“WE WERE chasing our tails.” 

Nic Newman admits the Blues were disappointed in the way they started their Round 5 clash, leaving them ‘behind the eight-ball’ from the get go, after the Crows delivered an eight-goal first term. 

Acknowledging that Carlton were able to get the games back on their terms, it was too late - according to Newman - and Adelaide definitely made the most of their opportunities in their forward 50. 

"The first quarter was pretty disappointing so we let ourselves down, then we were chasing our tails after that." 

“I thought there were some patches after quarter time where we got the game back on our terms, so we’ll look at that and the difference between when we’re playing our way and when we’re not.”

The midfield group had issues getting their hands on the ball around the contest, which Newman suggested would be a big talking point for the group this week.

Not getting the ball out of the middle left the Blues behind, with the Crows ball movement fast and efficient between the arcs. 

 “It’s a pretty big part of the game in terms of clearances and the ability to get territory and the ball in your front half – when you don’t do that, it makes it pretty hard,” he said. 

“The one thing with our midfield group is they have a lot of pride – they’re a proud group and  I expect a pretty fierce response next week from them.”

While it wasn’t ideal having fellow defender Mitch McGovern as a late out 20 minutes before bounce down, Newman was adamant that the missing defender wasn’t detrimental to their back six – with a team first view rather than on individuals. 

Referring back to the ‘next man up’ mentality that Michael Voss has preached since day one, Newman was confident in Lachie Plowman’s ability to slot into the back six and play his intended role. 

“It was disappointing, [Mitch] has been a really important player for us in this first month, and last week he played arguably his best game for the Club,” he said.  

“As we showed last, we want that next man up mentality – Plowman came in and he plays a similar role to Gov, so we try not to focus on the individuals too much and more specific roles for whoever comes in.” 

The inaugural Gather Round might not have got off to the best start for the Blues, but being out and about at the Footy Festival today reminded them of how special the occasion was. 

Newman noted the Blues were proud to be included week after week in such important games and that the significance of those marquee slots weren't lost on the side. 

“We’ve had big games every week this year: Good Friday against North, Round 1 is always big, playing against Geelong, we’ve felt like that hasn’t been an issue for us,” he said. 

“It’s been pretty awesome – I didn't know what to expect, it’s the first time it’s happening, at our Captains Run yesterday, we had a heap there and it was a really cool buzz,” he said. 

“The atmosphere at the ground was cool, it had that extra buzz – I think it’s a great initiative from the AFL and I think it’s been well received."