DESPITE a promising individual performance, Carlton key forward Harry McKay shared in the frustration of his teammates after the Round 9 loss to GWS.

One positive to come from the 93-point defeat was McKay’s continued show of form, finishing with six marks and three goals against the Giants. 

However, McKay reflected on the lengthy team review that followed Sunday’s performance when speaking to media on Tuesday afternoon.

“The weekend was super disappointing, so there were some challenging things said and we need to bounce back this week,” said McKay.

“It was driven by Cripps and ‘Doc’ but the whole playing group bought in and that’s what it’s got to be - It can’t just be one or two people.” 

Sunday’s performance was a stark reminder of the learnings from the Blues’ Round 7 defeat to North Melbourne, with the weekend marking Carlton’s biggest loss of the season. 

McKay compared the two matches in terms of their reviews, highlighting the need for accountability among the playing group. 

“It’s pretty similar. Obviously when you don’t bring the effort and the compete is not strong on the weekend, that’s when you’ve really got to challenge,” he said.

“Sometimes when you have close losses and you play some good footy it’s more system-based, but this is really looking guys in the eye and talking about the effort side of things.”

The Blues have fielded one of the competition’s youngest sides in recent weeks, missing experienced personnel through injury.

Not willing to attribute the loss to the age of the playing group, McKay stressed the need for composure.

“If they do kick a couple of goals we really need to lock down and just make it a bit of a fight for a couple of minutes and get momentum back,” he said.

“Obviously as a young group that’s something we’re going to struggle with compared to a more senior group, but it’s definitely not a cop out.”

The Blues get the opportunity respond this Sunday when they return home to face the Saints at Marvel Stadium.

“The best thing about footy is that in seven days, we get a chance to bounce back and redeem ourselves,” he said of the challenge ahead.

“We can’t afford another big loss before we bounce back and have a really good week.”