CARLTON coach Michael Voss has backed misfiring key forward Harry McKay but concedes the Blues must fix their inaccuracy as they seek to save their fading finals hopes.
The Blues managed just 6.15 from 59 forward entries – seven more than the Swans – and their struggles in front of goal were apparent all night in the dispiriting 26-point loss to Sydney.
That scoreline took Carlton's overall tally to 21 goals and 41 behinds from the past four weeks. The Blues now sit 12th on the ladder after losing six of their past seven games, following an undefeated first month of the season.
SWANS v BLUES Full match coverage and stats
"There's some simple things in the game that we need to make sure that we get better at, and that's finishing. In this particular instance, it's ultimately cost us the win that we came here for... that leaves you pretty disappointed," Voss said after the match.
"We can't ignore it, we need to get after it, it's an area of our game that we've got to get better."
McKay kicked 0.3 and fellow Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow fared only slightly better with 1.3.
Voss was particularly supportive of McKay, who has battled uncertainty over his goalkicking technique for some time.
"Nobody goes to work more on his game than 'H', he's an absolute professional in the way he goes about things," Voss said.
"Right now, he's in a rough spot with his finish and we'll throw our arms around him, support him, absolutely we will, and he'll consistently try and work through that.
"He'll work through this period of time in his footy and ultimately down the track he'll learn a lot about himself and what the ultimate technique is that he wants to go with.
"But he's obviously in a tough spot at the moment, so we'll support him as best we can and we'll look at all things to be able to help that but also it speaks to the larger efficiency that we need to build into our game.”
The Blues' woes in front of goal were compounded by a mounting injury toll throughout the game, capped by skipper Patrick Cripps hobbling off with a sore left ankle late in the final quarter.
Cripps had "jammed up his ankle", according to Voss, and will be assessed on Monday, while George Hewett (concussion) won't be available for the Blues' clash with Melbourne next Friday.
Nic Newman (hamstring) and Ollie Hollands (shoulder) are also in significant doubt to face the Demons after failing to finish the game.
Meanwhile, Sydney coach John Longmire refuses to "stargaze" but was pleased with the Swans' second win in as many weeks.
"It's just too hard of a game," Longmire said of looking ahead to the Swans' prospects.
"We don't know who we're going to get back. (Dane) Rampe, maybe, that's probably about it. Otherwise, it's the boys who did the job tonight and so that's what we'll be banking on."
After struggling to contain opposition midfields in recent weeks, Longmire's decision to throw Isaac Heeney to the contest to combat some of the big Carlton bodies proved to be an effective one.
"We've needed him forward … but (Carlton's) size, their ability to win the contest, was taken into account and without (Callum Mills) we wanted to make sure we had some size, and I thought Isaac's game was good. He competed hard, he's fierce," Longmire said.
Heeney finished the game with 14 contested possessions – the most on the ground – seven clearances and 10 tackles, to go with his 19 disposals, in what was a crucial structural choice for the Swans.
