Coach John Barker has stood by the decision to drop Chris Yarran and Troy Menzel to the VFL after the Blues produced four quarters of "grit" and "intent" in their 18-point loss to Collingwood on Saturday.
 
Yarran and Menzel were relegated this week for failing to meet team expectations, with Barker accusing the talented pair of going through the motions.
 
The interim coach said he had no concerns about being unconditional with effort on Saturday, even if he was frustrated with his team's decision-making and skill execution.
 
"I talked about grit last week and intent this week, and I think we showed that for the full four quarters," he said.

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"I was pretty clear on that decision (to drop Yarran and Menzel) during the week and it played out as it played out.
 
"We go in less experienced and arguably with less talent, but we need to be unconditional with the wont for our players to give four quarters of strong intent."
 
Yarran and Menzel played for the Northern Blues against Collingwood's VFL team in the curtain raiser at the MCG on Saturday, with Menzel a standout, kicking one goal and picking up 20 possessions.  

Yarran suffered an injury scare when he left the ground with a knee concern, but he was cleared of any damage post-match.
 
"I saw patches of the VFL game and I saw elements of fight in both of those players," Barker said.  
 
After his eighth loss from 10 games in charge, Barker kept an eye to the future when summing up the Blues' sixth straight defeat this season.
 
"We need to keep learning, we need to keep growing," he said.  
 
"Every time we perform, whether it's on the weekend or during training, we need to learn from it.
 
"You assess, you review, you learn, you grow. And that's what we want to do as a football club."