After a stirring victory on Saturday afternoon, Carlton coach John Barker said the Blues must continue to get the “fundamentals” right.
In a heart-stopping last minute for Carlton fans, the Blues managed to hold on and defeat the Power by four points at the MCG.
Speaking to Triple M on Sunday morning, Barker said the team’s confidence is growing, but he knows there’s still a lot of improvement needed.
“To look at the way we play we’re still missing some targets and there is still some lagging confidence issues, but I think we’re growing that bit by bit, week by week,” he said.
“What we need to do is keep getting those fundamentals right in terms of effort and competitiveness and then you can grow your game a bit.”
Since taking over as coach, Barker has encouraged the players to use their numbers around the contest and move the ball forward using the best option – whether that be through the corridor or down the boundary line.
“We probably unshackled them a little bit in terms of the way we use the ball,” Barker said.
“We’re trying to be smarter with making sure we use our numbers when we’ve got numbers around the ball.
“We don’t want to be locked in to one mode of transport because if you do you’re really easy to defend.”
Barker has now guided Carlton in three games as senior coach and has been “learning every minute".
Carlton’s next opponent is Gold Coast on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. To secure your seat, click here
