Embattled Carlton coach Michael Voss has dumped midfield star Blake Acres for Thursday night’s clash with the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium.

In the doom and gloom of the season hell, Voss has turned on the underperforming Acres (a hailed matchwinner) as he aims to snap his team’s three-game losing streak.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Carlton dump Blake Acres for clash with Brisbane.

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Acres hasn’t been horrible over the past few weeks but is the victim of a midfield that is considered stodgy.

He had 20 touches against the Pies in last week’s 56-point drubbing, had just 11 against Port Adelaide in that 50-point humiliation, and had 21 and a goal in the shock 11-point loss to North Melbourne in Round 15.

But the move has come as questions continue to be asked about Carlton’s midfielders.

And the main knock on the onball brigade is that they are all similar in style, and none of them possess electrifying speed.

On Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters on Monday night, Kane Cornes showed some alarming footage of where he thought the Blues mids were at.

And he pointed to their superstar captain and dual Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps.

“I’ve actually been close-checking a few things. I’m close-checking the Carlton captain with (Ned) Long there,” Cornes said as he ran vision of the Carlton-Collingwood clash.

“They start together, (Long) looks at him. A lot of talk about boots this year. Well, I reckon Crippa is in the cement boots. Don’t worry about the stops he’s wearing. Look at the distance that Long puts on him. And this costs you a goal.

“So I’m worried about the way (Cripps) is covering the ground, his defensive accountability as captain of that footy club.

“He had to be better on Ned Long there.”

No one is disputing that Cripps is a champion, but the midfield bull is not renowned for his speed.

Carlton also run former Docker Adam Cerra and former Swan George Hewett through the midfield, and neither of those players are known for breaking the lines either.

Former No.1 draft pick Sam Walsh has a foot injury and isn’t playing at the moment, but he too is also similar.

And there are now suggestions that Walsh should be traded out to help revitalise the group.

In the meantime, the axe has fallen on Acres, who started his career at St Kilda, before heading to Fremantle and then Carlton for the 2023 season.

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In that year Acres made a name for himself as a match-winner.

He kicked a goal at the death in the elimination final against Sydney and then was the hero again the following week in the semi-final, when Carlton rolled Melbourne to make their first preliminary final since 2000.

After those heroics, the club’s own website said: “The month of September ensured that Acres would go down as Carlton’s Iceman.”

But those heady days seem long gone as pressure builds on everyone at the club.

Small forward Francis Evans was also dropped while Alex Cincotta and Corey Durdin were recalled.

Reigning premiers Brisbane have welcomed back ruck Oscar McInerney while Sam Day is out due to personal reasons.