Carlton coach John Barker was disappointed with the result in his first game in the top job, but he says there are still plenty of positives to come out of the match against Sydney.

The Blues went down to the Swans by 60 points at the SCG on Friday night.

In his first weekly message to members, Barker said he was pleased with the players’ efforts to put greater pressure on the opposition.

“Out of the game I think we improved quite a bit in terms of our pressure and our ability to compete at and around the ball,” Barker said.

“Our tackle numbers basically doubled from the week before, which is a positive, and we beat Sydney in hard-ball gets – which is contested ground ball.”

The performances of midfielders Patrick Cripps and Nick Graham provided a shining light for the Blues. Cripps had 25 disposals and kicked a goal, while Graham stuck a game-high seven tackles playing on one of the best midfields in the competition.

“Patrick Cripps is really standing up and Nick Graham played some good footy on the weekend … it was a real learning curve for them and they toiled on well,” Barker said.

Although Barker was pleased to see improvements in the Blues’ attack on the ball, he believes there’s still plenty of work to do in other areas.

“We’ve still got to get a hell of a lot better at our decision making, ball use and also our defensive transition,” he said.

Looking ahead to this week, Carlton takes on Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Barker has called on Carlton supporters to pack the home of football to see the Blues take “another step forward”.