“OUR ability to consistently make the right decisions when the pressure comes: that’s our challenge, that’s our growth, we’ve got to get better.”

For Carlton senior coach David Teague, a four-quarter effort is what his side will need to show in order to contend among the best.

Speaking to media following the Blues’ 9-point loss to the Giants at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night, Teague believes growth will come off the back of consistency of effort and decision making.

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David Teague spoke to the media following the Round 15 clash with Greater Western Sydney.

“When then pressure comes, we need to become stronger in the contest and we need to be stronger with our decision-making with the ball and understanding what’s required in the game in those times,” Teague said.

“We probably just needed to get it in deep and even if they intercepted, at least if it was deep it would have to come through 17 or 18 of us.

“But when we turn it over short, they’ll probably only come back through eight of us.”

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With three games left of a home-and-away season like no other, Teague is eager for his side to make the most of its opportunity to improve.

“The missed opportunity is that we didn’t play for four quarters. We go out there to play for four quarters and put the effort in and make the right decisions,” he said.

“Right now, we’re not there and we’re probably sitting where we should sit because of our ability to do it for four quarters.

“What we do have is belief that we can do it, we’ve showed that we can do it for periods of games so it gives us belief but we’ve got to be able to do it.”

Teague attributes the loss in part to allowing the Giants to play the game on their terms, with strong marking allowing them control the play.

“We probably let them mark the ball a bit too much early and then in the second half I thought we actually squeezed the ground, we got the game played in our half,” he said.

“I think we had the inside 50s but unfortunately there were probably a couple factors that really hurt late.

“Our ball use going inside 50 when it was wet and slippery and we tried to go shallow, kick it short inside 50 and it got turned over and we allowed them to tackle for shorter pitch.”