Bolton demands big response against Geelong after embarrassing loss

BRENDON Bolton has urged Carlton’s players and coaches to harness the pain of Sunday’s embarrassing loss to respond immediately against Geelong next week.

Carlton was blown off the park against the Demons, losing every quarter in a 109- point defeat that was the club’s biggest losing margin against its long-time rival in 122 years.

Handed a suspended fine for his profanity towards Essendon’s Mark Baguley last week, this time Bolton turned the focus on his side.

He demanded his player’s attention at three-quarter time in a sustained spray that was about structures but also effort.

Marc Murphy hobbled early upon his return from a plantar fascia issue and while he played out the game, needed 15 minutes of assessments in the rooms in the first half.

The Blues have now won just one of their first nine games in a year where the fans had expected to see more wins than Bolton’s first two seasons.

Bolton was optimistic Murphy would play against the Cats, with Ed Curnow (suspension) and Charlie Curnow (calf) also right to return.

But he would not use injuries as an excuse for the pitiful performance.

“I am glad it’s a six-day break. The Geelong game can’t come quickly enough,” Bolton said. “I have asked our players to confront this game and reflect on it really strongly. I don’t want them to let go of it until we have got through the review.

“Coaches will do the same, they won’t let go of it until we focus on Geelong.

‘”There is a reality with some injuries. We have walked under a ladder in terms of injuries but we are not going to let a young group use that as an out.

“We want to lose and grow. And if it’s, “We will be right”, when we get players out, it gives younger players an out. It’s not high-performance thinking.”