INTERIM Blues coach John Barker has challenged Carlton's players to bridge the "sizeable gap" between them and the competition's elite teams after the brutal reality check Hawthorn dished out on Friday night.
Carlton suffered the greatest defeat in its 119-season history at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, capitulating to the reigning premier by 138 points.
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Barker told reporters after the game that the record loss had not shaken his confidence as coach.
Asked whether the defeat had dented his hopes of being appointed Carlton's full-time coach for next year, Barker said: "I've got a few more pressing matters at the moment with what we need to do than to worry too much about that."
Click here to watch John Barker's full post-match press conference
But Barker said his players had to learn just how much work they had to do – on and off the field – if they wanted to rise up the ladder.
"For the Carlton people it's a clear illustration of the work we've got ahead of us, and it's solid work," Barker said.
"For our young players, my message to them is take a close look at that gap and understand how much effort you need to give in terms of not (only) when you play but in terms of your work rate when you get your opportunities, when you train, when you prepare.
"You've got to understand how much work you need to do to close that gap, and it's not going to happen overnight. There's no magic dust that we can pull out of our pockets and sprinkle it and all of a sudden things are rosy."
Barker has been at the helm of Carlton since round nine after taking over from sacked coach Mick Malthouse.
Before Friday night, Barker had coaxed largely competitive performances from the Blues, their 2-5 record in that time including wins over Port Adelaide and Gold Coast.
Barker said the Hawks loss had not highlighted that a greater gap existed between the Blues and the competition's best teams than he had thought previously.
He also said he had not lost confidence in the path he had set the Blues for the rest of the season.
"We've said all along that we've got a lot of work to do, and I see nights like tonight as really big learning curves for the younger guys that got the opportunity to play," Barker said.
"But the work and the road map and what we've got ahead of us doesn't change."
Having watched the Hawks at their merciless best, Barker answered an emphatic "no" when asked if they could be beaten for this year's premiership.
"They've rolled out on to the park in the last two weeks and made very quick work of two of the best four teams in the comp," he said.
"They're going pretty well."
