Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy believes it’s worrying that Carlton coach David Teague had to give his team a half-time spray against Hawthorn on Saturday.
The coach was disappointed that the Blues had let the Hawks back in the game to lead by just three points at the main break, with Teague saying post-match his spray was "as hard as I've ever gone at them".
Ultimately, the spray worked with Carlton improving in the second half and running out 23 point winners.
While they earned the four points, Murphy told AFL Nation that the Blues shouldn’t have been complacent in the first place.
“It should have been a belting, it should have been a great opportunity for them to build a huge bit of confidence and belief,” Murphy said.
“Never mind the percentage or those types of things, just for their own sense of belief, they get the points, but it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity
“All the questions that were there beforehand, I think they probably still remain.
“They don’t have the luxury to turn it off and on, they just don’t, they have been an ordinary team for a long, long while now.
“We read in the paper today that David Teague gave them the biggest spray he ever had to give them at half-time.
“I think the conversation naturally spins to David Teague and that, 'Oh, it’s about time that he did that', but if they were complacent, what on god's earth would those players be complacent about?
“They’ve been ordinary for a long, long time, and they’re coming off a loss.
“I don’t care if they’re playing Hawthorn, they have no right to be complacent about anything that football club.
“That’s a real worry, if a coach has to give you a spray on a day like that.”
The 4-6 Blues face Sydney at the SCG next Sunday.