Carlton are staring at an eighth-straight season without AFL finals as Blues supporters begin to turn on under-fire coach David Teague.
After bringing in big-money recruits Adam Saad and Zac Williams during the off-season, the expectation was Carlton would be ready to surge up the ladder.
But at 4-8, having gone 0-7 against top-eight teams this season, Teague concedes it will now be an "uphill battle" to qualify for finals.
The Blues sit three games and significant percentage behind eighth-placed Richmond and it would take a historic resurgence for them to play in the post-season for the first time since 2013.
Teams have rarely finished inside the top-eight from such dire positions, with the 1995 Brisbane Bears (4-11 to 10-12) and 2014 Richmond (3-10 to 12-10) exceptions.
None of Carlton's defeats this season have been horrible with their heaviest loss to Port Adelaide by 28 points, but the frustration is they keep faltering in similar fashion.
The Blues entered Sunday's clash with West Coast, which was moved from Marvel Stadium to the SCG due to Victoria's COVID-19 outbreak, as favourites.
The Eagles were decimated by injuries to stars like Josh Kennedy, Oscar Allen, Tim Kelly, Jeremy McGovern and Luke Shuey and their record away from Perth this year has been poor.
But after conceding the first three goals of the match, Carlton never managed to grab momentum and were left to rue another missed opportunity.
Coleman Medal leader Harry McKay being subbed out with concussion in the opening quarter was a blow, but that was far from Carlton's biggest problem.
The backlash to the loss on Carlton's social media pages was brutal, with one supporter posting a photo of his membership torn up.
After taking over as interim Blues coach in mid-2019 following the sacking of Brendon Bolton, Teague's win-loss record is 17-23.
He was appointed as full-time coach in August 2019, riding a wave of optimism from Blues fans on the back of several exciting wins.
But that early enthusiasm has well and truly dissipated, with Carlton faithfuls wondering when they will again be in contention to add to their 16 VFL/AFL premierships.
Since Carton smashed the Western Bulldogs by 52 points in round six last year to enter the top-eight for the first time since 2013, the Blues have won just eight of 23 games.
