Just when the AFL's angriest fans thought their season couldn't get any worse, a small detail in this photo is rubbing salt into their wounds

Just erstwhile the AFL's angriest fans thought their play couldn't get immoderate worse, a tiny item successful this photograph is rubbing brackish into their wounds.

Carlton's AFL play has veered from hopeful to humbling - and now, downright humiliating.

With 4 consecutive losses to commencement the season, including a bruising decision to Collingwood connected Thursday night, Blues fans person been near searching for answers.

But portion the on-field show has sparked frustration, a infinitesimal disconnected the tract is pouring brackish into already stinging wounds.

A photograph posted online shows Carlton players lined up successful beforehand of a ample sponsorship banner - emblazoned with the words 'Carlton Zero.'

The image, snapped by award-winning AFL lensman Michael Willson, rapidly made the rounds connected societal media. The unmissable branding, paired with the team's zero wins, was excessively ironic to ignore.

One instrumentality wrote simply: 'Carlton Zero from Four #AFLPiesBlues.'

Another added, 'Even Collingwood's sponsor sums up Carlton this season.'

The sponsorship successful question wasn't club-specific but league-wide. In December 2022, the AFL announced a landmark woody with drinks institution Asahi Beverages.

As portion of the four-year partnership, Pepsi Max and Solo became the authoritative brushed drinks of the AFL, Cool Ridge the authoritative water, Gatorade the authoritative sports drink, and Carlton Zero the league's archetypal authoritative non-alcoholic beverage.

So portion the signage wasn't targeted, the discourse made it consciousness painfully personal.

Coach Michael Voss, who chose to beryllium connected the seat during the bedewed Melbourne evening, was often framed by the Carlton Zero branding - adding to the consciousness of cruel coincidence.

'I conscionable person to cognize whose agleam thought it was to person this circumstantial beverage arsenic the large sponsor each implicit their marquees and benches this year. Truly grim,' 1 protagonist posted.

'It's astir similar the footy gods are successful connected the joke,' different wrote.

But this isn't the archetypal clip off-field optics person backfired for the Blues this season.

Following their Round 1 nonaccomplishment to Richmond, the nine was acceptable to diagnostic successful a 'membership day' connected SEN. 

That lawsuit was hastily cancelled, but not earlier aboriginal Friday greeting promos continued to aerial - adding to instrumentality embarrassment.

Thursday night's decision to Collingwood saw Carlton autumn 6.10 (46) to 8.15 (63), coughing up a halftime pb for the 4th consecutive game.

It marked their third-lowest people successful 75 games nether Voss.

'The information is erstwhile the unit comes we're not handling it, truthful we person to ain that,' Voss said post-game.

'That puts a people connected your backmost but we person to measurement into that.'