Carlton have been urged to “reset the midfield” with personnel and a wider coaching overhaul before considering sacking coach Michael Voss.

Saturday’s loss to North Melbourne has left the coach under even more pressure to keep his job, facing a tough fight to convince incoming Blues chief executive Stephen Wright that he is the man.

Wright overlooked Voss for the Collingwood senior coaching role in 2021 and his choice to appoint Craig McRae was vindicated by the Pies’ 2023 premiership.

Voss led Carlton to a preliminary final that year but collapsed from second on the ladder to a first-week exit in 2024.

They currently sit 10th but two wins and percentage out of the top eight, with a double blow this year — no finals, and no first-round draft pick to show for the disappointment.

But Kane Cornes believes “the last thing they need to do” is sack another coach and instead make changes around Voss.

“What I think they do need to do though is change the profile of their midfield,” he said on Channel 7.

“If you ever hear (Cats coach) Chris Scott speak about what they did to Geelong’s line-up and rebuild on the run, he always says that they had a midfield group that was they were good players, but they couldn’t run and they couldn’t spread.

“And you see what he’s done to that midfield with Gryan Miers and Max Holmes now, and now Bailey Smith added to that group, what Brad Close does, what Mark Blicavs does.

“If you want to play for Geelong, you have to be able to run. I don’t think Carlton’s midfield can run. Adam Cerra, George Hewett, Patrick Cripps, they can’t run.

“So somehow they’re gonna have to reset the midfield and the athletic profile of that midfield so that they can move the footy with fluency, so that they can spread and defence, not outrun by younger, more dynamic opponents like they were on the weekend.

“Now that’s not an easy challenge, and it’s going to take some creative thinking, that they don’t have a draught pick.

“I think their first pick is 36 so they’re probably going to have to do some trading.

Tom De Koning’s decision on his future will help dictate the direction, with the free agent receiving a big offer to move to St Kilda.

Cornes still believes Sam Walsh is the “expendable” star that could give the Blues more ammunition for the draft.

“They’re going to have to revitalise this midfield with players that can run,” he said.

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Channel 7 host Jason Richardson floated the idea that a reunion could help Carlton’s cause.

Voss was for many years an assistant to Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley, who will be looking for a job next year.

“Could Ken come in as a mentor, a head of coaching?” Richardson said.

Cornes believes Hinkley is “the perfect fit” for Carlton beyond a pure mentoring role to Voss.

“He’s actually really quite clever with ball movement stuff, Ken Hinkley, that’s one of his real strengths,” he said.

“When he’s not the head coach, if his sole task was to be there as a figure for Michael Voss, a steady hand, someone who’s been under that pressure, but also his portfolio was just around ball movement and offence — I think that would be a great addition to that coaches box.

“I still think largely it’s around personnel, but definitely some method with the way that they use the footy.

“They kick backwards too much. I saw Charlie Curnow win the footy on the wing yesterday and kick it backwards 15 metres. Like, what is he doing with that?

“I think it’s personnel, it’s definitely a bit of method. I think Ken Hinkley, they’ve worked well together before in the past, would be a good addition.”