CARLTON has held on to win a Sunday afternoon thriller against Geelong at the MCG by 18 points.
The Blues couldn't shake the courageous Cats, who battled it out for four quarters, but Carlton were able to hold on to their lead to win 14.10.94 to 12.4.76.
BLUES v CATS Full match coverage and stats
It is the most significant win for Carlton this season, who have now won three games in a row following wins over West Coast and North Melbourne in previous weeks.
Key forward Harry McKay was outstanding for Carlton, kicking three goals and taking a game-high 12 marks in his first game back since suffering a concussion in round five.
McKay was joined by his partner in crime, Charlie Curnow, who kicked three goals of his own.
For the Cats, it was their spearhead Jeremy Cameron (four goals) who kept his side in touch along with Bailey Smith (29 disposals, nine tackles), who continued his strong start to the season.
A calf injury to Zac Williams in the first quarter was a major downer for the Blues, with the 30-year-old subbed out before quarter time. It's another blow for the injury-prone small forward, who has had a number of soft tissue injuries across his career.
The Cats had an injury scare of their own when star defender Tom Stewart came up worse for wear following a chase-down tackle in the back pocket, but he turned out the assistance of Geelong's medical team to play out the remainder of the game.
After kicking three goals apiece in a tightly fought first quarter, the Blues took control in the second term, where they kicked five goals to Geelong's two.
Carlton began to gain ascendancy in the middle where they started to dominate clearances. The Blues kicked the first four goals of the second term with the first coming through McKay, who took a strong mark and converted from the goal square.
The Cats finally broke Carlton's run of goals 21 minutes into the second quarter when an errant Tom De Koning kick landed in the arms of Mark O'Connor who converted, and it was followed shortly after by spearhead Cameron, who kicked his first of the game to reduce Carlton's lead to 19 points at half-time.
The Cats came out from the main break and scored the first two of the second half, with Cameron and Dempsey adding a goal each to their tallies. But every time Geelong looked like they were getting back into the match, Carlton scored.
Curnow and McKay continued their strong presence up forward, while small forwards Corey Durdin and Will White hit the scoreboard with goals of their own. The Blues went into the final break with a game-high lead of 28 points.
Again the Cats came out firing in the final term with the first three goals, with Cameron kicking his fourth, and Mark Blicavs, who had been held reasonably quiet for the day, kicking his first.
But Carlton's leaders stood up under pressure and McKay, Curnow and captain Patrick Cripps held onto possession in the final minutes to wind down the clock.
Fittingly, Carlton midfielder George Hewett, who has been exceptional so far this season, kicked the sealer in the final minutes and put the win out of reach and gave Carlton its third win of the season.
The Blues will now face the Crows in Adelaide next week, while the Cats will have to re-group against Collingwood at the MCG.
The only downer on the day for the Blues was an injury to Zac Williams, who was subbed off early in the game with a calf issue.
Carlton's keys are back
Sunday's match against the Cats was the first full game that Blues key forwards Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay have played together this season. And both spearheads caused major headaches, kicking three goals each and taking 21 marks between them. Carlton look like a much better side when they have their two tall targets inside 50 and these two will be instrumental to turning around the Blues' slow start to the season.
Jack shuts down Geelong's Danger man
Heading into Sunday's game, Patrick Dangerfield was leading the Cats' goal kicking tally with 14 from his side's first six games. Dangerfield has been spending a lot more time forward this season, and has used his explosiveness and game sense to score. But against the Blues, the 35-year-old was held reasonably quiet by his lofty standards. Blue Jack Silvagni was an interesting match-up for the Cats' skipper, but the Carlton utility did an excellent job to keep him to a goal, two marks and 13 disposals.
CARLTON 3.3 8.5 12.8 14.10 (94)
GEELONG 3.2 5.4 8.4 12.4 (76)
GOALS
Carlton: Curnow 3, McKay 3, Fogarty 2, Williams, Hollands, De Koning, Durdin, White, Hewett
Geelong: Cameron 4, Dempsey 2, Stengle, Dangerfield, O’Connor, Blicavs, Smith, Close
BEST
Carlton: McKay, Walsh, Curnow, De Koning, Weitering, Hewett, Haynes
Geelong: Smith, Cameron, Dempsey, Mannagh, Humphries
INJURIES
Carlton: Zac Williams (calf)
Geelong: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Cooper Lord (replaced Zac Williams in the first quarter)
Geelong: Oliver Henry (replaced Oliver Wiltshire in the third quarter)
Crowd: 67,658 at the MCG
