THE REAL job interviews are happening every weekend for Josh Fraser.

However, with the reigning back-to-back premier Brisbane coming to town on Saturday night and with the ladder-leading Fremantle arriving in a fortnight's time, the last opportunities to produce one final scalp that could live long in the memory of Carlton's coaching selection panel are on the horizon.

Carlton's interim coach has been invited to take part in the club's search for a permanent Michael Voss replacement and, while his public messaging continues to suggest that his current role is only a temporary one, there is a growing belief the former No.1 pick will throw his hat into the ring eventually.

Fraser would join what is currently a three-person shortlist consisting of St Kilda assistant Corey Enright, Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham and Geelong assistant James Kelly, but could thrust his name to the front of the queue with one, or maybe two, resounding wins to take the Blues further into the wildcard hunt.

Carlton has gone 8-2 under Fraser, having started at 1-8 under Voss, looking a more modern and complete football side thanks to minor tweaks to the gameplan, a promotion of younger players to more important roles, and instilling a much-needed injection of confidence into what had previously looked a fragile team.

But a statement victory inside the final month of the season, against either in-form pairing of Brisbane or Fremantle, could be the exclamation point on his caretaker stint and could catapult Fraser in the conversation to be Carlton's next full-time senior coach.

The Blues under Fraser have, for the most part, beaten what's been in front of them. Six of their eight wins have been against current bottom-eight sides in Port Adelaide, Essendon, Greater Western Sydney, West Coast, Richmond and Gold Coast. A first-up victory over the Western Bulldogs came at a point when they were 10th.

A thrilling four-point victory over Chris Scott's Geelong was Fraser's biggest scalp, but came more than two months ago now. One more recent victory, masterminding something against either Chris Fagan or Justin Longmuir, would be a defining moment in his campaign to win the role permanently.

Such a victory would confine consecutive defeats to Sam Mitchell's Hawthorn and Craig McRae's Collingwood to mere blips on the radar, proving that Fraser's football can match it with the best.

It would also add to a series of subtle alterations Fraser has made to Carlton's style that's so far taken the Blues from 16th on the ladder up until round nine, with a percentage of 79.3, to second during his time in charge with an improved percentage of 108.

The most significant change under Fraser, and a number he will undoubtedly have at the start of his PowerPoint presentation for the likes of Graham Wright, Chris Davies and co., would be the significant defensive improvements he has guided Carlton towards in his time at the helm.

According to Champion Data, the Blues now rank top four in the competition under Fraser for points against (76.2), scores per inside-50 against (42 per cent) and scores against from turnover (43.1), clearance (27.8) and centre bounce (9.8). In each of those categories, they were bottom six under Voss.

Under Fraser, they have the third-best defence in the League. They are the third-hardest team to score against once going inside 50. They're also the fourth-hardest team to move the ball against, with their opposition's D50 to F50 transition rate going from 26.3 per cent under Voss (ranked 16th) to 19.8 per cent now.

Carlton is also moving the ball better offensively now. The side's own D50 to F50 transition rate has gone from 21.6 per cent under Voss (ranked 13th) to 28 per cent with Fraser (ranked No.1), while its D50 scoring rate has gone from 8.5 per cent (ranked No.16) to 13.1 per cent (ranked second).

Fraser has also got the Blues playing a more modern offensive game. While they remain one of the best teams at scoring from stoppage, they've improved in scoring from turnover and now rank No.6 in forward-half intercepts. That's seen their time in forward-half numbers rise from -1.36 minutes (ranked No.12) to +5.47 minutes (No.2).

Where the Blues were a direct team under Voss, they've become a more balanced side under Fraser. They're less corridor, more boundary, they change angles, have more control, and leave less chance for the type of sharp momentum swings that plagued the outfit across Voss' tenure.

Champion Data notes that Carlton's average of 100.8 uncontested marks per game under Fraser – up from 79 per game under Voss – are the most in the competition during his time in charge, while 6.3 per cent of their kicks are now angled 45-degree efforts. Once again, that's more than any other side in the League.

The Blues have also gone from taking the second-most kicks forward in the AFL to the second-least, while they take the least percentage of long kicks. Their usage through the corridor has gone from No.4 to No.13, while their usage through the boundary has rocketed from No.13 to No.7.

Such numbers all point to a candidate ready to assume the reins of a senior football team. Fraser has, publicly at least, reiterated that he remains torn as to whether that will be him at Ikon Park. He should take solace, though, from the fact that whether it's at Carlton or not, such experiences will leave him in a good spot long-term.

Of the 12 assistants to have held caretaker roles in the last decade, five have gone on to win full-time senior coaching positions. David Teague (Carlton), Rhyce Shaw (North Melbourne) and Brett Ratten (St Kilda) all kept their positions permanently back in 2019, while Andrew McQualter and Steven King have used their past experiences as a springboard elsewhere.

McQualter (Richmond) and King (Gold Coast) both took over as caretakers in 2023, didn't win the jobs full-time, left the club at the end of that season, got more experience elsewhere – McQualter at Melbourne, King at Geelong – and then won roles at West Coast and Melbourne respectively in the future.

Indeed, their pathways to winning permanent positions could be why Fraser is taking his time to mull over his current decision. It's telling that, of the last seven caretaker coaches dating back to 2020, none of which remained in the role full time, five then left the club they presided over within the next 12 months.

McQualter and King chose to get more experience elsewhere, rather than stay as assistants under Adem Yze and Damien Hardwick respectively. Robert Harvey made the move from Collingwood to Hawthorn, just as Mark McVeigh switched from Greater Western Sydney to Sydney.

McVeigh is now in the mix for the vacant Essendon job, having followed a similar path to McQualter and King. That could also be the long-term blueprint for Fraser, if he's unsuccessful in the current Carlton process or even if he opts against committing and simply sees out his caretaker duties at season's end.

That's why, while selecting the next full-time Blues coach will be a difficult decision for Wright and Davies' committee, the call as to whether to compete for it is just as complicated for Fraser. Perhaps one more big scalp, on Saturday night or in a fortnight's time, will help both parties make their mind up.