THERE is no truth to the rumours that Carlton will this week tempt club president and former superstar Stephen Kernahan into making a comeback.

But Blues coach Brett Ratten must surely look a little wistfully towards his former teammate and the man they call 'Sticks' and recall the domineering presence Kernahan once had on the Carlton forward line.

Unfortunately for Ratten, Sticks' playing days are over, because only the lack of a good power forward would appear to be keeping the Blues from challenging for this year's premiership.

Carlton entered Saturday afternoon's MCG blockbuster against Collingwood with the plan to run and gun and take the Magpies on, and there were periods of the game where they threatened to surge past the premiership favourites.

But their lack of a hulking forward who they could park in the goal square proved costly and ultimately fatal.

The Magpies took 21 contested marks to 11. "We needed it to be 15-15," lamented Ratten afterwards, while also noting that Travis Cloke took five contested marks, nearly half of the tally of the Carlton team combined.

He tried everyone bar Kernahan, or so it seemed. Bret Thornton, Andrew Walker, Matthew Watson, Jeremy Laidler and Matthew Kreuzer all spent time as the key forward, and while they all had their moments, never really imposed themselves on the game.

Kreuzer looked the goods for a stage in the third term, but generally, the Blues couldn't take enough marks and couldn't keep the ball inside 50 when the ball came to ground.

It is a problem that Ratten will deal with and attempt to solve this week, but really, his hands are tied.

As long as Michael Jamison and Jarrad Waite are out with injury, usual forward Lachie Henderson is needed down back.

Andrew Walker's four-goal haul was a nice return for the Blues and a return to form after a quiet patch, but he needs mates. Jeff Garlett presented well, but kicked 1.4, all of them posters, and three in the third term when the Blues were pressing.

Ratten also lamented his team's troubles at keeping the ball after kick-outs and some dreadful turnovers by hand - errors that will always be compounded by sides containing the likes of Dane Swan, Luke Ball, Scott Pendelbury and Dale Thomas.

"It just killed us," he said of Carlton's inability by the Blues to look after the football.

Still, Ratten appeared reasonably upbeat after the 19-point defeat. The words most coaches hate to utter, "honourable loss" weren't heard coming out of the Carlton camp, but the Blues came into Saturday's match promising to take the Magpies on and there were large enough stretches of the game where they did.

If not for some third-term goalmouth brilliance from Magpie pair Pendlebury and then Steele Sidebottom that stretched the margin out to three goals, the Blues might have even snatched the lead for a bit.

Other than Geelong and the Sydney Swans, who lost to Collingwood by just a goal in round 14, no team has come closer to Collingwood than 40 points except for the Blues - 28 points in round three and then 19 points on Saturday.

Hence the positive vibes coming from the coach. "There's a fair bit to look at from a positive aspect, so it's not doom and gloom, not that at all. That's not how we're looking at things from within our four walls."

He added that although the loss to West Coast was a case of the Eagles being just that bit too good, and the loss to the Bulldogs last week being put down to the Blues being "their worst own enemy", there were stages on Saturday where the Blues played good football.

There is plenty to build on for the game against Essendon next week - another MCG blockbuster - and for the other season-defining games that follow, particularly the round 22 Hawthorn clash that probably will decide the double chance.

All he needs is for someone - anyone - to turn into Stephen Kernahan between now and then.