Carlton coach Brendon Bolton insists eight straight losses and a likely wooden-spoon finish has done nothing to curb his young team's enthusiasm.
The 17th-placed Blues must win both their remaining games if they are to match last year's 7-15 record and finish above bottom-placed Brisbane, who trail only on percentage and claimed a big win over Gold Coast last week.
To do that, they'll need to first defy recent history and find a way to beat Hawthorn, then defy the odds and beat resurgent Sydney on their home deck.
The last time Carlton beat the Hawks was round six, 2005.
If coach Alastair Clarkson can outfox former protege Bolton at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, Hawthorn will make it 15 straight wins over the Blues.
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Carlton's commitment to a major rebuild over the past two seasons has taken precedence over their win-loss tally, and Bolton says his inexperienced list will take heart from small victories within their last few games.
"They're not giving up," he said on Friday.
"They're young of course, and we haven't quite got the wins, but spirits are high.
"If our guys can see how they're progressing .... and see those little wins right now, (it keeps) spirits high.
"The competition requires you to endure and we expect our youngsters, although they are young, to go out and endure."
The proof was in the pudding for Bolton when Carlton piled on six unanswered goals to snatch a third-quarter lead over West Coast in Perth last week, even though the Eagles ended up bouncing back to secure a 17-point victory.
The often dour Blues' unusually attacking style was another big positive considering they have yet to kick 100 points in a game this season.
"We're really clear that's a growth area for us," Bolton said.
"The longer that you play at the level, the more confident players will be to take more aggressive kicks and take the game on a little bit more.
"There's some good signs and hopefully in this game in periods, we'll see that happen again."
Bolton said key defender Caleb Marchbank was "50-50" to return from his shoulder injury against Sydney next week.
