Co-captain Callan Ward felt little joy after GWS achieved their second-biggest AFL winning margin.
Injuries to Brett Deledio, Dawson Simpson, Toby Greene and Sam Taylor took most of the gloss of Sunday's 105-point massacre at Etihad Stadium.
Despite being down to 16 players on the field at times in the last quarter, the Giants still piled on seven goals to one in the term and won 23.13 (151) to 7.4 (46).
It's the second time this season that have won by more than 100 points and their highest score against Carlton.
Ward also had an engrossing battle with Blues young gun Patrick Cripps.
But after a few weeks where the Giants' injury crisis appeared to be easing, it returned on Sunday with a vengeance as the finals loom.
"I'm a bit deflated, actually," Ward said.
"When you come in after a 100-point win and you see those four boys in tracksuits - it's never a good sign."
While Greene and Taylor have hamstring tightness and might be OK for next Saturday night's home game against Adelaide, Deledio and Simpson are concerns.
Deledio could be out for several weeks with a calf injury and Simpson limped off with a rolled ankle.
GWS coach Leon Cameron said they checked with the AFL before playing short on the field.
He said the sole concern was players on the field who were struggling.
"That was irrelevant, the six-day break, it was more the safety of the players out there," he said.
The Giants had no interchange rotations for most of the second half and so brought off players briefly in the last quarter.
Despiite the handicap, they still mauled Carlton with seven goals to one in the last quarter.
"We just played a serious contender - it's a fantastic template for our mids to understand the running power required," Blues coach Brendon Bolton said.
"That's the hardest-running midfield I've witnessed this year.
"They're a serious contender, huge running power."
Josh Kelly was best afield with 41 possessions, 22 contested possessions, 10 clearances and 16 inside 50s.
In his first game back from suspension, Giants forward Jeremy Cameron kicked four goals.
Ward (34 disposals) and Cripps (29 disposals) butted heads throughout the match, while Harry McKay kicked three goals for the Blues.
Given the Giants' injury problems, the second half in particular was a major embarrassment for the Blues as they head to their second wooden spoon in four seasons.
