“WE CAN show we can compete for periods, but we don’t want to be a team that just competes: we want to be a team that does it for 120 minutes.”
Carlton Senior Coach David Teague is adamant in his belief that his side has the tools to beat the best, but three quarters of football won’t get the job done.
It’s been a consistent message coming out of IKON Park this week, after the Blues produced some blistering football to break open a 27-point lead against the second-placed Western Bulldogs on the weekend.
However, a lamentable final term - which saw the Blues go away from their style of football - saw them fall to a defeat, with Melbourne now to come this Sunday.
Teague said it wasn’t a case of panic stations on Royal Parade, particularly given the level of football shown - admittedly - in spurts this season.
“The results, the wins, will be the outcome of us doing it for longer and that’s what we’ll focus on,” Teague said.
“We feel we’re good enough, but we haven’t done it for long enough.
“When you put yourselves in the position we have put ourselves in, I understand why fans are reckless and frustrated. Our players are.
“They believe they’re good enough to beat these teams, but against the good teams, if you have lapses it hurts you and you’ll lose.”
Teague said there was no greater test and no greater opportunity than the upcoming challenge of the undefeated Demons at the home of football.
Flagging that Tom De Koning, Marc Murphy and Nic Newman could all put their hands up for selection pending Thursday’s training, Teague was insistent that he wanted to see more of what the Blues do well for a longer period this weekend.
See how Daniel O'Keefe broke down the performances of the 11 AFL-listed players who took the field in the VFL on Sunday.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) May 13, 2021
“You’ve got to play 120 minutes against the really good teams and right now we’re not doing that,” he said.
“In terms of what I want to see, I want to see us compete hard, move the ball quickly and defend with more intent. Our defence hasn’t been good enough.
“We played better against the Bulldogs than we did against Essendon, but the mood in the rooms and when we turned up on Monday was very different.
“This week, the challenge is against Melbourne which is playing some really good football.”
