David King pinpoints moment from Carlton’s loss to Melbourne that sums up Blues’ low standards

AFL great David King crticised Carlton players for ‘thinking about themselves’, but believes Michael Voss could end up regretting labelling his team as ‘not good enough’ in the wake of a fifth consecutive loss.

The Blues’ seemingly irreversible slide continued on Friday night with a 17-point loss to Melbourne at the MCG, which left them 14th on the ladder.

Aside from thrashing the hapless Eagles in Round 7, Carlton have now lost seven of their last eight matches and the 44 points they scored against the Demons on Friday was their lowest tally of the season. 

Speaking after the game, Voss delivered a brutal assessment of his team’s dismal form.

‘Here’s the brutal facts: we’re not good enough at the moment,’ he said in his press conference. 

But David King believes the comments could backfire on the Carlton boss 

‘We just have to accept parts that we’re not. We’ve played against some really good opposition and that’s the feedback we’ve got.’

But King suggested Voss’ honest verdict could do more damage than good to the Blues’ already precarious position.

‘Of all the statements from the weekend, both on and off field, that was probably the one that hit hardest,’ he said on SEN’s Whateley on Tuesday. 

‘To say: “We’re just not good enough”, it’s been a long journey to get to a point where you’re not good enough.

‘You’re talking about the list. OK, there’s a few on the sidelines but there’s a few on the sidelines everywhere.

‘”We’re just not good enough” is a drop-the-hammer moment. [… ]I don’t know if that’s accurate and I reckon Vossy would regret that comment today because I think they’ve got sufficient talent to be better than what they’ve been.’

The players did not escape the North Melbourne great’s criticism either, with King suggesting they have fallen well short of their standards this season.

The two-time premiership winner singled out an incident from the loss to Melbourne that summed up Carlton’s attitude. With nine minutes played, Lochie O’Brien allowed Alex Neal-Bullen enough space for the Demons midfielder to snap a goal from the top of the square.

For King, the Blues’ reaction to the mistake was a troubling sight. 

‘Now they’ve got to set some standards and be more critical of those who are not meeting what the team needs,’ he said.

‘No one said anything. Jacob Weitering is in the leadership group […] They’re all thinking about themselves now, this is what losing does to you, it separates groups. They’re in real trouble.’ 

Carlton narrowly missed out on a first finals appearance in nine years last season after losing to Collingwood by a point in Round 23.

The Blues’ loss to Melbourne on Friday was their seventh in the last eight games

Carlton have slid to 14th on the ladder after opening the season with four straight wins 

And the Blues looked determined to atone for the disappointment after jumping out of the blocks to win their first four games of the campaign as they looked on track to go deep into September.

The wheels have come off since, but King believes the Blues can still find form in time to drag themselves back into the top eight provided Voss’ remarks don’t derail them any further.

‘I don’t know where they’re at, they’ll have a better handle on their list than us,’ he said.

‘But to say they’re not good enough is alarm bells […] it couldn’t possibly be time to start again, could it?’