SENIOR Coach David Teague conceded the Round 14 loss to Collingwood was “a tough pill to swallow”.
Carlton was the better side in the first half against the old enemy, but the Blues were outgunned in the second half in the 24-point defeat.
The Blues were held goalless from half time after seven goals in the first two quarters, with Teague lamenting his side’s ability to finish their plays going forward.
Carlton had more forward entries than Collingwood on the day, but could only muster 13 scoring shots to Collingwood’s 22.
“We didn’t play our way for four quarters and that’s what we came here to do,” Teague said.
“We saw some signs early that were strong but it shows we’ve got a lot of improvement to go: to maintain that, be consistent with that and make the most of it on the scoreboard when we’re on top.
“Credit to Collingwood: they get the game on their terms in the second half and we didn’t play it the way we wanted to.”
Young midfielders Sam Walsh and Will Setterfield were once again among Carlton’s best performers, but it was in the contest where the game was lost after the main break.
Come the final siren, Collingwood had won the clearance (+7) and contested possession (+10) count: it was just the second time the Blues had lost both differentials since Round 6.
“They started winning the contest, that was the biggest difference,” he said.
“We won the contest in the first half, they won it in the second half.
“We still got the ball inside 50, so some of our ball use and our connection inside 50 needs to get better. We need to improve.”
Carlton will have little time to dwell on the result, coming up against GWS on Thursday night.
