The veteran coach was at a loss to explain Carlton’s performances against bottom eight sides.
Mick Malthouse has lamented his side’s lack of intensity after the Blues were upset by Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.
The 8-point loss effectively ends Carlton’s 2014 finals hopes, and Malthouse was disappointed in the team’s performance after two competitive efforts against Hawthorn and Geelong in the past two weeks.
“On the surface, we’ve played football at the intensity that’s required against the top sides,” Malthouse said.
“Against sides that are not in the eight, for unknown reasons to me, we do not hold that intensity.
“That is so disappointing. To try to put the finger on what the reason for that is, it’s probably a combination of things that makes it happen.
“That’s what we have to go through to find out exactly why we can’t sustain intensity for a long period.”
Malthouse was at a loss to explain Carlton’s performance, but said not enough players were taking charge.
“I’m starting to think just mentally we don’t get up for three weeks in a row,” he said.
“We may not have won the last two games, but we countered two top-quality sides in desperation and probably got finished off by better players.
“I’m not saying for one moment Greater Western Sydney aren’t a better combination, but they’ve still got a lot of youth.
“Unfortunately when we needed things to take place on the ground, they weren’t taking place, and that gets down to people taking charge.
“The players need to take charge and be responsible for set-ups, the ability to will yourself to win a game.
“The players that willed the victory, unfortunately for us, were all Greater Western Sydney players.
“We had no one there that stood up and took control.”
Carlton currently sit 12th on the AFL ladder and face arch-rivals Collingwood on Sunday.
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