Carlton star Sam Walsh speaks out on Blues’ form slump, fan backlash after fifth loss in six games

Rapidly losing touch with the top eight, Carlton has just five days to prepare for a crunch Friday night clash with Sydney at the SCG. Blues star Sam Walsh explains what’s going wrong.

Michael Voss knows that Carlton’s current form is ‘not good enough’ as the Blues try to stay in touch with the top eight. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Carlton star Sam Walsh says it has been disheartening to see Blues fans routinely head to the exits early, while stressing that his side had to play more team-oriented football to turn its season around.

A 28-point loss to Collingwood on Sunday – Carlton’s fifth defeat from six games – saw the Blues slump to 11th on the ladder, their lowest position in Michael Voss’ tenure at the club.

Rapidly losing touch with the top eight, the Blues have just five days to prepare themselves for a crunch Friday night clash with Sydney – who sit one spot below Carlton – at the SCG.

Midfielder Walsh said Carlton had to improve in all facets of the game, in particular bemoaning the Blues’ defence on Sunday.

“Our ability to defend wasn’t quite there,” Walsh said. “They’re obviously a quality side by ball use. If you’re not in a position to put pressure on them, they’re going to kick goals.”

Walsh and the Blues found it difficult to keep Collingwood at bay in their 28-point round 10 loss. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

While Walsh did not suggest that the Blues weren’t working hard enough, he said that too often Carlton players had been operating as silos.

“I think at times our work rate just needs to be channelled in the right way,” Walsh said.

“As individuals, looking at how we can help our teammates a bit more. You can work as hard as you want but if you’re working alone, then it’s not going to help, so playing as a team’s probably a bit of a focus going into this week.”

Having narrowly missed the finals last year and having missed the final eight for nine straight seasons, the natives are restless at Ikon Park, with a prevailing sense that Carlton has not met expectations.

This has boiled over into the stands, with hordes of Blues fans heading for the exits ahead of the final siren at home games three weekends running.

After starting 2023 with a draw and three wins, the Blues have slumped to five losses in their past six matches. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Asked if it was disheartening to see supporters leave early, Walsh said: “Absolutely.

“We’ve got such a strong fan base. We’ve got to up the ante because we want them to be proud of the way we play, so we’ve got to get to work.”

But Walsh said it was internal drive that was most motivating the side.

“I think the biggest pressure that we put on is our own expectations,” he said. “I think we’ve done a lot of talking over the last four or five weeks, it’s time we put it into action.

“We’ve just got to get better. Every aspect of our game, it’s as simple as that.”

He agreed that the Swans match was “must-win” for the Blues.

“Yeah absolutely. I feel like every game has to feel like that for us. We’ve got to start playing with an edge for four quarters. We know they’re going to bring the heat and that’s our aim as well.”

Walsh believes the Blues can take it up a notch for their must-win clash with Sydney. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Voss lamented his side’s situation on Sunday.

“We were able to get into the fight a bit but the fight doesn’t win you the game, so that’s where we find ourselves,” Voss said.

“We find ourselves in a situation where, right now, we’re not good enough and we’ve got to find a way through that pretty quickly.”

Originally published as Carlton star Sam Walsh speaks out on Blues’ form slump, fan backlash after fifth loss in six games