Carlton says inexperience a major factor in 0-4 start to season

MARC Murphy is set for a quick return from his painful foot condition as the Blues blamed inexperience for their latest capitulation.

Jacob Weitering of the Blues.

MARC Murphy is set for a quick return from his painful foot condition as the Blues blamed inexperience for their latest capitulation.

Carlton was non-competitive in a 86-point loss to North Melbourne, having tallied four consecutive defeats — with the Blues conceding 100 points in each.

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After the loss the Blues faithful threatened to eat their own, with fans furious about the club’s direction amid growing pains of a full-blown rebuild.

Radio personality and one-time presidential aspirant Tom Elliott spoke ominously of having “discussions” if the rot continued mid-year.

But captain Marc Murphy’s plantar fascia issue might see him miss as little as one week after he withdrew just minutes before the first bounce.

He told reporters he felt a pop in the bottom of his foot, but is hopeful scans will reveal he actually snapped the connective tissue after weeks of soreness.

Marc Murphy speaks to the doctor after hurting himself in the pre-match warm-up.

That would resolve the issue instead of surgery that can cause players to miss a month or two as they recover.

Blues football boss Andy McKay said scans would reveal whether Murphy misses next week against West Coast.

“We are confident that he won’t be out for any length of time. It might be a week or so, we need to get that scanned tomorrow to get a really good prognosis on that.”

The Blues were urged to reclaim their defensive identity by former coaches Paul Roos and Danny Frawley.

Frawley asked what Carlton stood for, while 3AW expert Tony Shaw said Jacob Weitering looked “shell-shocked” and afraid to attack the contest.

Roos said Liam Jones could only play as a one-on-one defender, saying on Triple M a coach should instruct him: “Liam, I don’t want you standing in front of an opponent for the rest of the season”.

Paddy Dow has struggled to have an impact in his first four AFL games.

But McKay urged Carlton fans to remain strong despite the lack of fight from the players against the Roos.

“I reach out to the supporters and say stick with us. We believe this plan will give us the best chance to have some sustained success,” he said.

“We could have had a quick fix for some quick success but what often happens is you fall off the cliff pretty soon after. When you have an enormous amount of kids you will have some speed bumps.

“We had 10 players who were in the 18-21 bracket. It showed. I believe we have drafted really well but you need to understand its tough for under-18 footballers to step up and play bloody good football after they are drafted.

“It’s going to take some time to develop these players.”

Former Giant Matt Kennedy had 19 disposals against North Melbourne.

Elliott, who considered challenging for the presidency in 2014, was deliberately vague about what might happen if the losses continued.

“Well, obviously there will be discussion. Carlton is Carlton and big losses like this in a row are not taken very well,” he said.

“By the middle of the year, Round 11, we will have had two months to have a win.

“Carlton’s draw is awful. Conceivably we could get to the middle part of the year and have only one or two wins, and there will be discussions.

“I reckon three years, that’s when you can look at it and say, ‘Has this rebuild worked?’. And if it hasn’t do you ring up Brett Ratten and say, ‘Would you like to come back’?”