Carlton stars Marc Murphy and Chris Judd lead the winless Blues off Etihad Stadium. Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source: Herald Sun
SO close, yet so far, and so bloody frustrating.
Mick Malthouse would have been forgiven for thinking all of those things - and a hell of a lot more - as the Blues once more fell just short of a maiden win under their new coach for a third successive week.
It's the first time Carlton has had 100 or more points scored against it in three consecutive games since 2009, something the coach will be looking to arrest - and fast.
The cold, hard reality is that the Blues - as competitive as they have been - sit 0-3 on the ledger to start a season for the ninth time in the club's history - and only the third time in almost 60 years.
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The flip side is that Geelong is 3-0 and simply never says never when the contest is there for the taking.
Just as Carlton has collectively lost its three games under Malthouse by 38 points, the Cats have fought like they always do to win their three matches by a total of 27 points.
That ability to take your chance when it presents can make or break seasons.
The Blues' winless state at the end of Round 3 doesn't mean they won't make the finals in their first year under Malthouse, but it is going to make it extra tough, particularly with a road trip to play West Coast on Saturday.
Malthouse will be lamenting a number of mid-game lapses, too many coughed up red-time goals and a third week of conceding 100-plus points. And he knows the Blues must iron out those issues to remain in the finals race.
Twice during the contest - midway through the first term and early in the second - the Blues skipped out to 17-point leads before being overhauled each time when the Cats put their foot on the pedal.
Welcome back Stevie J
Then, in the last quarter, when the Cats appeared to be tiring, the Blues banged on the first four goals of the term with some electric football and threatened to pinch the contest. But the steadier Geelong heads prevailed when it mattered.
In fairness, the Blues had to play without an extra tall - their No.1 ruckman Matthew Kreuzer - who was subbed out of the game at quarter-time after suffering a thumb injury.
At almost the same time the Cats also lost key playmaker Travis Varcoe to yet another shoulder injury.
Kreuzer's absence allowed the Cats to exploit some height deficiencies which meant Harry Taylor was able to switch between defence and attack, creating a few headaches for the Blues.
Geelong had a bevy of good performers with Mathew Stokes critical from start to finish. He was capable of pushing the Cats when they needed some pushing and received great support from the likes of Allen Christensen, Taylor, Steve Johnson (who got better as the game went on in his first game back), Jimmy Bartel and Steven Motlop.
Taylor Hunt did a fine job on Marc Murphy, and the new Blues skipper will come under some more scrutiny this week over the three key goals that Hunt was able to score when running off his opponent. For Carlton, Chris Judd was outstanding, constantly pushing the ball deep into attack for the Blues, and his team would not have got as close without his input.
VIDEO: Kreuzer, Varcoe subbed out
Andrew Walker gave exceptional drive from the back flank, starting many links in the chain that resulted in Blues' goals.
Andrew Carrazzo kept a close watch on Joel Selwood, restricting him only 14 disposals - the same number he had.
Both teams looked out on their feet towards the end of this contest, and face tough interstate challenges this week.
Geelong will meet an unbeaten Sydney in what looms as a gripping contest at the SCG on Friday, while Carlton will have to arrest those little mistakes to be a chance of upsetting West Coast in Perth.
Malthouse knows his team can ill afford many more slip-ups if they want to push towards gaining a berth in September.
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