CARLTON coach Brendon Bolton is adamant the Blues are finding "little wins" within games, highlighting captain Marc Murphy's move into defence as an example of the team's growth.
The Blues were unable to salute veteran Kade Simpson's 300th game with victory, falling just short despite a resolute performance to go down to the Power by 21 points.
But Bolton saw plenty of positives, particularly from within his new-look back line, with Murphy (28 disposals) and Jack Silvagni, playing as a mid-sized stopper, both pushed into new defensive roles.
Carlton held Port Adelaide scoreless in the third quarter as the home side drew within two points of the Power going into the final change, but the Blues tired throughout the last term.
Yet Bolton said he was proud of the way his side coped with adversity, having to trial a new-look back six in the absence of key defenders like Lachie Plowman and Caleb Marchbank.
"You can be clouded just by the win-loss," he said after the game.
"There's just all of these little wins within the game that we're finding, which keeps players understanding there's growth.
"We had Marc Murphy to half-back, we had Jack Silvagni down back … we're forever finding the spaces in the game where there is growth.
"We look at the opportunity of this new back line that has just evolved and that we've had to put together because of injury. They're all the things that keep players up.
"There's no question about trying to keep them up, we don't have to. They want to grow."
In an otherwise even contest, Carlton's lapses in both the second and fourth quarters proved the difference as Port Adelaide's quality came to the fore.
The Power piled on five unanswered goals in the second term to move clear, before answering the Blues' challenge with four straight goals in the final term to pick up the win.
Despite finding it difficult to halt Port Adelaide's momentum on both occasions, the Carlton coach said he was pleased with the manner in which his side never buckled.
"We're fighting to win," Bolton said.
"Given the win-loss ratio right now, it can be easy not to fight. But this group has got a determination to try and get a result. They're just learning how to be consistent at it.
"It's easy to give up the fight, but they're not doing that."
