The Hawks assembled their upset 16.14 (110) to 8.12 (60) victory in the first half and then withstood a third-quarter charge from the Blues that saw a 47-point margin cut to just 26.
Meanwhile, the Blues squandered an opportunity to secure their sixth win for the season and draw level with the fourth-placed Western Bulldogs on points.
Luke Hodge was terrific with 29 touches and seven clearances while Lance Franklin booted 5.4 and Michael Osborne was effective in his first game since round six.
The Blues were off the boil in the first quarter with Eddie Betts failing to touch the ball and Setanta O'hAilpin ineffective with one handball, one mark.
But they really unravelled in the second term with a terrible run of luck thwarting their ability to rotate players off the bench.
Firstly, Chris Johnson - who made several costly mistakes in the first term - came off with a wrist injury that ruled him out of the game. Defender Simon White followed after hurting his knee in a collision with Franklin.
Then Chris Judd, who helped himself to 11 first-term possessions, came off worse for wear from a heavy bump and could manage only three touches for the quarter.
The turnovers that plagued the Blues early spread beyond quarter time, and really started to hurt in the second, with Jordan Russell a repeat offender.
The Hawks kicked 4.5 to the Blues' 1.3 with Osborne integral in getting the ball forward and Hodge inspirational with 16 touches for the half.
The run of Hawk goals - and the injury to White - forced positional changes for the Blues with Lachie Henderson moving down back and Bryce Gibbs pushing up the ground.
Brett Ratten made further changes in the third with Matthew Kreuzer planted in attack alongside Bret Thornton and Henderson, and O'hAilpin shifted into defence.
However, it was in the midfield where the game changed. The Blues lifted dramatically at the clearances with Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy and Judd helping them to a 13-6 advantage for the term.
Four unanswered Carlton goals cut the margin from 47 points to 23 before a spate of wasted opportunities halted the Blues' run.
A terrible play-on decision by O'hAilpin that saw him tackled after marking in the attacking goal-square had the Hawks hang on to a 26-point margin at three-quarter time.
The Blues' injuries were always going to catch up with them and left them unable to respond when the Hawks opened the fourth quarter with three quick goals.
Carlton 2.2 3.5 7.10 8.12 (60)
Hawthorn 5.3 9.8 11.12 16.14 (110)
GOALS
Carlton: Henderson 3, Robinson 2, Joseph, Murphy, Jacobs
Hawthorn: Franklin 5, Roughead 3, Hooper 2, Osborne 2, Peterson, Young, Hodge, Lewis
BEST
Carlton: Jamison, Murphy, Judd, Scotland, Simpson, Henderson, Gibbs
Hawthorn: Hodge, Franklin, Osborne, Lewis, Hooper, Young, Roughead
INJURIES
Carlton: Houlihan out (hamstring), replaced in selected side by Anderson, Johnson (wrist), White (knee), Yarran (hip)
Hawthorn: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Wenn, McInerney, Mollison
Official crowd: 47,484 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
