Forget the bravery, the determination and the spirit Carlton showed to keep pace with Collingwood for three and a half quarters at the MCG.
A shattered Brendon Bolton acknowledged it would count for little after the Blues pushed their bitter rivals to the brink on Saturday afternoon but were unable to make it count in an agonising 16.10 (106) to 13.9 (87) defeat.
By any measure, it was a vastly improved Carlton showing compared to last week's limp defeat to North Melbourne.
But when the dust was settled, the simple arithmetic remained unchanged for Bolton and the Blues.
One win from eight games in 2019. Four wins from their past 40 games. A winning percentage of 21.6 per cent in 74 games under Bolton's leadership.
Once known - and often panned - for his frequent use of the phrase "green shoots" to describe his side's gradual improvement, Bolton could barely summon a positive word about a game in which the Blues led midway through the last term.
"I've got to answer your questions based on what I am pleased about in the game," he said in his post-match press conference.
"But it's like last week - is the timing right to talk about all the positivity right now? Because we've just lost. We're annoyed with it.
"There's heaps going right but there's some moments like that second half of the last quarter ... my moral compass is saying to me 'Don't answer all the positivity just right now'."
With Bolton's job security already the topic of intrigue, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire poured fuel on the fire earlier in the week when he suggested the Blues should consider replacing Bolton with Hawthorn maestro Alastair Clarkson.
McGuire used a radio slot to suggest Blues president Mark LoGiudice should seek out four-time premiership coach Clarkson for breakfast, with a view to luring him to Princes Park.
A dejected Bolton refused to engage when asked about the incident and also batted away questions about a 24-8 free kick count in favour of Collingwood.
"This caper's so hard to play and it's even harder I think to umpire," he said.
"We want people to come along and umpire and be involved in all levels, and love that role. So I'm in total support of umpiring."
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