SAM ROWE'S growing dependability in Carlton's backline was again on display in the Blues' fighting loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday night.

 

Rowe held Pie key forward Jesse White scoreless and to just three marks on a cold and sometimes rainy night that was admittedly tailor-made for defenders.

 

After playing 10 games in his debut season last year primarily as a forward/ruckman, the South Australian has moved to defence in 2014 and not missed a match, forming a highly effective partnership with fellow key defender Michael Jamison.

 

Rowe, 26, told AFL.com.au after Sunday night's loss that the Blues' backline was a tightknit group.

 

"It's definitely a team within a team down in the backline," Rowe said.

 

"As a group I thought we did reasonably well tonight; I can't think of anyone from Collingwood who really got off the leash.

 

"(Jamie) Elliott has been in good form, but 'Yaz' (Chris Yarran) was really good on him before he was subbed out and 'Clokey' (Travis Cloke) was well held as well by 'Jamo' (Michael Jamison)."

 

Rowe wasn't just doling out idle praise to his backline comrades.

 

After Cloke's impressive return to form in recent weeks, Jamison held him to 1.2, while Yarran held Elliott to one behind before the mercurial Magpie was substituted from the game midway through the third quarter with a hamstring injury.

 

But Rowe took no great satisfaction from the backline's good performance on a night when the Blues suffered their fifth consecutive loss.

 

Rowe said he thought the Blues' slow start against the Magpies – by the three-minute mark of the second quarter, they trailed by 31 points – had cost them a game he felt they should have won.

 

Collingwood kicked seven consecutive goals in establishing that early lead, with Rowe saying the Blues let them get players forward of the ball too easily during that run.

 

"After quarter-time, I think we got in control and probably started using the ball a little bit better and started to control their guys running forward, which is where they get a lot of their scoring from," he said.

 

The Blues had closed to within 10 points by the six-minute mark of the third quarter, but squandered several opportunities later in that term to cut the Pies' lead further.

 

And when Luke Ball and Steele Sidebottom kicked the final two goals of the quarter, Collingwood took a 23-point lead into the final break.

 

Rowe was still confident at three-quarter time that the Blues could win.

 

They gave it a good shake too, closing to within nine points at the 21-minute mark of the final term when Troy Menzel goaled.

 

Carlton did most of the attacking for the next five minutes before Sidebottom put the final dagger in its heart, taking advantage of an Ed Curnow turnover to kick the game's final goal.

 

Rowe was left ruing the Blues' missed opportunity, which saw them slip from 12th on the ladder to 14th with just four wins for the season.

 

But the key defender is determined to help Carlton salvage as much as it can from the remainder of the 2014 season.

 

"We can't lose sight of where we're at the moment," Rowe says.

 

"We've got to keep moving forward and keep gaining little things out of every game."