Carlton skipper Marc Murphy says the Blues' players are standing firm behind embattled coach Mick Malthouse in the aftermath of Sunday's disastrous loss to Brisbane.
Carlton's superior percentage is the only thing keeping them off the bottom of the AFL ladder after they were defeated by the previously-winless Lions, who remain last.
While not willing to concede the Blues had hit rock bottom, Murphy agreed his side had been terribly disappointing in the nine-point loss, but he backed Malthouse to lead the club out of the doldrums.
"We're right behind Mick," Murphy said on Monday.
"The fact of the matter is we're not playing consistently good enough footy and it's not Mick out there kicking or handballing the ball.
"Mick is extremely positive with the group about going forward. We're only six games in. I know we haven't started anywhere near as well as we would've liked but we're focused on working with Mick and I want to see Mick coach this footy club for many more years yet."
Murphy was scheduled to face the media on his own on Monday morning, but he was joined by vice-captain Bryce Gibbs halfway through the press conference in what he said was "100 per cent" a show of solidarity.
"There's been a lot of focus on Mick and his coaching, there's been a lot of focus on Marc and his leadership, but it's not about those two - it's about the whole club and the players sticking together," Gibbs said.
"It's the only way we're going to come out of this.
"Yes, we haven't started the way we would've liked ... but we can get out of this.
"We're going to show a united front and we're going to do our best to make sure we can be successful very soon."
Both players dismissed the notion that president Mark LoGuidice's public assertion that the club needed to rebuild its list was a factor in the poor start to the season.
"The rebuild, from a player's point of view, it doesn't really register," Murphy said.
"We've got a lot of good young players here who I believe can be 10-plus year players at the footy club.
"I'm not worried about what's going to happen in a year or two. I'm worried about what's happening week-to-week and day-to-day here."
While determined to maintain an inward focus and work through the club's issues, Murphy made it clear that he empathised with Blues' supporters.
"It's not just a game when you do it professionally and as captain, I'm a really proud person and I don't want to be in the position we're in at the moment," he said.
"I'm about winning games of football, playing to the best of my ability and leading to the best of my ability for this footy club because I love it.
"We're as disappointed as anyone out there, like our fans are no doubt, and we've just got to work hard to try and turn it around."
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