CARLTON secured its first win of the season and obliterated its second-half demons in the process, powering away from West Coast late in the game to win by 71 points at Adelaide Oval. 

The confidence-boosting win came at a cost, however, as key forward Harry McKay suffered concussion in a brutal head clash with Tom Gross just one quarter into his return from time off to focus on his mental health. 

BLUES v EAGLES Full match coverage and stats

The Blues also look set to lose forward target Brodie Kemp for a period after his left leg buckled in the fourth quarter in what appeared to be an Achilles tendon injury. 

Repeatedly outplayed in second halves through a 0-4 start to the season, Carlton turned its 29-point lead at the main break into a powerful 17.19 (121) to 6.14 (50) win that Michael Voss will hope can kickstart his team's season. 

It was ugly at times as both teams wasted opportunities and broke down defensively, with the Blues' wayward kicking at goal keeping the Eagles in the game longer than they should have been.  

Ultimately, however, it was the winners' contested ball strength (136-77) and weight of inside 50s (73-35) that proved impossible for the Eagles to overcome as they endure their worst start to a season, going 0-5 for the first time in club history. 

Midfielder Sam Walsh was outstanding for the Blues, relishing the gruelling conditions to finish with 37 disposals and 13 score involvements, slicing forward repeatedly to kick an equal career-best three goals.  

Sidekick George Hewett had a game-high 39 disposals, eight clearances and seven inside 50s in a fantastic performance, while captain Patrick Cripps spent a lot of time forward as the game went on, kicking 3.3.  

Small forward Corey Durdin booted a career-best four goals in his return to South Australia for Gather Round, with spearhead Charlie Curnow finding some better form with 2.4 and nine marks as the Blues kicked their highest score of the season. 

They were up against an Eagles team that played with better energy for periods but also found itself lapsing, making simple errors like leaving Cripps to stroll in for a goal with nobody on the mark in the third quarter. 

They were best served again by midfield recruits Liam Baker (23 disposals) and Jack Graham (20), while defender Ryan Maric (21 and seven rebounds) worked hard to generate offensive play and Tom Gross (18) backed up his excellent debut in round four. 

After Tim Kelly's axing during the week put everybody on notice, the Eagles brought plenty of fight to the early exchanges and put the Blues on the back foot. 

Co-captain Oscar Allen was on the board quickly after combining well with the returning Jake Waterman, Jayden Hunt saved a goal with a chase-down tackle, and Liam Ryan was flying through contests and using his speed. 

The Blues soon settled, however, and went on a three-goal run to open a 15-point lead at the first change as Durdin found pockets of space inside 50 to kick back-to-back goals. 

Both teams were able to move the ball end-to-end through the second quarter in a sign that the respective defensive structures were falling down, but the Blues' 18 inside 50s resulted in 4.5. 

Premiership Eagle Jamie Cripps cut the margin to 17 points late in the quarter when he converted on the run from just inside 50, but back-to-back goals from the brilliant Walsh pushed that back to 29 points at the main break. 

Amid nerves about how they would handle the second half, the Blues made their move in the third quarter, with Matthew Cortrell particularly influential as he pinpointed targets inside 50. 

Back-to-back goals for the Eagles to start the fourth quarter might have given them some hope given the Blues' struggles late in games, but that was quickly dismissed as the winners went on a six-goal run that should ease the pressure on the struggling team.  

McKay's return over early 
Key forward Harry McKay was involved in the game early and looked capable of a big performance after taking three weeks off to focus on his mental health. An early shot on goal dribbled wide and the 2021 Coleman medallist spent time in the ruck, throwing himself around. Then came an accidental head clash with midfielder Tom Gross, however, that left McKay worse for wear and saw him removed from the game. It was a sickening clash as Gross moved at pace to become an offensive option and McKay moved to stop ball-carrier Tyrell Dewar. Gross was able to continue, but McKay walked from the ground with trainers and didn't return in a cruel blow after speaking courageously this week about his recent mental health battles.    

Eagles' serious midfield concerns 
The Eagles spent much of the pre-season with a midfield made up of Elliot Yeo, Harley Reid, Tim Kelly and Liam Duggan, who were all missing from the first centre bounce on Saturday. Kelly was dropped, Duggan and Reid moved behind the ball, and the injured Yeo can't return quick enough. Instead, the keys were thrown to youngsters Tom Gross, Clay Hall and Jack Hutchinson alongside Liam Baker and Jack Graham. The final clearance figure of 18-40 was as concerning as the contested ball differential, with the Eagles recoding a record-low 77 contested possessions to Carlton's 136. While the decision to drop Kelly may have been right, he has so far been the team's No.1 clearance player and ranked No.2 for contested possessions this season. 

Motlop's midfield move
The flipside of sending Cripps forward as the game went on was giving Jesse Motlop a chance in the midfield, which the young goalkicker relished. Motlop showed quick feet around the contest and an ability to get out of tight spaces, winning three clearances in the second half as the Carlton midfield overpowered the Eagles. There is plenty of strength in the middle for Carlton with Hewett, Cripps and Walsh, who spent more time on a wing. A bit of Motlop's skill and speed was a nice change-up for the Blues. 

CARLTON                         3.6   7.11   11.15   17.19 (121) 
WEST COAST                  1.3   3.6   4.12   6.14 (50) 

GOALS 
Carlton: Durdin 4, Walsh 3, Cripps 3, Curnow 2, White, McGovern, Fogarty, Lord, Docherty 
West Coast: Ryan 2, A Reid, Owies, Cripps, Allen 

BEST
Carlton: Walsh, Hewett, Cripps, Durdin, McGovern, Cerra, Cottrell 
West Coast: Baker, Maric, Graham, Ryan, Gross 

INJURIES 
Carlton: McKay (concussion), Kemp (lower leg)
West Coast: Nil 

LATE CHANGES 
Carlton: Blake Acres (illness) replaced in the selected side by Cooper Lord 
West Coast: Nil 

SUBSTITUTES 
Carlton: Cooper Lord (replaced Harry McKay in the first quarter) 
West Coast: Hamish Davis (replaced Jack Williams in the third quarter)

Crowd: 41,252 at Adelaide Oval