ED Curnow said the Blues’ renewed sense of fight should be the “base level” going forward.

After last weekend’s big loss to Greater Western Sydney, Carlton was up for the contest from the outset but ultimately fell short by 13 points to St Kilda.

With increased time in the midfield after starting 2019 as a forward, the older Curnow collected 19 disposals as the Blues won the clearance battle — but not the one that mattered on the scoreboard. 

Speaking post-match, Curnow said efficiency - not fight - was what cost Carlton against the Saints.

“Execution by foot and hand let us down. We had our opportunities but played a little bit safe and lacked that run to finish off the game,” Curnow said.

“I thought we started well, we were strong over the footy.

“There were some strong signs to be in the position we were but it was really disappointing to get the loss.”

Harping back to the loss to the Giants, Curnow lamented the lack of fight and spirit which was highlighted throughout the week.

Stressing the importance of “having your mates’ back”, the 29-year-old said bringing the effort should be a non-negotiable.

“I thought it was base level today: we really let ourselves down last week, I thought today was on par,” he said.

“We need to bring it every week if you’re going to play in the AFL against good teams and stay in the game. You have to be hard.

“We don’t want to be known as a team that gets pushed around: we need to lead the opposition to the ball and the fight up to them.”

After drawing within five points in the final term, the Blues were ultimately unsuccessful in returning to the winner’s list.

Curnow said compliance and cleanliness would be the focuses going forward, starting with the upcoming clash against Essendon on Sunday.

“We need to execute better: we need to have compliance with our method in structuring up and doing it for longer. If we do that right, we’ll get a win.”