"WE'RE NOT quite there. That's our reality."
Josh Fraser said Carlton would continue to get to work after back-to-back MCG defeats in the last fortnight.
Following an unbeaten run of seven consecutive wins, the Blues have since fallen to Hawthorn and Collingwood, with Fraser saying everyone at IKON Park were under no illusions about where things sat and how the rest of the season was to play out.
Here's what he had to say.
On how the game played out:
"I thought they were more efficient going forward. We were 36 per cent scores inside 50, it’s been an area of our game we’ve been trying to address and I don’t think we’re anywhere near the level we need to be in that space. You lose a target like Harry, and I don’t think we adjusted well enough there.
"I thought their contest around the ground was better than ours, they looked more reliable in the contest at times. Offensively, we were slow to get our game going in the way we wanted, turning the ball over in some areas where they hurt us the other way.
"They looked like a team that has played their system longer than what we have - we’ve got work in front of us, which we’ve known."
On Harry McKay's injury:
“The information we got was that he wasn’t okay to continue: we’ll get a scan on him to assess him during the week.
“We’re in the space of knowing he couldn’t continue, and getting more information early in the week. I can’t shed any more light on Harry’s situation, other than he couldn’t come back out on the field. Those innocuous ones can sometimes seem worse than what they appear.”
On Adam Cerra's injury:
“Hamstring tightness, he couldn’t take any further part in the game. He’s been in terrific form for us, he was certainly a loss. The same precaution we take with all the players: we don’t want to put them out there if they’re any further risk.”
On the attempted changes in-game:
“We had to make some adjustments, and I don’t think we executed those adjustments well. We finished in the positive going inside 50, but our method looked poor. I don’t think we won enough contests in front of the ball.
“Nine weeks ago, we knew we had to continue to grow our game and play a style of football that we believe will stack up moving forward for this footy club. Part of that is understanding that we need to change the way we play in games. We’re not at that level just yet.
“The game gave us more feedback and we know we’ve got more work in front of us. I can tell you that nobody was getting too far ahead of themselves when we were getting wins, and we’ll stay pretty measured around not getting a result and the work we have to do.”
On remaining consistent with his message:
"When this change happened, my message was we wanted to make sure the Club was better placed at the end of our journey this season. That was regardless of outcome. We know the work in front of us. You can get some results and think you’re fixed - we never thought that.
"We were looking at our game, we were committed to exposing different players to the system, we’re committed to playing a certain way. We’re not quite there. That’s our reality.
"It doesn’t mean we don’t go out and try and win every week and get a result: that’s not what I’m saying. Clearly we’ve got work to do. Part of that will be exposing players to AFL football, finding out how can help this club moving forward and play a game style that we believe in time will stand up."
On the team fighting the game out:
"The willingness to fight and play a way was important, I saw evidence of that. There’s the method attached to it as well. We have to review what that method looked like: sometimes there’s a desperation to do the right thing, and in actual fact it’s not the right thing.
"By and large, the intent from our players is to take the Club forward, play this way and be better for it. But we’ve got some refining to do with individuals and our system, which we’ve known the whole way through."
On not being able to complete plays going forward:
"That’s been our story for the majority of the year. We’ve been transitioning the ball much better than what we have previously, but we’re not scoring or capitalising on that transition anywhere near efficiently enough.
"It’s personnel, it’s structure, it’s patterning, it’s decisions with the ball - when you don’t connect, you put your defence under pressure, which we did too often tonight. This is not q quick fix, these are things we have to continue to train and educate. We’ve made some improvements, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be."
On the Club's youth standing up, in particular Jagga Smith and Billy Wilson:
"They’re important for us in where we’re heading. Jagga, we know his story and he’s had a big impact. Billy is a guy we’ve been able to expose to this level and he’s become really important for us, he looks like a Carlton footballer every time he takes to the field which is exciting.
"Then there are other young players as well. Wade Derksen’s not a young guy but he comes into our system, Cooper Lord gets an opportunity tonight. Liam Reidy isn’t young, but without a lot of experience at this level. We’re very much finding out about our list and who can help take us forward."
