one person is going to move the needle for us.
"We can go further back to when we lost Liam Jones, it was the same thing in terms of the mentality that one person would make the difference here. The thing that needs to change is that the way we do it, we do it all together.
"I'm not suggesting we're there right now. What I'm saying is that it's something we have to build over time. It has to become really robust for us to get to where we need to go."
Walsh's injury soured the optimism created by his fresh four-year contract extension, penned earlier this month. It also meant his 61-match streak of consecutive games, starting from his AFL debut in round one, 2019, would come to an end.
Having emerged as the best player in his draft year, before being recruited to Carlton with the first selection in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft, this is the first significant injury setback in Walsh's short and promising career.
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But the Blues believe the mindset that has enabled Walsh to emerge as one of the game's elite midfielders within the first three years of his career will mean he is able to quickly overcome the first roadblock standing in his way.
"(The message to Walsh) is patience for an impatient person, because he's a competitive beast," Voss said.
"If there's one thing I've learnt already, it's that his competitive spirit is large. But what he is also is very humble. I spoke about that when he signed his contract, they're two really striking qualities that he brings.
"He knows that unless he's working on himself all the time, somebody could come along and give him a big surprise or something could come along that he's not quite ready for. But he always seems to have a really healthy level on that. I'm really impressed with the way he goes about his business.
"There's not a person that works harder – and I'm talking about some really elite company, people that I've worked with in the past that invest in themselves and the game – he sits comfortably in that category.
"Whatever injuries he'll have, he's got everything that he needs to be able to recover quickly and get back to where he needs to be."
Carlton improved its midfield depth over the off-season, with the recently acquired former Fremantle youngster Adam Cerra and the ex-Sydney onballer George Hewett likely to play a more significant role in Walsh's absence.
"They've settled in seamlessly," Voss said.
"I think that's almost testament to both of those men, that they've come in as they have. I think what we've all been taken on is that they've gone about earning the respect by getting to work. It's got nothing to do with how they talk or even what they say, but what's been really loud and clear is that they underpin it with an enormous workrate. Because of that, they've fitted in very well.
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"They've spent an enormous amount of time with Patrick Cripps and with Sam Walsh and with the rucks and other mids to form that combination.
"Again, is it going to be where we need it to be? No, not at the start. But certainly, when you look through pre-season and the dialogue they're having with one another, it's forming pretty strongly."
