Carlton coach Brett Ratten has urged Blues fans to tone down their antics on Twitter, labelling the death threats levelled at Essendon’s Sam Lonergan as a form of bullying.

Carlton fans were left fuming last week when Lonergan’s rough tackle on Andrew Carrazzo left the Blues tagger with a fractured shoulder blade that could sideline him for up to 10 weeks.

Despite the seriousness of the injury, Ratten said it was unacceptable for some fans to seriously abuse Lonergan via Twitter or any other social networking site.

“I think that’s really unfair on the individual,” Ratten said in Perth ahead of Friday night’s clash with Fremantle.

“Players go out there to play their best and there’s collisions and tackles and these types of things.

“I don’t think any person needs to be attacked through social media or anything like that.

“That is a form of bullying.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable, and it should be stamped (out) as quickly as possible.”

Lonergan described some of the tweets as “sick”, with the Bombers calling in police to investigate the threats.

The 25-year-old responded from the drama to tally 19 possessions in Essendon’s Anzac Day loss to Collingwood.