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CARLTON utility Bryce Gibbs has lamented the third-quarter lapse that cost his side dearly against Geelong on Saturday.

The Blues came out of the half-time break just 13 points down at Telstra Dome, but could do little to stop the explosive run of the reigning premiers that decided the match.

“They’re probably the best side in the competition and we matched it with them for the first half, but you’ve just got to go for four quarters when you’re up against a team like that,” Gibbs said after the 56-point defeat.

“We were just having a crack early in the game, taking them on and hitting up the corridor. I thought we slowed the game down when we needed to and that kept us in the match when they got a run on.”

Gibbs finished the match with 21 possessions and two goals to be among his side’s better players.

Carlton did well to deny the rampant Cats the ball late in the half, but couldn’t replicate that effort in the third term.

“Our pressure and attack on the ball wasn’t as good as what theirs was and it showed,” he said.

“They were first in at the ball and their experienced guys chopped us up.

“We needed to try and slow it down again, but to slow it down you have got to have the ball and we just couldn’t get our hands on it.”

Coach Brett Ratten promised a lengthy video review of the game and Gibbs agreed there would be plenty for him and his teammates to learn from the contest.

“I think we’ll take more away from the second half with the things that we did wrong,” he said.

“We’ll pick away at it during the week and highlight the negatives so that, hopefully, we can turn them into positives next week.”