CARLTON will try to balance the need to be competitive with giving its youngsters more exposure to the rigours of senior football over the remainder of the 2015 season.

In the hot seat for the first time after the dismissal of Mick Malthouse during the week, interim Carlton coach John Barker oversaw what he described as an improved performance from the Blues at the SCG on Friday night.

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Although the Sydney Swans' eventual margin of victory was 10 goals, Carlton managed to win the final quarter to end a run of 13 straight losing quarters.

Moreover, there were also some encouraging performances from the likes of Patrick Cripps against a star-studded Sydney Swans midfield.

While Barker was disappointed with the loss, he hoped Blues supporters would have been buoyed by the team's improved commitment and intensity against last year's grand finalists.

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"They saw a response in terms of our pressure and our effort and we need to keep growing that," Barker said after the match.

"The effort is the basis, so we need to keep the focus really narrow at the moment, get that right and then you can have some impact on the mechanics and game plan."

Barker said the club would try to blood more youngsters over the coming weeks while balancing the need to put out a competitive line-up.

"We've got to look at the kids, there is no doubt about that, but we've got to be really strategic with the way we do that," Barker said.

"There is a balance there, and we will continue to work with our list management as to who deserves games on the back of what we stand for."

Barker said he had spoken to Malthouse on a couple of occasions since the veteran coach received his marching orders from Ikon Park on Tuesday, and received a text message from him before the game. With the full-time role up for grabs, Barker declined to discuss what ambitions he had to secure the top job on a permanent basis.

"My ambitions at the moment don't need to be at the forefront," Barker said.

"I think I've got a pretty heavy task ahead of me, that's fairly obvious, so we will just talk about where we are going now and what we need to do going forward."

Carlton suffered two injuries in the game, Troy Menzel hurting his knee and Chris Yarran rolling an ankle. The pair will undergo further assessment in the coming days.