THERE'S nothing like the thought of a packed MCG for a blockbuster match against arch-rival Collingwood to get Blues fans up and about.

Young gun Bryce Gibbs says the players are no different and he's looking forward to taking to the big stage and putting an end to a frustrating fortnight of football.   

"We always look forward to playing Collingwood and there's always a big crowd," Gibbs says.

"Those games are pretty special to play in. Words can't really describe it properly. Even a couple of weeks ago when we played Hawthorn, the crowd in the last five or 10 minutes when it was close and then when Fev took that mark, I've never heard anything like it.

"You couldn't hear yourself think - 80,000 screaming people just takes your breath away; it's just amazing."

After three wins from five to start the season, two losses by a total of 11 points have taken some of the air out of Carlton's tyres, but Gibbs says it is business as usual at Visy Park.

"It's not the end of the world. We're still in the top eight and we've had a few close games not go our way," he says.

"Maybe if we had fixed a few little things along the way we might be 5-2.

"It's only little mistakes that have cost us a couple of goals here and there, but we're pretty sure we can fix those over the next couple of weeks.

"We know we've got a pretty important month coming up and if we can get a couple more wins under our belt that will hold us in good stead."

After starting his career down back, Gibbs, 20, is averaging 27 possessions a game in his third year at the club. Coach Brett Ratten has shown confidence in his ability to read the play and has given him license to hunt the ball if the situation permits.

"I've nearly finished my apprenticeship. I've played 50 games now so there's really no excuse for putting up a poor performance any more. I've got to take full responsibility for how I play now," he says.

"I was drafted as a midfield player and it's good to be able to get up into the middle and have a bit of a run around and get some touches. I'm really enjoying it.

"But I think starting off in the back line was really good for me. I got to watch the game unfold a bit and was taught to defend first and attack second. That's helped me a lot now that I'm spending more time in the midfield – you stop your man and then attack from there. I really took a lot out of it.

"The role changes from week to week depending on who we're playing, but I'm basically doing some run-with roles or getting free to hunt up the ball myself."

But while Gibbs is happy with the progress he's made, Blues fans will be delighted to know that he's not satisfied with where's he's at as a player. Not by a long shot.

"I'm still learning every day. It helps when you've got blokes like Juddy, Stevo and Fev running around with you at training and then you've got all the coaches as well," he says.

"I'm getting there slowly, but I've still got a long way to go. I'll just keep chipping away."