CARLTON has only just broken a five-game drought but coach Mick Malthouse has seen signs that the Blues are growing as a team.
After his side finally notched its fifth win of the season with an 85-point belting of bottom side St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Malthouse said the most pleasing aspect of the Blues' performance was their recovery from a poor second quarter.
Early in the second term Carlton stormed to a 44-point lead but conceded the next four goals to have their advantage slashed to just 15 points by half-time.
Malthouse said his team regained the ascendancy by simply "getting back to basics".
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"(That was) a bad quarter. I didn't have to discuss it after the game; a few senior players were discussing it," he said.
"We're very aware of it that things can get away from us and we've really got to stop it. We haven't been able to.
"We haven't started well (but) we did today, and we haven't capitalised on it in the second quarter.
"So the players are very aware of it and the good thing is they were talking about that more than anything else after the game. It wasn't the result; it was about the process of arresting those quarters.
"You've got to grow from those. If we've learnt something from today without me saying it, it (shows we are) growing within. That's so fundamental to any good football side."
Carlton's restructured attack comprising talls Lachie Henderson, Levi Casboult and surprise packet Simon White tallied 12 goals between them, but Malthouse said veteran Jarrad Waite and speedster Jeff Garlett would return if their VFL warranted it.
"Every game's a new week for us. We weigh it up on its merits and … on the opposition. Even with the best sides I've coached I've never thought, 'Let them worry about us'; it's 'Us worry about them.' I'm not going to change from that habit," he said.
"So (if) Jarrad plays well, he earns his spot. He's a class player, same with Garlett.
"There's always provision for flexibility within the team, particularly when you go from (Etihad Stadium) to the SCG (against the Sydney Swans next Saturday night) – different sized ground, probably different surface, out in the open."
Malthouse was "pretty confident" that injured pair Andrew Carrazzo (tight quad) and Troy Menzel (shoulder 'stinger') would be "in the mix" for the clash with the Swans.
