Carltonโs interim coach Josh Fraser has ruled himself out of the race for the Bluesโ top job, saying he is not ready to be a full-time senior coach.
Fraser takes the reins for the first time on Saturday night against the Western Bulldogs after Michael Voss resigned this week.
The former Collingwood and Gold Coast ruckman has extensive experience as a development coach with the Suns, Carlton and Collingwood, coaching each of their state league teams, and was also at the helm of the now defunct Northern Bullants in the VFL.
He returned to Ikon Park this year as an assistant coach in charge of the forward line.
The Bluesโ last interim coach David Teague won the senior role after winning six of 11 games in 2019. Fraser, though, said he will not be putting his hat in the ring.
โIโm ambitious and I want to be a senior coach at some point, I guess,โ Fraser said.
โAs we stand here right now, I probably donโt think Iโm quite ready, but what this opportunity does give me is a chance to jump in the driverโs seat, learn a lot about myself, and hopefully at the end of it be better placed.
โI think right now Iโm focused on how we collectively move this club forward. This is not my job. Iโm an interim coach, but Iโve got a job to do, and that is help the club over the next 14 weeks be better placed.โ
Fraser spoke of his aspirations to become a senior coach in an interview with the Dyl & Friends podcast last year.
โIโm ambitious. I believe I could do it and I think thereโs a lot of capable coaches out there that could do it,โ Fraser said.
โIโm also realistic around this, sometimes you need an opportunity to get in front of a club and do it. My thing has been to continue to develop myself the whole way through and if an opportunity came up to present for a job, be ready to do that.
โThatโs the space Iโm in at the moment. I think having coached your own side, that sets you up better than anything else to be a senior coach.โ
Premiership coaches John Longmire and Adam Simpson have both said they are undecided about applying for the job at Carlton, but have not ruled themselves out.
The Blues are yet to finalise a coaching sub-committee to find Vossโ successor, but are expected to appoint an untried senior coach.
Blues chief Graham Wright signed first-timer Craig McRae at the end of 2021, having also strongly considered subsequent Greater Western Sydney coach Adam Kingsley.
Carlton have tried a wide spectrum of coaching profiles since the end of David Parkinโs successful reign in 2000. They have twice gone down the road of a premiership coach in Denis Pagan and Mick Malthouse, hired the long-time assistant in a succession plan (Wayne Brittain), appointed the interim, former player and first-timer (Brett Ratten and Teague), and the experienced candidate (Voss).
Fraser will blood his first debutant against the Dogs in Jack Ison, who will become the Bluesโ first NGA player to make his senior debut at the club.
