ON TO the next.
Coming up against the undefeated Giants was a looming challenge for the Blues, but it was one they took in their stride, emerging with a 19-point win.
Next week will have a sense of deja vu, as Carlton takes on another undefeated side in Geelong, with the clash taking place at the MCG on Saturday 27 April.
Harry McKay lauded the true team effort it took to get over the line at Marvel Stadium, and is confident that another performance like that would go a long way to giving the Blues the upper hand against the top-of-the-table Cats.
“I thought we played a style of footy that we want to play and our system was pretty strong,” McKay said.
“We love playing against the best and a challenge against an undefeated Geelong is awesome. We can’t wait to get at it.”
On the game against the Giants, McKay was impressed with the evenness of contributions from his teammates, especially with nine individual goalkickers hitting the scoreboard.
With a firing midfield and the deafening noise at Marvel Stadium, McKay said everything came together in a significant win.
“I think in the second half, our ability to win the contest, keep it in our half and then have some composure going inside 50 and finishing our work was really strong,” he said.
“I think we had a really even contribution in front of goal and I think as a group, we’re playing our best when that happens.
“It was a fantastic game to be a part of, the noise - especially in the second half - was amazing. [Our fans] turn up every week, and we’ve broken the record for members, so big shoutout to them.”
Tom De Koning played a key role for the Blues, rotating through the ruck and forward line at various stages of the game.
McKay couldn't overstate the importance of the duo of De Koning and Marc Pittonet, who set up a convincing midfield win (41-28 hitouts, 48-32 clearances) while also giving Carlton the freedom to change things up around the ground.
“I thought ‘Pitto’ did a really good job, and as a duo, they were fantastic and they were really powerful – they gave our mids a really good look and they capitalised off the back of that,” he said.
“When Tom is down [in the forward line], it doesn’t change. We love the way he competes and brings his teammates into the game and the way he finishes his work, he was awesome.”
As for the duo of McKay and Charlie Curnow, their consistency doesn't rely on goals on the board, but rather what they can do to maximise their overall contribution and get their teammates into the game.
With a head-to-head battle with Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron to come, McKay said that the more time he and Curnow can spend developing their craft, the better pair they will be: on the Blues' list for what is now their ninth season, they have played in the same side on 72 occasions.
"I always love watching [Hawkins and Cameron], they’ve done it for such a long time with their craft and how consistent they’ve been," McKay admitted.
"Charlie and I - our focus every week is to get our role done and be the best team we can.
"Consistency in terms of being a good teammate, playing our role every week and helping our teammates, that’s all we can base it off."
