MICK Malthouse said he was in "awe" of the talented Greater Western Sydney side after his battling team served up another bitterly disappointing performance, this time a 78-point belting at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Malthouse especially recognised the Giants' shrewd recruiting of mature players such as Phil Davis, Shane Mumford, Heath Shaw and Ryan Griffen to surround their talented youngsters. 

"The difference in talent today was extraordinary. The difference in confidence, in the way they moved the football with speed and accuracy – inaccuracy in front of goal, they could have totally destroyed us," Malthouse said. 

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"They're an awesome side and unfortunately we haven't got the manpower to go with them. It's as simple as that - we got thrashed, totally." 

Malthouse says Carlton must stick together after the Blues sunk to their third-straight defeat and slumped to 1-6 this season, while the Giants registered their biggest win in their short history.

With his side only percentage off the bottom of the ladder, Malthouse called for unity to prevent the "whole lot" going down.

The veteran coach kept his players behind closed doors for an extended discussion post-match, but said there was no ranting or raving, only measured analysis of what went wrong against the Giants. 

Five talking points: Blues v Giants

"We know we're well short of what we require. Well short," Malthouse said post-match.

"You can yell and do all bits and pieces that are totally inadequate and totally rehearsed, but why do it? In a sensible fashion, let's look at ... what did we do and what do we have to do.

"The principle thing is there has got to still be a unity. The moment we fragment at a football team level - in other words the players and the coaches - if there's a fragmentation in that, the whole lot goes down." 

Asked if there was unity, Malthouse replied: "There's certainly a great respect for one another, but is there a unity in regard to the way we're playing? No." 

WATCH: Mick Malthouse's full press conference

Malthouse said part of the Blues' problems was that some players were concerned with keeping their spot, rather than performing team acts, and a few were "robotic" in not taking the game on. 

Carlton has fielded 35 players this season – with eight changes this week after a nine-point loss to the previously winless Brisbane Lions last week – and Malthouse said his only option was to "keep shuffling" the team.

Only a handful of Blues could hold their heads high after Saturday's game, with Chris Judd (25 disposals, two goals), Ed Curnow (31) and Zach Touhy (17, one goal) among them.


The Blues were dominated across the ground by the hard-running Giants. GWS had 40 scoring shots to 12, a flood of inside 50s (78-32) and 25 more contested possessions.

Only 16,676 fans turned up to watch Saturday's match, which was the smallest crowd in three Carlton-GWS matches at Etihad. Malthouse, whose side plays the next two marquee Friday night matches against Geelong and the Sydney Swans, admitted the dwindling crowd figures were an issue for the club.

"Clearly they're watching a side that's near the bottom, if not on the bottom. We've got 40,000 members," he said.

"To me, true supporters are supporters through thick and thin. Of course it's a concern for the football club, but surely my role is to get the side into a position of being competitive."