Blues hail Fraser after naming him as full-time coach

Carlton chief executive Graham Wright insists Josh Fraser’s presentation alone would have been enough to guarantee his appointment as senior coach.

After a fairytale rise from 1-8 when Michael Voss exited as coach, Fraser was the unanimous choice to steer the Blues forward.

The former Collingwood and Gold Coast ruckman has won 10 of 13 games to guide Carlton into the most unlikely of finals appearances.

Sunday’s draw against the Western Bulldogs sealed Carlton’s spot in the top-10, with the club’s board meeting to finalise Fraser’s appointment on Monday.

The results gave him the edge on untried assistants Jaymie Graham (Fremantle), Corey Enright (St Kilda) and James Kelly (Geelong), who all loomed strongly and presented to the coaching panel before Fraser did.

“Even if you removed the last 14 weeks, on his presentation alone Josh would have been the successful candidate,” Wright said.

“Having run all candidates through a thorough and detailed process, for Josh to have emerged as the stand-out candidate speaks volumes of not only his credentials as a coach, but also the qualities he brings as a leader.

“He is a respectful whole-of-club leader who fosters a professional and united environment, with everyone contributing to our collective pursuit of excellence.”

Even though he spent the majority of his playing career at the Magpies, Fraser’s coaching journey has been largely at the old enemy.

The 44-year-old has had two stints as an assistant coach at Carlton, while also leading the club’s VFL team.

When becoming interim coach, Fraser immediately ruled himself out of contention to stay in the role next year as a way to take pressure off the club.

“I have always had ambitions to be a senior coach and what the last three months have done is give me the absolute belief that I am ready, and most importantly ready for this exact opportunity, to be senior coach of the Carlton football club,” Fraser said.

“When I was told that I had been appointed as senior coach, that sense of appreciation and responsibility I felt in that moment will never be lost on me.

“The collective commitment to each other and to get better every day in order to improve our football club is a privilege to be part of, and rest assured we want to continue to raise the standards in that regard.”