Despite giving the Sydney Swans a five-goal start on a rain-soaked SCG on Friday night, the Blues again came close to knocking off one of the top teams, closing to within seven points early in the final term before the Swans kicked the final two goals of the game to run out 22-point winners.

Malthouse said the depth of the Swans' onball brigade, pointing to the likes of Craig Bird, Josh Kennedy, Ryan O'Keefe, Daniel Hannebery, Kieren Jack and Tom Mitchell rotating through the middle, proved difficult to overcome.

"They go a lot deeper than us at the moment, so it is very hard to keep the same players up," Malthouse said.

"I guess we had our chance to draw the game back to under a goal, and we missed a shot that should have been executed better.

"I thought our boys did pretty well against those guys."

The result leaves Carlton outside the top eight with a 6-7 win-loss record and mirrors other close losses to Collingwood (17 points), Geelong (16 points) and Hawthorn (15 points) earlier in 2013.

Malthouse said each of those sides, and the reigning premiers, had to be at their absolute best to get the four points against Carlton.

"We've played some good sides (and) they have got over the line, but I think that it would be fair to say that each of those sides had to be at full tilt to beat us," Malthouse said.

"We will draw blood at some stage, against one of these good sides.

"This game will hold us in good stead for next week, and the week after and the week after that."