Carlton co-captain Sam Docherty says the Blues won’t let their 0-2 start to the AFL season define their 2020.

The Blues’ slow start against Melbourne proved costly as they fell short by a point, leaving them winless in the opening two rounds for the eighth consecutive season.

But Docherty played down the influence of a poor start to the 17-game season.

“There’s genuine optimism that you go into every game wanting to win and you can win and we’re not that far behind,” Docherty said.

“The 0-2 start, although it’s unfortunate, teams are going to lose two games over the season.

“So we’ve just got to put our head down, we’ve got to go down there and do the job we want to do and come back with four points.”

Things won’t get easier for the Blues, who head to GMHBA Stadium to face Geelong – who thumped Hawthorn by 61 points on Friday night.

“We’ve just got to focus on what’s coming up … and we have an exciting opportunity to go down and play the Cats down there,” Docherty said.

“… you love playing against good opposition and we get to test the way we play our footy against one of the better sides in the competition.”

Docherty emphasised the need for a faster start against the Cats – after Carlton conceded seven first-quarter goals against Richmond, then five against Melbourne – but remained confident his team could deliver.

“We’ve let ourselves down and we’re not shying away from that,” he said.

“But we’re very confident in what we’ve got at this footy club and the work that we’ve put in, and as a leader … we’re confident in what we’re building here and what we could produce.

“So there’s no point coming in being doom and gloom and staring at my shoes – it’s onward and upward and we move on to the next week.”