A BITTERLY disappointed Carlton coach Brett Ratten has admitted his team doesn’t currently have the firepower to match it with the AFL’s top four sides.

The Blues suffered a 68-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, which saw them fall to seventh on the ladder, just one win clear of ninth-placed North Melbourne.

“I think it just showed us where we’re at, really,” Ratten said.

“If we get caught up in thinking we can take on the teams in the top end [of the ladder] and deliver that today, it just shows you how far we are off the pace - a long way.

“It did look a little bit spiritless in the second half.”

Carlton’s skills were poor for most of the game and the worst offender was one of the club’s best players, with 10 of Bryce Gibbs’ 17 kicks failing to hit the target.

It made life very tough for the Blues’ forwards and as a result they finished with a paltry eight goals, despite having only two less inside 50s than the Dogs.

“I thought we really fell away really poorly in the second half just with our effort and the combination of working together,” Ratten added.

“The execution going inside 50 was something that really deflated us as a team.

“And then we had to have wide shots or just ordinary snap shots. We didn’t make the most of our opportunities.”

Picked up at various stages by Brian Lake and Tom Williams, Carlton forward Setanta O’hAilpin produced one of his worst performances.

The Irishman collected only three possessions and failed to boot a goal.

“He didn’t get it lace-out, but I think sometimes you can make your own luck a little bit early in games,” Ratten said.

“I thought he was down today, there’s no doubt about it.

“By the end it was two distinct teams - one really worked very efficiently and had a forward that really provided great opportunities.

“We didn’t really have a great focal point down our end of the ground.”

Ratten said his players will endure some tough training sessions in the coming weeks, as they attempt to keep their spot in the top eight.

The Blues coach also said he would consider including Jarrad Waite in the team for next Sunday’s meeting with Sydney at Etihad Stadium.

Waite has completed his second suspension of the season.

“We’ll look at whether he comes back or we put him through the reserves knowing that he’s missed a fair bit of footy.”