Carlton head to their bye with three wins and seven losses after they overcame a 45-point deficit midway through the second quarter against North Melbourne, hitting the lead early in the final term, only to get overrun late as the Roos clawed their way to a 17-point win.

While he acknowledged that his side's comeback in the middle of the game showed character, the second-year coach made a point in insisting that defeat was unacceptable. "We're not going to get drawn into a gallant fightback conversation," Bolton said.

"Our start was not at the level we'd like. We got beaten on the inside and the outside. It's a little inconsistency that we've got to learn to iron out as a footy club. Our players and coaching staff are going to use the break to review that but also refresh and keep working towards more consistency."

Led by the heroics of Bryce Gibbs, who finished with 38 disposals and three goals, the Blues hit the lead when Sam Docherty goaled three minutes into the last quarter. Bolton said his team might have expended too much energy in fighting back.

"We fought really hard in the middle two terms and maybe ran out a few legs having some youngsters out there but we'll never hold that as an excuse.

"The reality is we are a young team and we have been on a reset, and we're a year and a bit into that. But it's really important that our players understand that standards are incredibly high, and we will not shy away from that, both the players and us as coaches. Our players in particular hear that message loud and clear and I'm sure our supporters who I'm talking to now want to hear that loud and clear. We're trying to fast-track this as quick as we can.

"Yes there's a reality that we're young, but we'll never hold that as an excuse."

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said his side has clearly learnt from its three defeats by less than a goal in the first five rounds this year as he lauded the Roos' "character" after they steadied in the final quarter.

"I thought it was a great sign if character, because when momentum's coming against you and the Carlton army were right behind them in the third quarter and at three-quarter time, and for the second week in a row our guys stood up to that momentum and pushed it back the other way," Scott said.

However, Scott dismissed a suggestion that North's resilience late in Sunday's game meant they had exorcised their mental demons. "Teams are going to lose from winning positions. That's going to happen all the time. What's really important is that you can play 50 or 70 games of footy and not experience those three tight losses that we had earlier this year.

"While they were bitterly disappointing they were great experiences to learn from and to grow from, and we've clearly done that. That doesn't mean that we're not vulnerable to teams coming over the top of us, because every team's vulnerable."

Scott said midfielder Trent Dumont was OK despite being tested for concussion during the game. Dumont had returned to the side on Sunday, squeezing out former captain Andrew Swallow. However, despite Swallow being dropped for the second time this year, Scott said the veteran remains in the senior frame.

"You guys can speculate about this all you want. [Swallow] came in for Trent Dumont. Trent Dumont was injured, and Trent Dumont came back and he went out for him.

"You can count the number of times he gets dropped if you want but he's the next best midfielder in, clearly."

The Roos (4-6) now turn their attention to a game against Richmond at Etihad on Saturday night.