Carlton debutant Sam Docherty has described Friday night's loss to Collingwood as "bitterly disappointing".

Whilst the Blues kicked 8.3 in the final term, in the end it wasn't enough.

The Carlton defender who was traded from Brisbane last year, made a strong impression taking 13 possessions and six marks. 

"We started moving the ball a bit better in the last quarter," Docherty said. 

"We got the ball quickly to our forward line and it actually gave them a chance, so that helped a bit."

"Before that we really struggled to get the ball forward. We only managed to get the ball out of the back-line and into the forward line 14% of the time, which isn't good enough for AFL footy."

Docherty, who has supported Carlton from a young age, says that senior coach Mick Malthouse was a major influence in his decision to return south.   

"Playing under Mick really appealed to me," Docherty said. 

"I remember speaking to him in my interviews, and I left the interview thinking that I really want to come to this place."

"There's a bit of success around the corner for the boys, we've just got to stick it out and work on the game plan."

"Obviously there's going to be ups and downs, but hopefully we can have a few more ups and we'll see how we go for the rest of the year."