On the eve of his 31st season as an AFL coach, Mick Malthouse has given some ground on the vexing issue that has increasingly proved to be his most famous Achilles heel: football's fifth quarter.

Speaking after a Carlton presentation that preached unity, respect and open communication, Malthouse said he would work to improve his after-match performances for the sake of his football club. His change of heart, he said, did not sit easily with him, but has come as much at the behest of the Blues' new regime as any enduring concerns about his legacy.

"I don't go out of my way not to get it right," Malthouse said, "but I understand it's not always been ideal. I'm not making any promises because I assure you I'm not rehearsed. Maybe some of the other blokes have been trained to handle it better."

A frank presentation on Tuesday, led by Carlton's new chief executive Steven Trigg and president Mark LoGiudice, played down 2015 on-field expectations and heavily hinted at a cultural shift away from the Blues' so-called "quick fix" mentality.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/to-avoid-a-blue-mick-malthouse-vows-to-pull-up-his-postmatch-socks-20141125-11tq7a.html

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/to-avoid-a-blue-mick-malthouse-vows-to-pull-up-his-postmatch-socks-20141125-11tq7a.html

Just wait

If we are 0 and 4 the media circus will start up again - in full swing.

I guarantee the journo's will already be drafting some witty one liners in preparation

What's the problem? If we're 0-4, the coach should be accountable.
As a paying member, I would expect some hard questions asked of the club.
This is a multi million dollar organisation which financially functions off the good grace of the members. No one should be shielded from accountability.
Instead of focussing on being adversarial, the club should view it as an opportunity to explain the clubs direction and selling the positives (young players etc).
The "we're Carlton, @#$%&! the rest philosophy" has contributed to the shit position we find the club in. Thankfully the CEO and chairman seem to be finally dragging us into the 21st century.

Agreed. The 5th quarter should be all about communication with the supporters and honesty over " polish and stats" SHOULD be the order of the day. BUT the reality is this , one, all coaches are going to be unwilling to give too much of their strategy away, two, will anybody listen to the truth if its not what they want to hear? Coaches and Politicians are on the same band wagon

Agreed. The 5th quarter should be all about communication with the supporters and honesty over " polish and stats" SHOULD be the order of the day. BUT the reality is this , one, all coaches are going to be unwilling to give too much of their strategy away, two, will anybody listen to the truth if its not what they want to hear? Coaches and Politicians are on the same band wagon

They're just excuses IMO Padre. Do you really believe the other 17 clubs are going to learn anything from what a coach says in his post match presser? They are well and truly versed on how we play the game.