Carlton senior coach Michael Voss is looking at the positives coming out of Carlton's third consecutive loss, going down to Gold Coast by 19 points on Saturday night.
The Blues trailed by as much as 48 points in the third quarter, but a 35-9 final term saw them reduce the margin to as few as 13 points before Ben King kicked the dagger, his sixth goal for the match.
Voss was pleased with how his group followed his adjustments at half-time, which helped improve the supply inside forward 50, allowing Carlton to generate five more inside 50s than Gold Coast in the second half (28-23).
"I think we were building energy throughout the third quarter, outside of the first five or six minutes where we had three goals kicked against us," Voss said post-game.
"Gradually, over the course of that quarter, we started to find the way we want to be able to play. We owned the ball more, got a bit more territory, got a bit better field position but it was such a supply question at the start.
"We were up against it for supply, [the Suns] were dominating clearances, getting midfield turnovers. We were playing everything from our back half and not doing it as well as what we normally would.
"That's credit to Gold Coast and the way that they play but to come out after half-time and make those subtle adjustments, for the players to embrace the way we want to play that second half, eventually momentum started to fall our way and that's what ends up carrying you."
Voss highlighted how the momentum from the final quarter, in spite of the loss, will be important for seeing out the rest of the season strongly and building some positivity for 2026.
"Our never give up attitude, I think that's been a real trademark of ours over the last couple of weeks," Voss said.
"We're seeing the season out strong, that's what we said we'd do.
"I'm really pleased the players have bought into it. There's good energy in the locker room, we'll see out the season as strong as we can.
"Every time we get to see the way you want to play and guys getting confidence off that, the energy in behind it [is great]."
