THE BLUES came out firing in the first half of Friday night's clash but faltered in the second half, ultimately falling to the Power by 14 points.

Failing to capitalise on their opportunities both in front of goal and down the field in the final quarter, Carlton couldn't regain their lead.

Senior Coach Michael Voss attributed the Blues' downfall to their inability to sustain pressure into the second half but expressed confidence in a strong response next week.

Here’s what he had to say.

On the difference between the first and second half: 

"It was some of the better footy we’ve played this year for a half. I didn’t necessarily see the second half coming but didn’t feel like we had the energy for the entirety of the game.

"[Port] dialled up a couple of things and we weren’t able to absorb it. The game changed, we held on through the third quarter, we were losing territory badly, but we were still able to hold on so we defended for a pretty large part of the quarter and then defending for that long took the energy out of us for the last quarter.

"It didn’t seem like we had enough punch to finish off the game the way we wanted to. It’s pretty clear to us, but effectively the contest and pressure were where it all started and where it all finished.

"We had 90 odd tackles and 50 in the second half, their pressure rating was really high across the day, a rare number we lose is contested possession - we never lose that number - we were beaten tonight. All of it happened in the second half."

On the wrap-up of the game:

"It’s something we’ll look at in a couple of days, we have a couple of days to get some rest. We had the shorter break, so we’ll have a look at the game and see where we fell down.

"We certainly didn’t have the run in the second half, particularly in the last quarter when the game needed to be won. We’ll have a look at why and if we could’ve managed it better and how we could’ve still just held on in the wrestle a bit longer.

"Late in the game with five minutes to go, it seemed like we needed to create something different but with a couple of plays we did have, we couldn’t finish and their intercepting in the second half became a factor and getting the ball to ground was a struggle. I'll pass on the credit to Port and their second half was pretty impressive."

On Harry McKay's late withdrawal: 

"We waited for most of the day to see whether he would get better, but he was too crook. The decision was made to make the change and we made the call reasonably late. He had a great week, got through all the training sessions, got through everything."

On the influence of personnel changes: 

"I think what we’ve prided ourselves on for a few years now is that we’ve got a next-man-up mentality and I think we’ve had some unbelievable games where we’ve just found a way despite the personnel.

"I think there was still an opportunity for us to do that, the first half showed it, so when you’re looking at performances, I don’t think that’s the rock you need to flip.

"We’ve got effort and intensity that we need to be able to have, we’ve got expectations on what we need our contest to look like, we lost that drive around the ball, their midfield was too good and we couldn’t get any drive from that part of the game."

On the midfield battle: 

"It’s not a concern, but it is a challenge. I’ll back the men that are in there though. They’re competitive, they’re always looking to get better and one thing I know they don’t like is losing. They don’t like losing a contest, let alone four points.

"But we have to acknowledge we got beaten in there today. We don’t say that often, and it’s not me putting that on them, that’s just the story of the game and we have to accept that for what it is and we have to get better."

On players pulling up sore: 

"At this stage of the season, there’s just bumps and bruises, they’ve all got them, it’s not just us, it’s everyone in the competition. But what we do have in front of us is an unbelievable opportunity and it’s well and truly in our control. We’ve got a month to do and the games become critically important from here."