DEVELOPING ruckman Cameron Cloke couldn't agree more with Denis Pagan's assessment of Saturday night's 78-point loss to Geelong as a learning experience.

After all, the former Magpie is setting his sights on becoming the Blues' most valued ruckman despite commencing his career as a forward option at Collingwood, and was deeply critical of his performance against Mark Blake and Brad Ottens.

In just his second home-and-away appearance as a Blue since being delisted by the Pies at the end of last season, Cloke managed nine hit-outs against the Cats, who dominated all night with a total of 44 to 17.

"The team was pretty down, and we should have picked up on our fundamental stuff," Cloke said, when asked about his performance.

"My game, well, there's always room for improvement. I got jumped over by those ruckmen and I've got to improve that if I want to be No.1 ruckman at Carlton."

Cloke said he wanted to develop his game and become a premier big man at his new home.

"I would like to be No.1 or No.2, it doesn't really matter. Cain (Ackland) and I work well together, so as long as we get the opportunity, we'll be working well together and we'll work hard during the week and do the things we have to do," he said.

"I'm loving it here with the younger boys, like 'Jacko' and 'Murph', and the likes of Gibbs coming here, it's just fantastic.

"The atmosphere around the club is just a buzz, and I'm loving it. Hopefully I can be here for a while."

Recently appointed club president Richard Pratt addressed the players directly after their loss on Saturday, the Blues' first defeat for the year.

"He just pretty much said to keep our heads up," Cloke recalled.

"He said 'you win some, you lose some', and the way we come back next week is the important part.

"That's all we're doing now. We can feel it tonight, but tomorrow we have rehab and we've got to put it behind us and get on with it."

The 22-year-old said morale at Carlton had improved since Pratt took the helm, and he hoped the players will be able to replicate the enthusiasm on the field.

"He's definitely made a huge difference off the field. He's got a huge improvement out of the club," he said.

"He'll probably continue, too. He loves the club that much, and on the field I think it comes down to the boys and us working together.

"That's how you get success. Off the field, it's great, but on the field, we've all got to work together."