Carlton captain Marc Murphy has promised an improved performance from his side in Round 4, following an “embarrassing” 81-point loss to Essendon.

Murphy told SEN on Monday night that the players went through a brutal assessment of the loss, but he has vowed they will come out firing against Melbourne this weekend.

“I’m sure you’ll see a very good response this Saturday,” Murphy said.

“When the chips are down, that’s when you find out about characters around footy clubs, so we’ll find out a lot about certain blokes in our side over the next month.

“We spoke as a playing group after the game and there were a few home truths said. It was probably the first time for a long time we’ve been embarrassed out on the field.

“The good thing about football is that it’s Round 3 and we get a chance this Saturday to rectify that.”

The Blues’ captain also threw his support behind coach Mick Malthouse.

“We’re right behind Mick, he has been great for the Club. He’s so positive,” Murphy said.

The skipper lamented his side’s disposals against Essendon, saying Carlton’s skills “weren’t good enough” and his men “turned the ball over too many times”. He has demanded more ferocity and attack against the Demons this weekend.

“We’ve shown that we can do it in the past. It’s not foreign to us, so it’s about doing that consistently,” Murphy said.