CTV > Mick Malthouse's post-match press conference

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse has denied his players are physically tired after a fortnight of marquee matches against highly-motivated sides, despite conceding the Magpies were beaten heavily by Carlton in contested situations on Sunday.

Malthouse said his side wasn't fatigued after facing a fired-up Melbourne side last Monday and most recently a Carlton outfit looking to enter the top eight with a victory, but admitted the Magpies were outclassed in the tough stuff during the 30-point loss to the Blues at the MCG. 

"I think you make an excuse for the side, if that's the case, and it takes too much away from how good Carlton was," he said, when asked if his players are lethargic.

"I'm not embarrassed to say they were better than us. We were flogged around the stoppages and they went forward and kicked goals.

"We were murdered in the contested ball, in the hard-ball gets. I thought they were very good, which you'd expect given the personnel they've got there.

"We couldn't match them, and that's disappointing."

The Magpies face the third-placed Western Bulldogs next Sunday afternoon, and Malthouse is unsure of how affected his players' confidence will be heading into that encounter after their fade-out against the Blues.

"I can't judge that now; we'll judge that next week," he said.

Malthouse said his two backmen Nathan Brown and Harry O'Brien, who had a combined total of eight goals kicked on them by Carlton's Brendan Fevola, will improve as a result of their contest with the Blues' spearhead.

"It's a learning process. They'll get over it, and they'll benefit from playing," he said.

"They'll be very disappointed but they're high-quality people. You stick with high-quality people and you know they're going to come out the other side.

"Both of those boys will be very, very good footballers for us and they will learn from every experience they encounter.

"You've got to teach players the right way of playing football."

Malthouse indicated he wasn't happy with some late umpiring decisions that resulted in Carlton goals in the see-sawing second half.

"I think a few players were very despondent over a few bits and pieces that happened within the space of a few minutes and maybe that takes the wind out of your sails and the momentum shifts," he said.

"Then it all breaks open.

"I'm not allowed to refer to decisions, but there were parts of it that took the wind out of the boys' sails.

"I can't discuss instances. I don't know what the free kick count was.

"Of course [I'd like to respond]. I'm a coach. I'd love to; you ask the questions, I'd love to answer them."